Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-4072.00
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or 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
0.13–0.17· 2 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 7211Metal Moulders and Coremakers0.13
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators0.17
Task-level exposure
Show 29 hidden tasks33 rated tasks · 4 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (12.1%)
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
- 4 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- 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. 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 |
|---|---|
Inventory and record quantities of materials and finished products, requisitioning additional supplies as necessary.O*NET Task ID 10189 | 1.0 |
Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.O*NET Task ID 10174 | 0.5 |
Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences.O*NET Task ID 10186 | 0.5 |
Maintain inventories of materials.O*NET Task ID 10199 | 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 (29)
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 |
|---|---|
| Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary. | Core |
| Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. | Core |
| Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. | Core |
| Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times. | Core |
| Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times. | Core |
| Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences. | Core |
| Remove parts, such as dies, from machines after production runs are finished. | Core |
| Connect water hoses to cooling systems of dies, using hand tools. | Core |
| Smooth and clean inner surfaces of molds, using brushes, scrapers, air hoses, or grinding wheels, and fill imperfections with refractory material. | Core |
| Perform maintenance work such as cleaning and oiling machines. | Core |
| Position and secure workpieces on machines, and start feeding mechanisms. | Supplemental |
| Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary. | Supplemental |
| Skim or pour dross, slag, or impurities from molten metal, using ladles, rakes, hoes, spatulas, or spoons. | Supplemental |
| Trim excess material from parts, using knives, and grind scrap plastic into powder for reuse. | Supplemental |
| Cool products after processing to prevent distortion. | Supplemental |
| Install dies onto machines or presses and coat dies with parting agents, according to work order specifications. | Supplemental |
| Mix and measure compounds, or weigh premixed compounds, and dump them into machine tubs, cavities, or molds. | Supplemental |
| Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers. | Supplemental |
| Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning. | Supplemental |
| Inventory and record quantities of materials and finished products, requisitioning additional supplies as necessary. | Supplemental |
| Pour or load metal or sand into melting pots, furnaces, molds, or hoppers, using shovels, ladles, or machines. | Supplemental |
| Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses. | Supplemental |
| Preheat tools, dies, plastic materials, or patterns, using blowtorches or other equipment. | Supplemental |
| Operate hoists to position dies or patterns on foundry floors. | Supplemental |
| Obtain and move specified patterns to work stations, manually or using hoists, and secure patterns to machines, using wrenches. | Supplemental |
| Repair or replace damaged molds, pipes, belts, chains, or other equipment, using hand tools, hand-powered presses, or jib cranes. | Supplemental |
| Maintain inventories of materials. | Supplemental |
| Select coolants and lubricants, and start their flow. | Supplemental |
| Select and install blades, tools, or other attachments for each operation. | Supplemental |
1.16/ 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 |
|---|---|
| Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary. | E2 structured facilities |
| Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times. | E2 structured facilities |
| Remove parts, such as dies, from machines after production runs are finished. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Connect water hoses to cooling systems of dies, using hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Smooth and clean inner surfaces of molds, using brushes, scrapers, air hoses, or grinding wheels, and fill imperfections with refractory material. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform maintenance work such as cleaning and oiling machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Position and secure workpieces on machines, and start feeding mechanisms. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Skim or pour dross, slag, or impurities from molten metal, using ladles, rakes, hoes, spatulas, or spoons. | E2 structured facilities |
| Trim excess material from parts, using knives, and grind scrap plastic into powder for reuse. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Cool products after processing to prevent distortion. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install dies onto machines or presses and coat dies with parting agents, according to work order specifications. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Mix and measure compounds, or weigh premixed compounds, and dump them into machine tubs, cavities, or molds. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Pour or load metal or sand into melting pots, furnaces, molds, or hoppers, using shovels, ladles, or machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses. | E2 structured facilities |
| Preheat tools, dies, plastic materials, or patterns, using blowtorches or other equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate hoists to position dies or patterns on foundry floors. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Obtain and move specified patterns to work stations, manually or using hoists, and secure patterns to machines, using wrenches. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Repair or replace damaged molds, pipes, belts, chains, or other equipment, using hand tools, hand-powered presses, or jib cranes. | E0 none |
| Maintain inventories of materials. | E2 structured facilities |
| Select coolants and lubricants, and start their flow. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select and install blades, tools, or other attachments for each operation. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 150K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 145K
- Change (2025–35)
- -3.4%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $44,350
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83231 | 플라스틱 사출기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 84110 | 주조기 조작원 | This occupation is broader | 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 7211Metal Moulders and Coremakers
- 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.
- blow moulding machine operatorESCO 8142.1This occupation is broader
Blow moulding machine operators operate and monitor blow moulding machine to mould plastic goods, according to requirements. They regulate temperature, air pressure and volume of plastic, according to specifications. Blow moulding machine operators remove finished products and cut away excess material, using a knife. They regrind surplus material and rejected workpieces for reuse, using a grinding machine.
- casting machine operatorESCO 8121.1This occupation is broader
Casting machine operators operate casting machines to manipulate metal substances into shape. They set up and tend casting machines to process molten ferrous and non-ferrous metals to manufacture metal materials. They conduct the flow of molten metals into casts, taking care to create the exact right circumstances to obtain the highest quality metal. They observe the flow of metal to identify faults. In case of a fault, they notify the authorised personnel and participate in the removal of the fault.
- moulding machine operatorESCO 7223.13This occupation is broader
Moulding machine operators operate machines that are part of the production process of moulds for the manufacturing of castings or other moulded materials. They tend the mouldmaking machines that use the appropriate materials such as sand, plastics, or ceramics to obtain the moulding material. They may then use a pattern and one or more cores to produce the right shape impression in this material. The shaped material is then left to set, later to be used as a mould in the production of moulded products such as ferrous and non-ferrous metal castings.
- optical disc moulding machine operatorESCO 8142.7.1This occupation is broader
Optical disc moulding machine operators tend moulding machines that melts polycarbonate pellets and inject the plastic into a mould cavity. The plastic is then cooled and solidifies, bearing the marks that can be digitally read.
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 | Overlapping, not the same |
| H3204 | Opérateur / Opératrice de production des matières plastiques et du caoutchouc | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| H2907 | Fondeur / Fondeuse en métallurgie | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| H3202 | Monteur régleur / Monteuse régleuse en plasturgie | 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 | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 7323 | Ajustadores y operadores de máquinas-herramienta | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 8121 | Operadores en instalaciones para la obtención y transformación de metales | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22102 | Berufe in der Kunststoff- und Kautschukherstellung (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 24132 | Berufe in der industriellen Gießerei - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 492 | 鋳物製造・鍛造設備制御・監視員 | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 538 | ゴム・プラスチック製品製造従事者 | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 508 | ゴム・プラスチック製品生産設備制御・監視員 | Related, not a match |
| 522 | 鋳物製造・鍛造従事者 | 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