Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Occupation · SOC 51-9041.00
Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.
Also called: Extruder Operator · Extrusion Operator · Machine Operator · Press Operator · Glass Forming Crew Member · Tuber Operator · Abrasive Wheel Molder · Air Bag Curer · Alfalfa Dehydrator Operator · Arch Cushion Press Operator · Artificial Log Machine Operator · Auger Press Operator
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-9041-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+2.0% by 2034)
- 5,200 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $45,130/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (84th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (13th)
13th-percentile task overlap — yet about 5,200 openings a year (+2% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
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.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 16th | -1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 10th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 21st | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). 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.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 84th percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +2.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 5,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 57,300 → 58,400 |
“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 4 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.
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders sits at the 21st percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
17% mean task exposure (2025)
21st percentile of 427 placed occupations
+1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Rubber Products Machine Operators · 8141 | 18% | Not exposed |
| Glass and Ceramics Plant Operators · 8181 | 17% | Not exposed |
| Food and Related Products Machine Operators · 8160 | 15% | Not exposed |
| Tobacco Preparers and Tobacco Products Makers · 7516 | 14% | Not exposed |
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 28 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients. Core · importance 4.5
- Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment. Core · importance 4.5
- Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales. Core · importance 4.5
- Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions. Core · importance 4.5
- Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products. Core · importance 4.4
- Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards. Core · importance 4.4
- Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. Core · importance 4.4
- Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. Core · importance 4.4
- Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow. Core · importance 4.3
- Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses. Core · importance 4.3
- Send product samples to laboratories for analysis. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes. Core · importance 4.2
- Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks. Core · importance 4.0
- Complete work tickets, and place them with products. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Ignite burners to preheat products, or use torches to apply heat. Supplemental
- Thread extruded strips through water tanks and hold-down bars, or attach strands to wires and draw them through tubes. Supplemental
Work activities
- Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
- Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
- Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
- Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
- Weigh finished products.
- Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
- Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
- Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
- Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
- Select production equipment according to product specifications.
- Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
- Record operational or production data.
- Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
- Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
- Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
- Clear equipment jams.
- Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
- Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.
- Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
- Record production information.
- Remove accessories, tools, or other parts from equipment.
- Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
- Stack finished items for further processing or shipment.
- Remove workpieces from molds.
- Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
- Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
- Send information, materials or documentation.
- Clean production equipment.
- Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
- Load materials into production equipment.
- Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Perceptual Speed | 3.8 | |
| Rate Control | 3.8 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.8 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.6 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.4 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.4 | |
| Near Vision | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Control Precision | 3.3 | |
| Far Vision | 3.3 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.1 | |
| Stamina | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Response Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.0 | |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 3.7 | |
| Mechanical | 3.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| SAP software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | Hot technology |
| Operational databases | Data base user interface and query software | |
| Production scheduling software | Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software |
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.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 78.2% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.1% | |
| Some College Courses | 7.8% | |
| First Professional Degree | 3.9% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 0.7% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 0.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.5 | |
| Conventional | 4.3 | |
| Investigative | 2.2 | |
| Artistic | 1.3 |
Interest areas
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.2 | |
| Dependability | 2.1 | |
| Cautiousness | 1.8 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $34,790 |
| 25th percentile | $38,410 |
| Median (50th) | $45,130 |
| 75th percentile | $51,970 |
| 90th percentile | $64,660 |
| People employed | 57,310 |
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.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 53,230 | $45,590 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,790 | $34,630 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 1,730 | $38,860 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1,490 | $33,200 |
| Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing · National industry | 200 | $36,550 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 160 | $36,800 |
| Construction · Sector | 110 | $50,050 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 60 | $37,580 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 60 | $40,160 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 60 | $43,840 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 50 | $45,100 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | — | $41,920 |
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).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing · National industry | 27.01× | 200 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 11.22× | 53,230 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.51× | 1,490 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.77× | 1,730 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.53× | 1,790 |
| Construction · Sector | 0.04× | 110 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 0.03× | 160 |
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 →
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers · 53-7063.00 Compare →
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9032.00 Compare →
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9196.00 Compare →
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9191.00 Compare →
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4023.00 Compare →
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4072.00 Compare →
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9111.00 Compare →
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing · 51-7042.00 Compare →
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9021.00 Compare →
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4031.00 Compare →
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders · 51-9051.00 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, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers Compare →
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers Compare →
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Compare →
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Compare →
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 21st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,200 annual U.S. openings
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rank in the 13th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 5,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $45,130, across about 57,310 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,200 annual U.S. openings • Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rank in the 13th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 5,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $45,130, across about 57,310 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9041-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- 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.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders." 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; 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/roles/role-51-9041-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9041-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-9041-00,
title = {Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; 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-51-9041-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.