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

What is a plastic press operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a plastic press operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.87 an hour? That's $30,936 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePlastic Press OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,936

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 29.03%

male 70.97%

Age - 48

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 - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a plastic press operator

Explore plastic press operator education requirements

Most common plastic press operator degrees

High School Diploma

47.0 %

Associate

18.2 %

Bachelor's

16.7 %

Start to develop specific plastic press operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	37.39%
Calipers	31.12%
Quality Products	19.31%
Machine Operation	8.36%
Quality Checks	2.42%

Complete relevant plastic press operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New plastic press 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 press operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real plastic press operator resumes.

Research plastic press operator duties and responsibilities

Measure thickness of material with calipers and micrometers while sanding to keep material within allowable tolerances.
Operate an extrusion press which produce aluminum products.

Prepare your plastic press operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your plastic press 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 press 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 press operator resume templates

Build a professional plastic press 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 press operator resume.