Plastic welder vs combination welder

The differences between plastic welders and combination welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plastic welder and a combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $44,588 average annual salary of a plastic welder.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a combination welder are arc welding, tack, and minor maintenance.

Plastic welder vs combination welder overview

	Plastic Welder	Combination Welder
Yearly salary	$44,588	$45,432
Hourly rate	$21.44	$21.84
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	7,117
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs combination welder salary

Plastic welders and combination welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Welder	Combination Welder
Average salary	$44,588	$45,432
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $32,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	Bremerton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Maxum Enterprises, LLC
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between plastic welder and combination welder education

There are a few differences between a plastic welder and a combination welder in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Welder	Combination Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs combination welder demographics

Here are the differences between plastic welders' and combination welders' demographics:

	Plastic Welder	Combination Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and combination welder duties and responsibilities

Plastic welder example responsibilities.

Perform TPM using companies' procedures.
Fabricate plastic pickling tanks using extrusion guns, drills, saws and other power tools
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Fabricate and repair of down hole tools, support for machine shops NDT testing
Assign and assist welders, NDT technicians, machinist and helpers with daily job assignments.
Operate the robotic welding machine which make the seat frame for all Honda vehicles

Combination welder example responsibilities.

Fitter-Qualify in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, as per AWS D1.1.
Repair wrecked tank cars using plasma, torches, welders, and air arc.
Fabricate numerous shop projects using all processes in variety of positions on carbon, aluminum, and stainless.
Assist lead welder in various welding, brazing, grinding, thermal, gouging, and arc cutting operations.
Can position pieces to weld into jigs, holding fixtures, guides and steps using measuring instruments and hand tools.
Assemble or secure pipes, tubes, fittings, specifications, by welding, brazing, soldering, or threading joints.

Plastic welder vs combination welder skills

Common plastic welder skills

Water Tanks, 61%
RAN, 15%
Extrusion, 15%
Torches, 9%

Common combination welder skills

Arc Welding, 14%
Tack, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 7%
MIG, 6%
Gmaw Welding, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%