Plastic process technician vs mold machine operator

The differences between plastic process technicians and mold 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 $32,186 average annual salary of a mold machine operator.

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

Plastic process technician vs mold machine operator overview

	Plastic Process Technician	Mold Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$47,034	$32,186
Hourly rate	$22.61	$15.47
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	29,311	68,276
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic process technician vs mold machine operator salary

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Mold Machine Operator
Average salary	$47,034	$32,186
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $61,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	BD
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between plastic process technician and mold machine operator education

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Mold Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Plastics Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic process technician vs mold machine operator demographics

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

	Plastic Process Technician	Mold 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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic process technician and mold 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.

Mold machine operator example responsibilities.

Require molding expect rate of part producing and achieving ISO QualityStandards.
Used basic math skills to count parts throw out the day.
Set up and run over 100 parts per shift.
Die cast the cables for weed eaters, lawn mowers, and boats.
Inspect complete product to match QA requirements.
Set up and operate CNC chuck lathe and trill/tap centers.

Plastic process technician vs mold 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 mold machine operator skills

Minor Maintenance, 17%
Quality Checks, 9%
Hand Tools, 6%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%
Grinders, 5%

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Plastic Process Technician
Plastic Process Technician vs Mold Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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