Plastic welder vs welder operator

The differences between plastic welders and welder operators 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 welder operator. Additionally, a plastic welder has an average salary of $44,588, which is higher than the $31,669 average annual salary of a welder operator.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a welder operator are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Plastic welder vs welder operator overview

	Plastic Welder	Welder Operator
Yearly salary	$44,588	$31,669
Hourly rate	$21.44	$15.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	51,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs welder operator salary

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

	Plastic Welder	Welder Operator
Average salary	$44,588	$31,669
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Chicopee, MA
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Capco
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between plastic welder and welder operator education

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

	Plastic Welder	Welder Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs welder operator demographics

Here are the differences between plastic welders' and welder operators' demographics:

	Plastic Welder	Welder Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and welder operator 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

Welder operator example responsibilities.

Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
Weld carbon steel pipes using GTAW and SMAW.
Weld with (GMAW) on aluminum.
Maintain certifications in SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW.
Perform TIG and MIG welding processes on fabrications according to the blueprints specifications.
Weld heavy industrial clamps together using the MIG and TIG process on AR400 grade steel.

Plastic welder vs welder operator skills

Common plastic welder skills

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

Common welder operator skills

MIG, 12%
Arc Welding, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Tig Welding, 6%
GMAW, 5%