What does a mill operator do?
Mill operators are skilled employees who are responsible for operating and maintaining milling machines that grind materials such as rocks or chemicals at a milling facility. These operators must gather raw materials for production and assist with the inventory of all materials. They must operate a wide variety of equipment such as power saws, sanders, drill press, and basic hand tools while performing regular maintenance and troubleshooting on the milling machines. Mill operators must also attend safety meetings that are held weekly and monthly to ensure machine operators are following safety procedures.
Mill operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real mill operator resumes:
- Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
- Perform all work in respirator and other proper PPE.
- Skil at training other machinists on CNC machines in this shop.
- Assemble parts, operate CNC lathe and mills and adjust off sets.
- Perform QC testing on products, filing paperwork per company and ISO standards.
- Rebuild Rotex sifters, fabricate and replace screens, replace shoes and anvils in impact mills.
- Perform regular troubleshoot on machines and ensure efficient working of machinery.
- Coordinate with material engineers and chemists to troubleshoot areas of improvement.
- Monitor and maintain HVAC system including toxic area cascading ventilation system.
- Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
- Document all readings and temperatures of water that comes in and out of chillers.
- Operate and maintain boilers ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 pounds and chillers from 400 to 800 tons.
- Clean inside of crucibles, patch cracks and perform other repair tasks of crucible prior to next run.
- Position equipment such as ladles, pouring nozzles, or crucibles, or signal other workers to position equipment.
- Feed fuel, such as coal into fireboxes or onto conveyors and remove ashes from furnaces, using shovels and buckets
Mill operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Mill Operators are proficient in CNC, OSHA, and Math. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Coordination, and Visual ability.
We break down the percentage of Mill Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CNC, 7%
Operated CNC machines in a safe and efficient manner to produce good Bearing and production parts to specifications.
- OSHA, 7%
Completed OSHA and American Red Cross courses.
- Math, 6%
Performed math converting metric to inches and converting fractions to decimals.
- Calipers, 6%
Utilized a variety of micrometers, calipers, and thickness measuring instruments for final inspection.
- Hand Tools, 5%
Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery or equipment, using hand tools.
- Safety Rules, 5%
Operated mobile equipment safely, according to safety rules and regulations.
"cnc," "osha," and "math" are among the most common skills that mill operators use at work. You can find even more mill operator responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a mill operator to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what mill operators do because "material moving machine operators signal and direct workers to load and unload material." Additionally, a mill operator resume shows how mill operators use communication skills: "established good communication between all main pieces of frac equipment, as well as communication between all equipment operators. "
Coordination. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling mill operator duties is coordination. The role rewards competence in this skill because "material moving machine operators must have steady hands and feet to guide and control heavy machinery precisely." According to a mill operator resume, here's how mill operators can utilize coordination in their job responsibilities: "task often requires coordination with the control room personnel to assess the validity of readings and alarms. "
Visual ability. mill operators are also known for visual ability, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to mill operator responsibilities, because "material moving machine operators must be able to see clearly where they are driving or what they are moving." A mill operator resume example shows how visual ability is used in the workplace: "verified dimension of finished product visually or using micrometers, calipers or gauges. "
Mechanical skills. mill operator responsibilities often require "mechanical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "material moving machine operators make minor adjustments to their machines and perform basic maintenance on them." This resume example shows what mill operators do with mechanical skills on a typical day: "perform operational, shutdown, and preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems. "
The three companies that hire the most mill operators are:
- West Fraser75 mill operators jobs
- TPI26 mill operators jobs
- Andersen14 mill operators jobs
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Compare different mill operators
Mill operator vs. Machine operator/forklift operator
A machine operator/forklift operator is responsible for operating industrial trucks to move merchandise around the warehouse facilities and other assigned areas. Machine operators/forklift operators also assist with inventory tasks by scanning orders and ensuring the correct merchandise for shipment. They manage the stability of the vehicles, ensuring its efficiency and optimization during operations, performing engine repairs for any inconsistencies to avoid delays on deliveries. A machine operator/forklift operator should strictly follow the safety protocols of the business, as well as have knowledge of the mechanical industry.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a mill operator are more likely to require skills like "osha," "math," "calipers," and "hand tools." On the other hand, a job as a machine operator/forklift operator requires skills like "drive forklift," "electric pallet jack," "assembly line," and "rf." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Machine operator/forklift operators earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $36,711. On the other hand, mill operators are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $41,320.The education levels that machine operator/forklift operators earn slightly differ from mill operators. In particular, machine operator/forklift operators are 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a mill operator. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mill operator vs. Fork truck operator
Each career also uses different skills, according to real mill operator resumes. While mill operator responsibilities can utilize skills like "osha," "math," "calipers," and "hand tools," fork truck operators use skills like "pallets," "load trailers," "pallet jack," and "assembly line."
Fork truck operators earn a lower average salary than mill operators. But fork truck operators earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $37,114. Additionally, mill operators earn the highest salaries in the construction with average pay of $41,320 annually.fork truck operators earn similar levels of education than mill operators in general. They're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mill operator vs. Technical machine operator
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from mill operator resumes include skills like "osha," "calipers," "hand tools," and "safety rules," whereas a technical machine operator is more likely to list skills in "safety regulations," "continuous improvement," "trouble shoot," and "pallet jack. "
Technical machine operators earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $35,834. Mill operators earn the highest pay from the construction industry, with an average salary of $41,320.Most technical machine operators achieve a similar degree level compared to mill operators. For example, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mill operator vs. General machine operator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between mill operators and general machine operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a mill operator might have more use for skills like "osha," "calipers," "hand tools," and "basic math." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of general machine operators require skills like "safety regulations," "product specifications," "assembly line," and "pallet jack. "
The finance industry tends to pay the highest salaries for general machine operators, with average annual pay of $35,435. Comparatively, the highest mill operator annual salary comes from the construction industry.The average resume of general machine operators showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to mill operators. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.Types of mill operator
Updated January 8, 2025
