Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Did You Know:*
- Manufacturing industries employ over 90 percent of workers.
- A few weeks of on-the-job training is sufficient for most workers to learn basic machine tending operations, but a year or more is required to become a highly skilled operator or setter.
- Employment is projected to decline rapidly.
- Those who can operate multiple machines will have the best opportunities for advancement and for gaining jobs with more long-term potential.
Industry Areas
- Plastics Product Manufacturing
- Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing
Day-to-Day Tasks*
- Measure and examine extruded products in order to locate defects, and to check for conformance to specifications; adjust controls as necessary to alter products.
- Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
- Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
Overall Kind of Work*
Consider the parts of a toaster, such as the metal or plastic housing or the lever that lowers the toast. These parts, and many other metal and plastic products, are produced by machines that are ...
Work Environment*
Civilian
Most machine setters, operators and tenders-metal and plastic work in areas that are clean, well-lit and well-ventilated. Nevertheless, stamina is required, because machine operators and setters a...
Workweek Breakdown
The hours worked per week by people currently pursuing this career.
- 100.00% (40 Hours)
This data also pertains to Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic(51-4021)
Type of Work
The level of day-to-day involvement with data, people or things.
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Skills at a Glance
The levels of different skills helpful in this career.
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Workplace at a Glance
The level of different environmental factors you would experience on the job.
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Business Breakdown
The different sectors people in this career currently work in.
- 97.77% (Private For-Profit)
- 0.49% (Private Not For-Profit)
- 0.27% (Federal Government)
- 1.47% (Self-Employed)