Plastic process technician vs composite technician

The differences between plastic process technicians and composite technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plastic process technician has an average salary of $47,034, which is higher than the $33,380 average annual salary of a composite technician.

The top three skills for a plastic process technician include plastic injection, process changes and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a composite technician are hand tools, calipers, and composite materials.

Plastic process technician vs composite technician overview

	Plastic Process Technician	Composite Technician
Yearly salary	$47,034	$33,380
Hourly rate	$22.61	$16.05
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	29,311	24,674
Job satisfaction	-	3.5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic process technician vs composite technician salary

Plastic process technicians and composite technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Process Technician	Composite Technician
Average salary	$47,034	$33,380
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $61,000	Between $25,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Lincoln, NE
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Aurora Flight Sciences
Best paying industry	-	Start-up

Differences between plastic process technician and composite technician education

There are a few differences between a plastic process technician and a composite technician in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Process Technician	Composite Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Plastics Engineering	Aviation
Most common college	-	-

Plastic process technician vs composite technician demographics

Here are the differences between plastic process technicians' and composite technicians' demographics:

	Plastic Process Technician	Composite Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%	Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.9% Asian, 8.4% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic process technician and composite technician duties and responsibilities

Plastic process technician example responsibilities.

Manage utilization of LOTO procedures, GMP standards and OSHA safety standards.
Utilize basic laboratory procedures and sterilization techniques and receive training in OSHA rules and regulations.
Manufacture air bags in the only Nike facility in the world that focuses on air bags for shoes.

Composite technician example responsibilities.

Manage utilization of LOTO procedures, GMP standards and OSHA safety standards.
Fabricate parts from stock maintaining alloy, heat treat, surface finish including aluminum, stainless steel and titanium.
Complete courses on OSHA requirements.
Maintain MSDS and other OSHA relate paperwork.
Be aware FOD and other hazards when working with chemicals.
Inspect every layer to ensure that they are all FOD free.

Plastic process technician vs composite technician skills

Common plastic process technician skills

Plastic Injection, 15%
Process Changes, 12%
Lean Manufacturing, 10%
Quality Issues, 9%
SPC, 8%
QA, 7%

Common composite technician skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Calipers, 9%
Composite Materials, 7%
Engineering Drawings, 6%
Grinders, 4%
Autoclaves, 4%

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Plastic Process Technician
Plastic Process Technician vs Composite Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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