Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
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.
58,770 people do this job in the US. $45,760 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 14%
- 0%
- 86%
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, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 14%. Today's estimate: 14%.
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 . 26 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min3 min to 21 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 Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders7% now, 7% by 2028
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders0% now, 0% 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).