How To Become A Punch Press Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a punch press operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a punch press operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.26 an hour? That's $37,977 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePunch Press OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,977

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 19.27%

male 80.73%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a punch press operator

Explore punch press operator education requirements

Most common punch press operator degrees

High School Diploma

51.7 %

Associate

16.8 %

Diploma

13.4 %

Start to develop specific punch press operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Calipers	14.41%
Turret Punch Press	9.70%
Micrometers	7.86%
Math	7.13%
Punch Press Machine	6.30%

Complete relevant punch press operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New punch press operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a punch press operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real punch press operator resumes.

Research punch press operator duties and responsibilities

Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments such as micrometers or veneer calipers.
Die room equipment Gerber profile 408 cnc router table.
Set up and run all aspects of the stamping process
Possess the ability to effectively utilize advance shop math and computer skills.

Prepare your punch press operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your punch press operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a punch press operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable punch press operator resume templates

Build a professional punch press operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your punch press operator resume.