What is a Compacting Machine Operator?

Compacting Machine Operator Definition Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products, such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.

Life As a Compacting Machine Operator

• Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
• Send product samples to laboratories for analysis.
• Thread extruded strips through water tanks and hold-down bars, or attach strands to wires and draw them through tubes.
• Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.
• Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products.
• Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Compacting Machine Operator?

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Types of Compacting Machine Operator Jobs

• Dampener Operator
• Machine Chocolate Molder
• Buckle Frame Shaper
• Rebrander
• Sugar Presser

Compacting Machine Operator Job Outlook

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 71,400 jobs in the United States for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender jobs are decreasing by a rate of -5.4%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -3,800 jobs for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders by 2026. The BLS estimates 7,900 yearly job openings in this field per year.

The states with the most job growth for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders are Texas, Florida, and Alabama.

Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, Virginia, or North Carolina. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Compacting Machine Operator Salary

The salary for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ranges between about $24,070 and $52,840 a year. An Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender median salary is $35,120.

How much do Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Idaho	$46,000
Louisiana	$43,910
Maryland	$43,680
Connecticut	$43,640
Washington	$43,350
Delaware	$43,100
Oregon	$42,510
Illinois	$42,270
Minnesota	$41,470
New York	$41,110
South Carolina	$40,430
Iowa	$39,980
Nebraska	$39,580
Alabama	$38,970
Pennsylvania	$38,770
Missouri	$38,630
Kentucky	$38,510
North Carolina	$38,360
Utah	$38,210
Kansas	$37,910
Arkansas	$37,380
Wisconsin	$37,260
Massachusetts	$37,090
New Jersey	$36,700
Montana	$36,490
Colorado	$36,490
California	$36,390
Maine	$35,850
Georgia	$35,750
Michigan	$35,190
Ohio	$35,180
Florida	$34,930
South Dakota	$34,780
New Hampshire	$34,470
Rhode Island	$34,430
Nevada	$34,310
New Mexico	$33,900
Arizona	$33,720
Indiana	$33,250
Vermont	$32,760
Mississippi	$32,590
Virginia	$32,190
Tennessee	$32,010
Texas	$31,500
Oklahoma	$31,460
Hawaii	$30,070

What Tools do Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders may use on a daily basis:

• Data entry software
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• SAP
• Microsoft Excel

How to Become a Compacting Machine Operator

Learn what Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Are Employed

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Career changers with experience as an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons