Plastic technician vs molding technician

The differences between plastic technicians and molding technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a molding technician has an average salary of $40,696, which is higher than the $36,725 average annual salary of a plastic technician.

The top three skills for a plastic technician include hand tools, grinders and extrusion. The most important skills for a molding technician are preventative maintenance, hand tools, and auxiliary equipment.

Plastic technician vs molding technician overview

	Plastic Technician	Molding Technician
Yearly salary	$36,725	$40,696
Hourly rate	$17.66	$19.57
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	6,368	10,231
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Plastic technician vs molding technician salary

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

	Plastic Technician	Molding Technician
Average salary	$36,725	$40,696
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $47,000	Between $32,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	Kearney, NE
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Cummins
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between plastic technician and molding technician education

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

	Plastic Technician	Molding Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic technician vs molding technician demographics

Here are the differences between plastic technicians' and molding technicians' demographics:

	Plastic Technician	Molding Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic technician and molding technician duties and responsibilities

Plastic technician example responsibilities.

Manage utilization of LOTO procedures, GMP standards and OSHA safety standards.
Melt and apply solder along edges of work pieces to solder joints using soldering irons and gas torches.
Operate various plastic sheet extrusion machines to supply the thermoforming department.
Maintain ISO standards, training, meetings, and safety procedures.
Operate and maintain material dryers and resin systems to include regrind during the shift.
Perform and record require checks on dryers, material blending and resin systems and react to out of spec conditions.

Molding technician example responsibilities.

Manage utilization of LOTO procedures, GMP standards and OSHA safety standards.
Operate overhead cranes and forklifts and perform die-setter duties.
Operate and set-up CNC mills to make tire molds.
Work within the parameters of QS-9000 , 9001 and ISO 14000 certification requirements.
Track and maintain various SPC and quality control documentation to adhere to FDA requirements.
Use of milling machines, lathes, drill presses, sanders, grinders and polishers.

Plastic technician vs molding technician skills

Common plastic technician skills

Hand Tools, 21%
Grinders, 16%
Extrusion, 16%
Process Adjustments, 14%
Color Changes, 14%
ABS, 9%

Common molding technician skills

Preventative Maintenance, 9%
Hand Tools, 7%
Auxiliary Equipment, 7%
Math, 6%
Quality Checks, 6%
Basic Math, 5%

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Plastic Technician
Plastic Technician vs Molding Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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