Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
ManufacturingO*NET 51-4021.00United States
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
- Median annual earnings
- $47,715
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 61.58K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
88.3% of the workforce
Growing to 64.38K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
- Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
- Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
- Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.
- Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
- Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.
- Clean work areas.
- Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $36,712
- 25th percentile
- $40,456
- 50th percentile
- $47,715
- 75th percentile
- $56,846
- 90th percentile
- $63,710
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $47,715 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.5%average or slower
202561,578 jobs
2035 projected64,376 jobs
2,798 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 88.3%
- Certificate
- 11.2%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 0.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Extrusion Operators1,124 postings
- 02Extruder Operators569 postings
- 03Extrusion Machine Operators7 postings
- 04Tier 3 Support Engineers3 postings
- 05Operations Shift Managers2 postings
- 06Shift Managers/Shift Supervisors2 postings
- 07Machine Operators/Assembly1 postings
- 08Operators1 postings
- 09Plastics Manufacturing Engineers1 postings
- 10Plastics Operators1 postings
- 11Year 6 Teachers1 postings
Top employers
- 01Aerotek111 postings
- 02Saint-Gobain32 postings
- 03Novolex28 postings
- 04Express Employment Professionals23 postings
- 05Sealed Air22 postings
- 06Minutemen Staffing20 postings
- 07Parker Hannifin19 postings
- 08Westlake19 postings
- 09Kelly Services18 postings
- 10Amcor17 postings
- 11Staffmark16 postings
- 12Tekni-Plex16 postings
- 13Southwire15 postings
- 14Plastic Ingenuity14 postings
- 15Adecco13 postings
- 16Westlake Chemical13 postings
- 17Americhem12 postings
- 18Parker12 postings
- 19Mars Incorporated11 postings
- 20ManpowerGroup10 postings
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