Plastic machine operator vs extrusion operator

The differences between plastic machine operators and extrusion operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an extrusion operator has an average salary of $36,571, 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 an extrusion operator are extrusion, hand tools, and math.

Plastic machine operator vs extrusion operator overview

	Plastic Machine Operator	Extrusion Operator
Yearly salary	$31,802	$36,571
Hourly rate	$15.29	$17.58
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	58,108	58,622
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs extrusion operator salary

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Extrusion Operator
Average salary	$31,802	$36,571
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $40,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Minnetonka, MN
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Dart Container	BD
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between plastic machine operator and extrusion operator education

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Extrusion Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs extrusion operator demographics

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Extrusion Operator
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic machine operator and extrusion 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.

Extrusion operator example responsibilities.

Manage the levels of chemicals to make sure process run correctly for making Styrofoam.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Extrude automotive parts according to ISO standards.
Start operations by inserting data into CNC control units.
Set up and operate equipment to produce food contact grade PVC plastic film.
Mount rolls of base material on machine spindles for automatic feed through machines.

Plastic machine operator vs extrusion 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 extrusion operator skills

Extrusion, 21%
Hand Tools, 6%
Math, 5%
Quality Checks, 5%
Extrusion Machine, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Plastic Machine Operator
Plastic Machine Operator vs Extrusion Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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