Plastic process technician vs injection machine operator

The differences between plastic process technicians and injection machine operators 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 $31,693 average annual salary of an injection machine operator.

The top three skills for a plastic process technician include plastic injection, process changes and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for an injection machine operator are PET, hand tools, and mold injection.

Plastic process technician vs injection machine operator overview

	Plastic Process Technician	Injection Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$47,034	$31,693
Hourly rate	$22.61	$15.24
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	29,311	58,188
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic process technician vs injection machine operator salary

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Injection Machine Operator
Average salary	$47,034	$31,693
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $61,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between plastic process technician and injection machine operator education

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Injection Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Plastics Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic process technician vs injection machine operator demographics

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Injection Machine Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%
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, 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 process technician and injection machine operator 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.

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 process technician vs injection machine operator skills

Common plastic process technician skills

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

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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Plastic Process Technician
Plastic Process Technician vs Injection Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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