Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
In short: today's best AI models could do about 7% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 93% of the time, stays with people.
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
60,840 people do this job in the US. $47,720 a year.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work2 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people37 h
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 2 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 37 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Plan setups and select dies (about 1 h, a person checks); Keep materials inventory (about 1 h).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 4%
- 3%
- 0%
- 0%
- 93%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 7% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 6%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 16 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: none to 0.0017% (released February and March 2025).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0017% | 686 of 703 | 1 of 16 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 16 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 95% of this job's working time as physical work. For 75% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 54% in a purpose-built cell, 21% in a structured facility. 0.96 of 3, the 136th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 5%
- No robot shown 20%
- In a purpose-built cell 54%
- In a structured facility 21%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
93% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Test product properties, the hands-on work, 11%
- Change dies, the hands-on work, 11%
- Install dies and sizing rings, the hands-on work, 10%
- Check extruded products, the hands-on work, 8%
- Reel extruded products, the hands-on work, 7%
- Keep materials inventory, the hands-on work, 7%
What becomes checking the machine
3% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Plan setups and select dies, costly if wrong, 3%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 93% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers.Products tested in acid baths and burst and impact testers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, ZwickRoell roboTest automated testing systems (roboTest A/B/L/R/I) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.Dies changed for the next product.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.Dies, screws and rings fitted to the machine.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Maintain an inventory of materials.Counting the stock and entering the counts.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Corvus One Autonomous Inventory Management System (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.The setup worked out from the specification and the dies and parts picked.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 60%, documents 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.Products measured and examined, the controls adjusted.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, SIKORA ECOCONTROL series with SET POINT module (with LASER/X-RAY gauge heads) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.Product wound into rolls of the right length and weight.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Conair ATC Series Dual Spindle Coiler (The Conair Group) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 29 min13 min to 58 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.Vacuum, pressure, sizing rings, temperature and speed set at the machine.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, battenfeld-cincinnati Fast Dimension Change (FDC) pipe extrusion system (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications.Dies replaced when the product drifts off specification.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Extrusion Die Changer (EDC), U.S. Patent No. 10,828,820 (PSI-Polymer Systems, Inc.) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.Faults traced and minor repairs made.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters.Controls set to draw or press the metal to shape and size.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Hydro Cressona new extrusion press line (closed-loop press automation) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 42 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean work areas.Cleaning by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Avidbots Neo (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic5% now, 5% by 2028
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6% now, 6% by 2028
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic10% now, 10% by 2028
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders13% now, 13% by 2028
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders7% now, 7% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Plastics Product Manufacturing29,920 people
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing6,080 people
- Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing4,650 people
- Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing3,390 people
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)3,290 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 7% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 7% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Plan setups and select dies (40% of the task's time now); Keep materials inventory (30% of the task's time now); and Select nozzles and guides (20% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Test product properties; Change dies; and Install dies and sizing rings. Together such tasks are about 80% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 93% of the working time stays with people, 3% becomes checking a model's work and 3% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 95% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 75% of the working time, 21% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.96 of 3. One example: Corvus One Autonomous Inventory Management System for "keep materials inventory". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 16 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 3, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
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A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
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The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.