Plastic machine operator vs cell operator

The differences between plastic machine operators and cell operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cell operator has an average salary of $37,866, which is higher than the $31,802 average annual salary of a plastic machine operator.

The top three skills for a plastic machine operator include quality checks, CNC and provide technical assistance. The most important skills for a cell operator are hand tools, math, and quality standards.

Plastic machine operator vs cell operator overview

	Plastic Machine Operator	Cell Operator
Yearly salary	$31,802	$37,866
Hourly rate	$15.29	$18.20
Growth rate	-5%	7%
Number of jobs	58,108	66,532
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs cell operator salary

Plastic machine operators and cell operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Machine Operator	Cell Operator
Average salary	$31,802	$37,866
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $40,000	Between $31,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Dart Container	Cummins
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between plastic machine operator and cell operator education

There are a few differences between a plastic machine operator and a cell operator in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Machine Operator	Cell Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs cell operator demographics

Here are the differences between plastic machine operators' and cell operators' demographics:

	Plastic Machine Operator	Cell Operator
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 68.8% Female, 31.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	3%	5%

Differences between plastic machine operator and cell operator duties and responsibilities

Plastic machine operator example responsibilities.

Assist in color die changes for use in maintaining plastic extrusion machines.
Operate pallet jacks and heavy machinery assembling bolts and nuts into car parts for Honda.
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.
Participate in technical support and assist validation and QA department during equipment validation.

Cell operator example responsibilities.

Work with QC on parts.
Capture torque data for SPC charts.
Read and implement PC (product criteria).
Work with engineering to make specialty repair parts for hoists.
Adjust CNC machines as needed to ensure that parts are made to spec.
Assist in editing CNC programs and develop new part setups and tooling while working closely with manufacturing engineers.

Plastic machine operator vs cell operator skills

Common plastic machine operator skills

Quality Checks, 19%
CNC, 12%
Provide Technical Assistance, 11%
Mold Components, 9%
Lean Manufacturing, 8%
Safety Procedures, 6%

Common cell operator skills

Hand Tools, 12%
Math, 10%
Quality Standards, 8%
CNC, 8%
Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Plastic Machine Operator
Plastic Machine Operator vs Cell Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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