How To Become A Straightening Machine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a straightening machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a straightening machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.27 an hour? That's $33,842 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreStraightening Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,842

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 2.31%

Black or African American 9.74%

Hispanic or Latino 12.05%

Unknown 2.82%

White 72.31%

Gender

female 5.56%

male 94.44%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a straightening machine operator

Explore straightening machine operator education requirements

Most common straightening machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

66.7 %

Associate

16.7 %

Bachelor's

8.3 %

Start to develop specific straightening machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	39.97%
Machine Operation	27.01%
BARS	22.94%
Calipers	10.08%

Complete relevant straightening machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New straightening machine 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 straightening machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real straightening machine operator resumes.

Research straightening machine operator duties and responsibilities

Manage the levels of chemicals to make sure process run correctly for making Styrofoam.
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.
Participate in technical support and assist validation and QA department during equipment validation.

Prepare your straightening machine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your straightening machine 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 straightening machine 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 straightening machine operator resume templates

Build a professional straightening machine 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 straightening machine operator resume.