Plastic machine operator vs injection machine operator

The differences between plastic machine operators and injection machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plastic machine operator has an average salary of $31,802, which is higher than the $31,693 average annual salary of an injection 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 injection machine operator are PET, hand tools, and mold injection.

Plastic machine operator vs injection machine operator overview

	Plastic Machine Operator	Injection Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$31,802	$31,693
Hourly rate	$15.29	$15.24
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	58,108	58,188
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs injection machine operator salary

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Injection Machine Operator
Average salary	$31,802	$31,693
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $40,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Dart Container	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between plastic machine operator and injection machine operator education

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Injection Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs injection machine operator demographics

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Injection Machine Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%
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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic machine operator and injection machine 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.

Injection machine operator example responsibilities.

Require molding expect rate of part producing and achieving ISO QualityStandards.
Use hoists and motorize pallet jacks to move dies.
Produce and maintain accurate documentation for production reports using math and computer skills.
Put a retainer on by using metal clips.

Plastic machine operator vs injection machine 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 injection machine operator skills

PET, 17%
Hand Tools, 15%
Mold Injection, 14%
Customer Specifications, 11%
Plastic Bottles, 9%
Quality Checks, 6%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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