Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 16 occupations and seen in 30 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate industrial processing or production equipment. in Controlling Machines and Processes .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 30 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 1 (3%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Operate or tend wire-coiling machines to wind wire coils used in electrical components such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments such as bobbins and generators. · Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects. · Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations. · Machinists · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients. · Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment. · Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels. · Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips. · Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. · Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes. · Tool and Die Makers · importance 4.4 · direct LLM exposure
• Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools. · Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations. · Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances. · Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency. · Machinists · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, drill presses, punch presses, or bandsaws, to fabricate prototypes or models. · Model Makers, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion. · Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications. · Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. · Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms. · Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form filaments from synthetic materials such as rayon, fiberglass, or liquid polymers. · Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Press buttons to stop machines when processes are complete or when malfunctions are detected. · Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Fabricate parts needed for assembly or installation, using shop machinery or equipment. · Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes. · Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Set up or operate machines or systems to crimp, cut, bend, form, swage, flare, bead, burr, or straighten tubing, according to specifications. · Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. · Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Select the proper coolants and lubricants and start their flow. · Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Set up and operate metalworking machines, such as milling or grinding machines, to shape or fabricate parts. · Engine and Other Machine Assemblers · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Move controls to activate and adjust extruding and forming machines. · Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters. · Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Select coolants and lubricants, and start their flow. · Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 3.3 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Machinists
• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Tool and Die Makers
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
• Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
• Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
• Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

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.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-operate-metal-or-plastic-forming-equipment,
  title  = {Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/operate-metal-or-plastic-forming-equipment}
}