How To Become A Plastic Extrusion Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a plastic extrusion operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a plastic extrusion operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.72 an hour? That's $38,941 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePlastic Extrusion OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,941

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 2.31%

Black or African American 9.74%

Hispanic or Latino 12.05%

Unknown 2.82%

White 72.31%

Gender

female 10.24%

male 89.76%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a plastic extrusion operator

Explore plastic extrusion operator education requirements

Most common plastic extrusion operator degrees

High School Diploma

37.3 %

Bachelor's

21.6 %

Associate

17.6 %

Start to develop specific plastic extrusion operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Extrusion	44.78%
Hand Tools	24.15%
Air Pressure	8.44%
Calipers	7.65%
Production Data	2.37%

Complete relevant plastic extrusion operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New plastic extrusion operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a plastic extrusion operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real plastic extrusion operator resumes.

Research plastic extrusion operator duties and responsibilities

Manage the levels of chemicals to make sure process run correctly for making Styrofoam.
Load extruders mixers, mix color concentrates maintain color tolerances in the lab.
Verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, rulers.
Conduct tests at regular intervals using calipers, scales, and other devices to insure the part's integrity.

Prepare your plastic extrusion operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your plastic extrusion operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a plastic extrusion operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable plastic extrusion operator resume templates

Build a professional plastic extrusion operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your plastic extrusion operator resume.