Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Also called: Blacksmith, Hammer Operator, Machine Operator, Process Technician (Process Tech)Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 12 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 17.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 90% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,970 | $43,790 to $64,400 | 70 |
| Arizona | $48,730 | $47,510 to $58,520 | 30 |
| Arkansas | $38,120 | $36,270 to $46,790 | 140 |
| California | $59,250 | $45,850 to $78,240 | 750 |
| Colorado | $57,970 | $47,010 to $62,480 | 140 |
| Connecticut | $45,120 | $39,440 to $46,240 | 110 |
| Florida | $40,480 | $27,710 to $41,910 | 80 |
| Georgia | $46,490 | $43,610 to $60,130 | 380 |
| Illinois | $49,750 | $46,110 to $59,570 | 230 |
| Indiana | $53,550 | $48,960 to $57,910 | 450 |
| Iowa | $47,010 | $46,120 to $49,040 | not published |
| Kansas | $51,120 | $46,140 to $56,390 | 130 |
| Kentucky | $36,110 | $34,850 to $44,720 | not published |
| Maryland | $49,920 | $49,920 to $52,480 | 30 |
| Massachusetts | $51,770 | $44,360 to $71,860 | 310 |
| Michigan | $61,620 | $47,230 to $64,030 | 620 |
| Mississippi | $39,550 | $37,490 to $39,550 | 70 |
| Missouri | $55,210 | $45,860 to $55,620 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $60,460 | $60,460 to $64,980 | 200 |
| Nevada | $45,040 | $42,670 to $56,460 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $35,630 | $35,630 to $39,210 | not published |
| New York | $56,350 | $46,670 to $63,590 | 260 |
| Ohio | $56,870 | $49,130 to $60,660 | 500 |
| Oklahoma | $61,720 | $50,300 to $62,150 | not published |
| Oregon | $69,210 | $52,180 to $83,590 | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,280 | $45,260 to $63,490 | 550 |
| South Carolina | $49,610 | $47,980 to $52,960 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $43,810 | $39,090 to $46,990 | 1,140 |
| Texas | $37,390 | $28,010 to $46,320 | 720 |
| Virginia | $54,230 | $48,130 to $55,740 | 560 |
| West Virginia | $37,390 | $34,880 to $46,700 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $60,310 | $53,340 to $60,500 | 80 |
Nationally: $49,030. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 12 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| Not much | Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers. | Not published |
| Not much | Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Remove dies from machines when production runs are finished. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies. | Not published |
| Not much | Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems |
Show all 13 activities
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 200 moves in
- 1 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 10%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Business Operations Specialists, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 10 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 2%
- 11 Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Low -10.8% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 21% some college
- 8% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers” · 3,391 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
1 program: Machine Tool Technology/Machinist.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
10.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 6 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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