Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.

Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 14 occupations and seen in 16 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Set up equipment. in Handling and Moving Objects .

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 16 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) 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.

• Adjust bolts, clamps, stops, guides, or table angles or heights, using hand tools. · Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Set and verify parts clearances. · Engine and Other Machine Assemblers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Set up and maintain master key systems. · Locksmiths and Safe Repairers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools. · Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes. · Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables. · Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications. · Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Set machine stops or guides to specified lengths as indicated by scales, rules, or templates. · Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Attach and adjust guides, stops, clamps, chucks, or feed mechanisms, using hand tools. · Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices. · Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Position width gauge blocks between blades, and level blades and insert wedges into frames to secure blades to frames. · Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers. · Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning. · Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Measure and set stops, rolls, brushes, and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules, and hand tools. · Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Adjust air cylinders and setting stops to set traverse lengths and feed arm strokes. · Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.4 · no direct exposure
• Slide spacers between buffs on spindles to set spacing. · Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 2.8 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
• Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
• Locksmiths and Safe Repairers
• Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
• Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

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-set-equipment-guides-stops-spacers-or-other-fixtures,
  title  = {Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.},
  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/set-equipment-guides-stops-spacers-or-other-fixtures}
}