Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international 3 occupations below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Tasks

All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products. Core · importance 4.6
• Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications. Core · importance 4.3
• Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion. Core · importance 4.3
• Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights. Core · importance 4.3
• Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials. Core · importance 4.2
• Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes. Core · importance 4.1
• Clean work areas. Core · importance 4.0
• Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders. Supplemental · importance 3.9
• Maintain an inventory of materials. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment. Core · importance 3.7
• Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods. Supplemental · importance 3.4
• Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths. Supplemental · importance 3.1

Work activities

• Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
• Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
• Determine production equipment settings.
• Select production equipment according to product specifications.
• Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
• Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
• Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
• Replace worn equipment components.
• Package products for storage or shipment.
• Diagnose equipment malfunctions.
• Repair production equipment or tools.
• Maintain production or processing equipment.
• Clean work areas.
• Operate cutting equipment.
• Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
• Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
• Load materials into production equipment.
• Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Mathematics Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Operational Databases Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Precision Production . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.

• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers · 51-6091.00 Compare →
• Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4072.00 Compare →
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4031.00 Compare →
• Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4081.00 Compare →
• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9041.00 Compare →
• Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9032.00 Compare →
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4023.00 Compare →
• Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9196.00 Compare →
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4022.00 Compare →
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4034.00 Compare →
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4035.00 Compare →
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4033.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
• AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
• ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
• IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
• Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
• Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic

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

@misc{singulariki-role-51-4021-00,
  title  = {Extruding and Drawing 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/roles/role-51-4021-00}
}