Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-2051.00
Laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.17
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 15 hidden tasks16 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (6.3%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Check all dies, templates, and cutout patterns to be used in the manufacturing process to ensure that they conform to dimensional data, photographs, blueprints, samples, or customer specifications.O*NET Task ID 13983 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (16)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers. | Core |
| Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments. | Core |
| Select precut fiberglass mats, cloth, and wood-bracing materials as required by projects being assembled. | Core |
| Pat or press layers of saturated mat or cloth into place on molds, using brushes or hands, and smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles with hands or squeegees. | Core |
| Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes. | Core |
| Bond wood reinforcing strips to decks and cabin structures of watercraft, using resin-saturated fiberglass. | Core |
| Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots. | Core |
| Trim excess materials from molds, using hand shears or trimming knives. | Core |
| Repair or modify damaged or defective glass-fiber parts, checking thicknesses, densities, and contours to ensure a close fit after repair. | Supplemental |
| Cure materials by letting them set at room temperature, placing them under heat lamps, or baking them in ovens. | Supplemental |
| Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled. | Supplemental |
| Mask off mold areas not to be laminated, using cellophane, wax paper, masking tape, or special sprays containing mold-release substances. | Supplemental |
| Apply lacquers and waxes to mold surfaces to facilitate assembly and removal of laminated parts. | Supplemental |
| Check all dies, templates, and cutout patterns to be used in the manufacturing process to ensure that they conform to dimensional data, photographs, blueprints, samples, or customer specifications. | Supplemental |
| Inspect, clean, and assemble molds before beginning work. | Supplemental |
| Trim cured materials by sawing them with diamond-impregnated cutoff wheels. | Supplemental |
0.81/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select precut fiberglass mats, cloth, and wood-bracing materials as required by projects being assembled. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Pat or press layers of saturated mat or cloth into place on molds, using brushes or hands, and smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles with hands or squeegees. | E0 none |
| Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Bond wood reinforcing strips to decks and cabin structures of watercraft, using resin-saturated fiberglass. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Trim excess materials from molds, using hand shears or trimming knives. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Repair or modify damaged or defective glass-fiber parts, checking thicknesses, densities, and contours to ensure a close fit after repair. | E0 none |
| Cure materials by letting them set at room temperature, placing them under heat lamps, or baking them in ovens. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Mask off mold areas not to be laminated, using cellophane, wax paper, masking tape, or special sprays containing mold-release substances. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Apply lacquers and waxes to mold surfaces to facilitate assembly and removal of laminated parts. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Check all dies, templates, and cutout patterns to be used in the manufacturing process to ensure that they conform to dimensional data, photographs, blueprints, samples, or customer specifications. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect, clean, and assemble molds before beginning work. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Trim cured materials by sawing them with diamond-impregnated cutoff wheels. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 16K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 17K
- Change (2025–35)
- +4.6%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $46,880
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83239 | 그 외 플라스틱제품 생산기 조작원 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- fiberglass laminatorESCO 8142.4Same scope
Fiberglass laminators mould fiberglass materials to form hulls and boat decks. They read blueprints and use hand and power tools to cut the composite materials. They apply waxes and lacquers, and prepare surfaces for the placement of fiberglass mats. They use resin-saturated fiberglass to bond wood reinforcing strips to cabin structures and decks. They also prepare materials exposing those to the right temperature. They check finished products for defects and make sure they comply with the specifications.
- fibreglass machine operatorESCO 8142.5Overlapping, not the same
Fibreglass machine operators control and maintain the machine that sprays a mix of resin and glass fibers onto products such as bathtubs or boat hulls to obtain strong and lightweight composite end-products.
- laminating machine operatorESCO 8171.4Overlapping, not the same
Laminating machine operators tend a machine that applies a plastic layer to paper to strenghten it and protect it from wetness and stains.
- pultrusion machine operatorESCO 8142.12Overlapping, not the same
Pultrusion Machine Operators tend, control, and maintain machines which enable the production of composite materials with consistent cross-sections by adding reinforcement fibres such as fibreglass to the existing material and coating the resulting material with resin; this then is pulled through a heated dye where it becomes cured.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H3203 | Mouleur-stratifieur / Mouleuse-stratifieuse | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| H3205 | Technicien / Technicienne de production en matériaux composites | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8142 | Operadores de máquinas para fabricar productos de material plástico | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 22102 | Berufe in der Kunststoff- und Kautschukherstellung (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 22101 | Berufe in der Kunststoff- und Kautschukherstellung (ohne Spezialisierung) - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 538 | ゴム・プラスチック製品製造従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 544 | 輸送機械組立従事者（自動車を除く） | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources