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

ManufacturingO*NET 51-4023.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $50,128
Projected change: −3.1%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 26.81K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects.
Monitor machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications.
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.
Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications.
Install equipment such as guides, guards, gears, cooling equipment, and rolls, using hand tools.
Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers.
Position, align, and secure arbors, spindles, coils, mandrels, dies, and slitting knives.
Fill oil cups, adjust valves, and observe gauges to control flow of metal coolants and lubricants onto workpieces.
Signal and assist other workers to remove and position equipment, fill hoppers, and feed materials into machines.
Activate shears and grinders to trim workpieces.
Record mill production on schedule sheets.
Direct and train other workers to change rolls, operate mill equipment, remove coils and cobbles, and band and load material.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $37,690
25th percentile: $44,013
50th percentile: $50,128
75th percentile: $61,880
90th percentile: $70,304

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $50,128 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−3.1%projected to decline

202526,812 jobs

2035 projected25,977 jobs

835 fewer 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: 86.8%
Some college: 9.9%
Certificate: 3.4%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Machine Operation
Lifting Ability
Machinery
Mechanical Aptitude
Tooling
Forklift Truck
Calipers
Machine Setup
Packaging And Labeling
General Mathematics
Material Handling
Micrometer
Tape Measure
Loading And Unloading
Continuous Improvement Process
Housekeeping
Blueprint Reading
Blueprinting
Safety Procedures
Metal Forming

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.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Machine Operators78 postings
02Milling Machine Operators18 postings
03Roll Form Operators14 postings
04Thread Rolling Machine Operators8 postings
05Press Machine Operators7 postings
06Extrusion Machine Operators5 postings
07Plastic Rolling Machine Operators5 postings
08Manufacturing Machine Operators3 postings
09Manufacturing Operators3 postings
10Mill Operators3 postings
11Bilingual Spanish Customer Service Representatives2 postings
12Set Up Technicians2 postings
13Tier 3 Support Engineers2 postings
14Tube Benders2 postings
15Coating Operators1 postings
16Divider Operators1 postings
17Environmental Managers1 postings
18Extrusion Operators1 postings
19Forming Operators1 postings
20Machine/Equipment Operators1 postings

Top employers

01Aerotek9 postings
02Cornerstone Building Brands7 postings
03Ips Industries7 postings
04The Sheridan Group7 postings
05PrideStaff5 postings
06Publix4 postings
07Randstad4 postings
08Stow Group4 postings
09Trident Seafoods4 postings
10Ametek3 postings
11Indiana Automotive Fasteners3 postings
12Leachgarner3 postings
13Zapp Precision Strip3 postings
14Adecco2 postings
15Beleaf Medical2 postings
16Elmet Technologies2 postings
17Guhring2 postings
18Kc Jones Plating Company2 postings
19Kps Global2 postings
20Lakeside Book Company2 postings

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