Other Production Occupations

How to become an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender

Official title: Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Also called: Extruder Operator, Extrusion Operator, Glass Forming Crew Member, Machine Operator, Press Operator, Tuber Operator

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.

Main tasks

Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards.
Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Auger Press Oper, Man Controller.
Apprenticeship: Forming-Machine Operator.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $45,760 a year The middle half earn $38,360 to $52,580.
About 58,300 people work in this job now, and about 59,200 are projected by 2035. (+1.5%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

Ways in include: Auger Press Oper, Man Controller.

How much does an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $45,760 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $38,360 to $52,580.

Is an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 58,300 people now and 59,200 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

Usually not. Only 7% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Auger Press Oper, Man Controller.

Will AI change the work of an Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.