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Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators in Iowa

Considering working as a Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators in Iowa? Below are the key facts. Laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products.

What do Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators Make in Iowa?

The fiberglass laminators and fabricators working in Iowa, the median annual wage is $49,940 per year (or about $24.01/hour).Pay can range from $40,430 at the 10th percentile to $49,940 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$40,430	$19.44
25th percentile	$48,860	$23.49
Median (50th)	$49,940	$24.01
75th percentile	$49,940	$24.01
90th percentile	$49,940	$24.01

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Iowa relative to the national average — is 1.33, suggesting that fiberglass laminators and fabricators are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, fiberglass laminators and fabricators earn a median of $54,441 per year ($26.17/hour), below the Iowa median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 136,242 fiberglass laminators and fabricators nationwide. In Iowa alone, around 250 people work in this role. That’s right around the typical state median of 250.

Top States for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators Employment

View the states that employ the most fiberglass laminators and fabricators work.

State	Number Employed
Florida	3,730
Indiana	1,850
Texas	1,060
New Jersey	940
Washington	930
South Carolina	870
California	780
Tennessee	780
North Carolina	640
Arkansas	520
Pennsylvania	500
Ohio	460
Michigan	400
Georgia	390
Louisiana	390
Maine	380
Wisconsin	370
Oklahoma	300
Minnesota	300
Massachusetts	250

Highest-Paying States for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

These states pay the most for fiberglass laminators and fabricators.

State	Annual Median Salary
Connecticut	$81,120
New Jersey	$53,910
Washington	$53,690
California	$53,350
Massachusetts	$50,590
Iowa	$49,940
Tennessee	$49,260
Louisiana	$49,090
Maine	$48,860
Rhode Island	$48,350

Skills

The most important fiberglass laminators and fabricators skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Top abilities for fiberglass laminators and fabricators, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers.
• Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments.
• Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes.
• Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots.
• Pat or press layers of saturated mat or cloth into place on molds, using brushes or hands, and smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles with hands or squeegees.
• Select precut fiberglass mats, cloth, and wood-bracing materials as required by projects being assembled.
• Bond wood reinforcing strips to decks and cabin structures of watercraft, using resin-saturated fiberglass.
• Trim excess materials from molds, using hand shears or trimming knives.
• Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled.
• Inspect, clean, and assemble molds before beginning work.
• Cure materials by letting them set at room temperature, placing them under heat lamps, or baking them in ovens.
• Apply lacquers and waxes to mold surfaces to facilitate assembly and removal of laminated parts.

Work Activities

• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Training and Teaching Others
• Documenting/Recording Information

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

Related Careers

Careers similar to fiberglass laminators and fabricators include:

• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical
• Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
• Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Also Known As

Boat Assembler, Boat Builder, Boat Carpenter, Chopper Gun Operator, Composite Bond Technician, Composite Fitter Mechanic, Composite Laminator, Composite Mechanic, Composite Technician, Fabricator, Fiber Placement Technician, Fiber Winding Operator, Fiberglass Boat Builder, Fiberglass Boat Finisher, Fiberglass Boat Maker.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-2051.00