Production
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$46,330USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$22.27USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $35,760 | $17.19 |
| 25th | $38,870 | $18.69 |
| 50th · Median | $46,330 | $22.27 |
| 75th | $55,410 | $26.64 |
| 90th | $65,510 | $31.50 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
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Expand more title examples (48)
Bending Roll OperatorBevelerBillet CutterBillet ShearerBlankerBody Press OperatorBolt CutterBrake Machine OperatorBrake OperatorBrake Press OperatorBrass CutterBullet Assembly Press OperatorCalender Roll Press OperatorCan CutterCenter Punch OperatorClearance CutterClincherClinching Machine OperatorCoil CutterCoil ShaperCold Saw OperatorCorner FormerCrimping Machine OperatorCrimping Press OperatorCut Off Machine OperatorCut Off Saw Setup OperatorCutterCutting and Creasing Press OperatorCutting Machine OperatorDebridging Machine OperatorDiamond Saw OperatorDicer OperatorDie CutterDie SetterDigital Press OperatorDimpling Machine OperatorDinkey Press OperatorDraw Press OperatorDrawing Press OperatorDuplicator Punch OperatorDuplicator Punch Setup OperatorEquipment Technician (Equipment Tech)Fabrication Machine OperatorFabrication OperatorFabricatorFilament CutterFinish Saw OperatorFlexographic Press Operator (Flexo Press Operator)
Typical tasks
- Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.
- Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.
- Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
- Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
- Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
- Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
Expand more tasks (25)
- Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
- Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.
- Clean work area.
- Lubricate workpieces with oil.
- Install, align, and lock specified punches, dies, cutting blades, or other fixtures in rams or beds of machines, using gauges, templates, feelers, shims, and hand tools.
- Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools.
- Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
- Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.
- Clean and lubricate machines.
- Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.
- Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.
- Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.
- Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.
- Mark identifying data on workpieces.
- Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.
- Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.
- Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.
- Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.
- Operate forklifts to deliver materials.
- Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
- Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.
- Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.
- Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.
- Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.
- Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.
Skills used in this work
- 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.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Expand more skills (29)
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
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