Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines that wind or twist textiles; or draw out and combine sliver, such as wool, hemp, or synthetic fibers. Includes slubber machine and drawing frame operators.
22,020 people do this job in the US. $38,670 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 7%
- 0%
- 93%
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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 7%. 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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tend machines that twist together two or more strands of yarn or insert additional twists into single strands of yarn to increase strength, smoothness, or uniformity of yarn.Done daily by most who do it. | 16% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Tend spinning frames that draw out and twist roving or sliver into yarn.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 13% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Start machines, monitor operation, and make adjustments as needed.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Install, level, and align machine components such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles to set up machinery for operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe operations to detect defects, malfunctions, or supply shortages.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Tend machines with multiple winding units that wind thread onto shuttle bobbins for use on sewing machines or other kinds of bobbins for sole-stitching, knitting, or weaving machinery.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Unwind lengths of yarn, thread, or twine from spools and wind onto bobbins.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Adjust machine settings such as speed or tension to produce products that meet specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 38 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.
- Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders9% now, 10% by 2028
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders0% now, 0% by 2028
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders7% now, 7% by 2028
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders13% 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).