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

What is a trim 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 trim machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.83 an hour? That's $32,922 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTrim Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,922

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

2.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.35%

Asian 7.84%

Black or African American 10.04%

Hispanic or Latino 11.18%

Unknown 3.41%

White 66.18%

Gender

female 37.25%

male 62.75%

Age - 42.5

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 - 42.5

Stress level

2.6

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a trim machine operator

Explore trim machine operator education requirements

Most common trim machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

34.6 %

Diploma

30.8 %

Bachelor's

15.4 %

Start to develop specific trim machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Gauges	50.09%
CNC	25.42%
Press Brake	15.33%
Safety Guidelines	6.15%
Quality Inspection	3.01%

Complete relevant trim machine operator training and internships

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

Research trim machine operator duties and responsibilities

Load and unload casting and raw materials in CNC machinery.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.

Prepare your trim machine operator resume

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

Build a professional trim 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 trim machine operator resume.