Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.
- Median pay
- $47,180
- Doing it now
- 127,100
- By 2035
- Up 0.6%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
11,600 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Inspect workpieces for defects, and measure workpieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates, or other measuring instruments.
- Observe machine operation to detect workpiece defects or machine malfunctions, adjusting machines as necessary.
- Read blueprints or job orders to determine product specifications and tooling instructions and to plan operational sequences.
- Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, presses, drills, or auxiliary machines, to make metallic and plastic workpieces.
- Position, adjust, and secure stock material or workpieces against stops, on arbors, or in chucks, fixtures, or automatic feeding mechanisms, manually or using hoists.
- Select, install, and adjust alignment of drills, cutters, dies, guides, and holding devices, using templates, measuring instruments, and hand tools.
- Change worn machine accessories, such as cutting tools or brushes, using hand tools.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Precision Metal WorkingSee 4 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,330
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,720
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,550
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,690
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,620
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $47,180 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.