Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.

“Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.” is a core task performed by Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. Among the occupation's 21 rated tasks, workers place it 17th by importance (#5 most important). About 93% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Dump, pour, or load specified amounts of refined or unrefined materials into equipment or containers for further processing or storage. · importance 4.5
• Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations. · importance 4.4
• Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions. · importance 4.3
• Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials. · importance 4.3
• Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture. · importance 4.2
• Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines. · importance 4.1
• Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks. · importance 4.0
• Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers. · importance 4.0
• Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed. · importance 4.0
• Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis. · importance 4.0
• Communicate processing instructions to other workers. · importance 3.9
• Turn valves to pump sterilizing solutions or rinse water through pipes or equipment or to spray vats with atomizers. · importance 3.8
• Remove clogs, defects, or impurities from machines, tanks, conveyors, screens, or other processing equipment. · importance 3.8
• Install, maintain, or repair hoses, pumps, filters, or screens to maintain processing equipment, using hand tools. · importance 3.8

See all tasks on the Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders page.

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-task-12356,
  title  = {Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.},
  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/tasks/task-12356}
}