Lathe operator vs press brake operator

The differences between lathe operators and press brake operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a press brake operator has an average salary of $36,359, which is higher than the $36,280 average annual salary of a lathe operator.

The top three skills for a lathe operator include cnc lathes, micrometers and manual lathes. The most important skills for a press brake operator are calipers, tape measure, and math.

Lathe operator vs press brake operator overview

	Lathe Operator	Press Brake Operator
Yearly salary	$36,280	$36,359
Hourly rate	$17.44	$17.48
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	45,596	57,264
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	2

Lathe operator vs press brake operator salary

Lathe operators and press brake operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lathe Operator	Press Brake Operator
Average salary	$36,280	$36,359
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $47,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Youngstown, OH	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Ohio	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Valmont Industries	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between lathe operator and press brake operator education

There are a few differences between a lathe operator and a press brake operator in terms of educational background:

	Lathe Operator	Press Brake Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lathe operator vs press brake operator demographics

Here are the differences between lathe operators' and press brake operators' demographics:

	Lathe Operator	Press Brake Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	3%

Differences between lathe operator and press brake operator duties and responsibilities

Lathe operator example responsibilities.

Operate and programme Mazak lathes.
Operate dual side Okuma lathe.
Perform SPC inpections reports for cus to meet monitoring.
Fabricate metal parts using punch press, CNC brake press.
Check parts using CMM, micrometers and other appropriate gauges.
Grind and send dog food into the extrusion for cooking.

Press brake operator example responsibilities.

Set up machines and troubleshoot.
Set up and run a turret punch
Maintain and ensure proper use of PPE.
Promote from tool operator to dye shop.
Hold tight tolerances and always use your PPE.
Used math skills to produce parts to a specific dimension.

Lathe operator vs press brake operator skills

Common lathe operator skills

CNC Lathes, 11%
Micrometers, 11%
Manual Lathes, 10%
Hand Tools, 9%
Calipers, 8%
Math, 6%

Common press brake operator skills

Calipers, 12%
Tape Measure, 9%
Math, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
Amada, 5%
Safety Procedures, 4%