Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-4021.00
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· 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
0.17–0.26· 3 ISCO-08 groups
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.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 7223Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators0.18
- ISCO-08 8121Metal Processing Plant Operators0.26
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators0.17
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
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.51-4021.00 | 0.0016100.0 |
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. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Maintain an inventory of materials.O*NET Task ID 8488 | 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®, Anthropic Economic Index, 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 |
|---|---|
| Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products. | Core |
| Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications. | Core |
| Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials. | Core |
| Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes. | Core |
| Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion. | Core |
| Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications. | Core |
| Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment. | Core |
| Clean work areas. | Core |
| Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters. | Core |
| Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths. | Core |
| Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders. | Core |
| Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers. | Core |
| Maintain an inventory of materials. | Core |
| Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights. | Supplemental |
| Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods. | Supplemental |
| Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments. | Supplemental |
0.96/ 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 |
|---|---|
| Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products. | E2 structured facilities |
| Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials. | E0 none |
| Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes. | E0 none |
| Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment. | E0 none |
| Clean work areas. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Maintain an inventory of materials. | E2 structured facilities |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 61K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 61K
- Change (2025–35)
- +0.7%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $47,720
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83232 | 플라스틱 압출기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 84152 | 인발기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 84153 | 연선기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 84154 | 압출기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 86322 | 전기제품 제조 기계 조작원 | Overlapping, not the same | reviewed |
| 83215 | 필름 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 7223Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators
- ISCO-08 8121Metal Processing Plant Operators
- 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.
- extrusion machine operatorESCO 8121.2This occupation is narrower
Extrusion machine operators set up, monitor and maintain machines which heat or melt raw materials, and pull or push the heated material through a shaped die to form it into a continuous profile with a preset cross section such as tubes, pipes and sheeting. They may also clean and maintain the equipment.
- compression moulding machine operatorESCO 8142.3Overlapping, not the same
Compression moulding machine operators set up and operate machines to mould plastic products, according to requirements. They select and install dies on press. Compression moulding machine operators weigh the amount of premixed compound needed and pour it into the die well. They regulate the temperature of dies.
- metal drawing machine operatorESCO 8121.4Overlapping, not the same
Metal drawing machine operators set up and operate drawing machines for ferrous and non-ferrous metal products, designed to provide wires, bars, pipes, hollow profiles and tubes with their specific form by reducing its cross-section and by pulling the working materials through a series of drawing dies.
- stamping press operatorESCO 7223.21Overlapping, not the same
Stamping press operators set up and tend stamping presses designed to form metal workpieces in their desired shape by applying pressure through the up and down movement of a bolster plate and a die attached to a stamping ram on the metal, resulting in the die producing smaller metal parts of the workpiece fed to the press.
- straightening machine operatorESCO 7223.22Overlapping, not the same
Straightening machine operators set up and tend straightening machines designed to form metal workpieces into their desired shape using pressing practices. They adjust the angle and the height of the straightening rolls and select the settings for the pressing force required to straighten the workpiece, taking into account the end product's yield strenght and size, without excess work hardening.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| H3201 | Plasturgiste | Related, not a match |
| H2904 | Forgeron industriel / Forgeronne industrielle | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| H3202 | Monteur régleur / Monteuse régleuse en plasturgie | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| H3204 | Opérateur / Opératrice de production des matières plastiques et du caoutchouc | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8121 | Operadores en instalaciones para la obtención y transformación de metales | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 8142 | Operadores de máquinas para fabricar productos de material plástico | Related, not a matchprovisional |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 24122 | Berufe in der Metallumformung - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 22102 | Berufe in der Kunststoff- und Kautschukherstellung (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 529 | その他の製品製造・加工処理従事者（金属製品） | Related, not a match |
| 538 | ゴム・プラスチック製品製造従事者 | Related, not a match |
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