Plastic machine operator vs press brake operator

The differences between plastic machine operators and press brake operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a press brake operator has an average salary of $36,359, 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 press brake operator are calipers, tape measure, and math.

Plastic machine operator vs press brake operator overview

	Plastic Machine Operator	Press Brake Operator
Yearly salary	$31,802	$36,359
Hourly rate	$15.29	$17.48
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	58,108	57,264
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	-	2

Plastic machine operator vs press brake operator salary

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Press Brake Operator
Average salary	$31,802	$36,359
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $40,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Alaska	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Dart Container	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between plastic machine operator and press brake operator education

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Press Brake Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic machine operator vs press brake operator demographics

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

	Plastic Machine Operator	Press Brake Operator
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic machine operator and press brake 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.

Press brake operator example responsibilities.

Set up machines and troubleshoot.
Set up and run a turret punch
Maintain and ensure proper use of PPE.
Promote from tool operator to dye shop.
Hold tight tolerances and always use your PPE.
Used math skills to produce parts to a specific dimension.

Plastic machine operator vs press brake 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 press brake operator skills

Calipers, 12%
Tape Measure, 9%
Math, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
Amada, 5%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Plastic Machine Operator
Plastic Machine Operator vs Press Brake Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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