Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

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.

What you'd actually do

• 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.

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 splits time indoors and out; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of rolling machine 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 rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?

The median pay is $24.10 per hour — roughly $50,000 a year, with the real range running from about $18.12/hr (10th percentile) to $33.80/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a rolling machine 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 rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic actually do all day?

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.