How to become a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic

Official title: Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Also called: Cell Technician, CNC Machine Setter (Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Setter), Fabrication Set-Up Person, Injection Molding Technician, Machine Operator, Machine Technician, Mold Setter, Production Operator, Shear Operator, Tooling Set-Up Person

Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.

Main tasks

• Inspect workpieces for defects, and measure workpieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates, or other measuring instruments.
• Position, adjust, and secure stock material or workpieces against stops, on arbors, or in chucks, fixtures, or automatic feeding mechanisms, manually or using hoists.
• Read blueprints or job orders to determine product specifications and tooling instructions and to plan operational sequences.
• Select, install, and adjust alignment of drills, cutters, dies, guides, and holding devices, using templates, measuring instruments, and hand tools.
• Observe machine operation to detect workpiece defects or machine malfunctions, adjusting machines as necessary.
• Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, presses, drills, or auxiliary machines, to make metallic and plastic workpieces.
• Change worn machine accessories, such as cutting tools or brushes, using hand tools.
• Set machine stops or guides to specified lengths as indicated by scales, rules, or templates.

How to become one

Metal and plastic workers typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation and receive 1 year of on-the-job training. Computer numerically controlled (CNC) tool programmers typically need postsecondary training.

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Machine Operator I.
• Apprenticeship: Machine Setter (Clock).
• Apprenticeship: Machine Tryout Setter.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $47,180 a year The middle half earn $39,420 to $57,800.
• About 127,100 people work in this job now, and about 127,900 are projected by 2035. (+0.6%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic?

Metal and plastic workers typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation and receive 1 year of on-the-job training. Computer numerically controlled (CNC) tool programmers typically need postsecondary training.

How much does a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $47,180 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $39,420 to $57,800.

Is a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 127,100 people now and 127,900 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Machine Operator I.

Will AI change the work of a Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic?

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 Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, 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.