Set-up operator vs machine set up operator

The differences between set-up operators and machine set up operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a set-up operator and a machine set up operator. Additionally, a set-up operator has an average salary of $39,269, which is higher than the $35,823 average annual salary of a machine set up operator.

The top three skills for a set-up operator include calipers, cnc machines and hand tools. The most important skills for a machine set up operator are cnc machines, calipers, and micrometers.

Set-up operator vs machine set up operator overview

	Set-Up Operator	Machine Set Up Operator
Yearly salary	$39,269	$35,823
Hourly rate	$18.88	$17.22
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	55,670	61,986
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Set-up operator vs machine set up operator salary

Set-up operators and machine set up operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Set-Up Operator	Machine Set Up Operator
Average salary	$39,269	$35,823
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NY	Holyoke, MA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	ABB
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between set-up operator and machine set up operator education

There are a few differences between a set-up operator and a machine set up operator in terms of educational background:

	Set-Up Operator	Machine Set Up Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Set-up operator vs machine set up operator demographics

Here are the differences between set-up operators' and machine set up operators' demographics:

	Set-Up Operator	Machine Set Up Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%	Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between set-up operator and machine set up operator duties and responsibilities

Set-up operator example responsibilities.

Manage daily scheduling of production workload to be setup and run on machinery.
Use and replacement of drills, taps, broaches, and reamers.
Manufacture parts according to blueprints, work with stainless steel aluminum, brass and plastics.
Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders.
Use of exact measuring instruments as CMM, optical comparators, mics, bore gauges and many other tools.
Produce parts from different materials such as cold roll steel, stainless steel, no lead brass and regular brass.

Machine set up operator example responsibilities.

Perform trial runs on new CNC programs, working with programming and tooling to achieve satisfactory parts.
Used micrometers and calipers to determine require tolerances.
Follow ISO and QS standard operating procedures.
Panel control, fanuc control, & dynapath.
Run machines after setup, inspect parts run.
Work on CNC OKUMA machines, horizontals and verticals.

Set-up operator vs machine set up operator skills

Common set-up operator skills

Calipers, 9%
CNC Machines, 7%
Hand Tools, 7%
Math, 6%
Quality Checks, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 6%

Common machine set up operator skills

CNC Machines, 13%
Calipers, 10%
Micrometers, 9%
CNC Lathes, 6%
Quality Checks, 5%
Math, 5%

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Set-Up Operator
Set-Up Operator vs Machine Set Up Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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