Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.
What it pays
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $22.68/hr — about $47,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.20/hr; the top 10% earn $35.79/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $22.68/hr — about $47,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.20/hr; the top 10% earn $35.79/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 1.1% of multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
- The median pay is $22.68 per hour — roughly $47,000 a year, with the real range running from about $17.20/hr (10th percentile) to $35.79/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.