Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
Set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form continuous filaments from synthetic materials, such as liquid polymer, rayon, and fiberglass.
12,850 people do this job in the US. $46,350 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 5%
- 0%
- 95%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 5%. Today's estimate: 5%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form filaments from synthetic materials such as rayon, fiberglass, or liquid polymers.Done daily by most who do it. | 32% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean and maintain extruding and forming machines, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe machine operations, control boards, and gauges to detect malfunctions such as clogged bushings and defective binder applicators.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Remove polymer deposits from spinnerettes and equipment, using silicone spray, brass chisels, and bronze-wool pads.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 33 min13 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Load materials into extruding and forming machines, using hand tools, and adjust feed mechanisms to set feed rates.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Start metering pumps and observe operation of machines and equipment to ensure continuous flow of filaments extruded through spinnerettes and to detect processing defects.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Remove excess, entangled, or completed filaments from machines, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Record details of machine malfunctions.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Move controls to activate and adjust extruding and forming machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Observe flow of finish across finish rollers, and turn valves to adjust flow to specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min3 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Notify other workers of defects, and direct them to adjust extruding and forming machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Wipe finish rollers with cloths and wash finish trays with water when necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | 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.
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 Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic19% now, 20% by 2028
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders14% now, 14% by 2028
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders0% now, 0% by 2028
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6% now, 6% by 2028
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders9% now, 9% by 2028
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic14% now, 14% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).