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Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: Job Description
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
What Do Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Do?
The core tasks performed by extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic include:
- Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
- Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
- Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
- Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.
- Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
- Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.
- Clean work areas.
- Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Core Extruder
- Core Shaper
- Draw Machine Operator
- Drawbench Operator
- Equipment Technician
- Extruder Operator
- Extruding Press Adjuster
- Extruding Press Operator
How Many Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Are There?
There are about 601,070 extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -4.6% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $67,252 |
| Hourly median | $32.33 |
| 10th percentile | $39,955 |
| 25th percentile | $53,603 |
| 75th percentile | $80,901 |
| 90th percentile | $94,550 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $64,860 |
| Minnesota | $54,340 |
| Maryland | $53,190 |
| Vermont | $52,900 |
| North Carolina | $51,930 |
| South Carolina | $50,750 |
| Nebraska | $50,750 |
| Louisiana | $50,610 |
| Delaware | $50,410 |
| Arizona | $49,850 |
| New Jersey | $49,540 |
| Colorado | $49,510 |
| Illinois | $49,070 |
| Connecticut | $49,020 |
| Wisconsin | $48,840 |
| New Hampshire | $48,820 |
| Arkansas | $48,570 |
| Massachusetts | $48,290 |
| South Dakota | $48,060 |
| New York | $48,050 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,670 |
| Michigan | $47,660 |
| West Virginia | $47,360 |
| Indiana | $47,280 |
| Virginia | $47,260 |
| Kentucky | $47,170 |
| Georgia | $46,930 |
| Iowa | $46,590 |
| Oregon | $46,230 |
| Maine | $45,880 |
| Washington | $45,750 |
| Texas | $45,280 |
| California | $44,970 |
| Utah | $44,910 |
| Oklahoma | $44,770 |
| New Mexico | $44,340 |
| Wyoming | $44,070 |
| Tennessee | $43,660 |
| Kansas | $43,660 |
| Ohio | $43,320 |
| Missouri | $42,640 |
| Alabama | $41,750 |
| Mississippi | $40,700 |
| Florida | $40,150 |
| Idaho | $39,840 |
| Nevada | $38,430 |
| Puerto Rico | $19,930 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $50,196 | 6.2% | 1.45 |
| Middle Atlantic | $48,370 | 10.9% | 1.08 |
| Southeast | $46,923 | 32.9% | 1.85 |
| Great Lakes | $46,738 | 21.9% | 1.90 |
| Plains States | $46,724 | 6.6% | 1.10 |
| Southwest | $45,515 | 9.4% | 0.82 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,440 | 1.7% | 0.74 |
| Far Western US | $44,775 | 9.7% | 0.61 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | LA | $103,300 | 440 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | WI | $62,710 | 400 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | IA | $62,240 | 120 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | VT | $59,480 | 70 |
| Terre Haute, IN | IN | $59,290 | 330 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | NE | $58,380 | 40 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $57,870 | 490 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | RI | $55,290 | 580 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 63,050 | $47,040 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,340 | $48,380 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 990 | $34,550 |
| Construction | 80 | $44,340 |
Below are examples of industries where extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic work:
Software Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic reflects the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Spend Time Standing
Education and Training
Entry-level extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics (Supplemental)
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Long)
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Long)
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Long)
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
Where to Study
Future extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic often complete programs in:
Precision Production
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-4021.00 (Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic).
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