Metal Workers and Plastic Workers

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

Official title: Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Also called: Breakdown Mill Operator, Calender Operator, Cold Mill Operator, Machine Operator, Mill Operator, Rolling Mill Operator, Roughing Mill Operator, Temper Mill Operator, Tube Mill Operator, Weld Mill Operator

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

Main tasks

Monitor machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications.
Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects.
Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips.
Examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications.
Read rolling orders, blueprints, and mill schedules to determine setup specifications, work sequences, product dimensions, and installation procedures.
Manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms.
Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications.
Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers.

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: Roll Operator I.
Apprenticeship: Roll Threader Operator.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $50,140 a year The middle half earn $44,020 to $61,880.
About 25,300 people work in this job now, and about 23,200 are projected by 2035. (-8.3%)
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 a Rolling Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Metal and Plastic?

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

Median full-time pay is $50,140 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $44,020 to $61,880.

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

Employment is projected to fall 8% by 2035, from about 25,300 to about 23,200 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Rolling Machine 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: Roll Operator I.

Will AI change the work of a Rolling Machine 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.