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Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic vs Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic and Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$54,540
$45,590
Employment · BLS OEWS
1,570
174,430
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
47th pct
23rd pct

At a glance

Dimension Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay $54,540 $45,590
Employment 1,570 174,430
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-24.4%) Declining (-12.1%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 100 14,400
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Moderate · 47th pct Low · 23rd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 34th pct · 20% of tasks 26th pct · 18% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — Automation-leaning (48.4%)
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Near Vision, Production and Processing, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Mechanical, Operations Monitoring, Problem Sensitivity, Visualization, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Finger Dexterity, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Judgment and Decision Making, Perceptual Speed, Multilimb Coordination, Far Vision.

Specific to Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

  • Mathematics
  • Design
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Category Flexibility
  • Time Management
  • Fluency of Ideas
  • Visual Color Discrimination

Specific to Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  • Reaction Time
  • Troubleshooting
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Rate Control
  • Static Strength
  • Trunk Strength
  • Depth Perception
  • English Language

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Computer aided design CAD software , Spreadsheet software , Electronic mail software , Computer aided manufacturing CAM software .

Specific to Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

    Specific to Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic or Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

    More comparisons

    Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

    Sources for this page

    Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

    Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

    Cite this page
    Plain

    Singulariki. "Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic vs Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/patternmakers-metal-and-plastic-vs-cutting-punching-and-press-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic vs Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/patternmakers-metal-and-plastic-vs-cutting-punching-and-press-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-patternmakers-metal-and-plastic-vs-cutting-punching-and-press-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic vs Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/patternmakers-metal-and-plastic-vs-cutting-punching-and-press-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic}
}

    Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.