Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Also called: Extruder Operator, Extrusion Operator, Machine Operator, Press OperatorSet up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 26 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.5% 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, 5.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 60% 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.8.4 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 | $38,650 | $36,550 to $45,220 | 1,510 |
| Arizona | $46,440 | $44,880 to $47,590 | 700 |
| Arkansas | $48,320 | $44,600 to $48,320 | 2,190 |
| California | $47,300 | $41,080 to $58,010 | 4,210 |
| Colorado | $49,100 | $43,900 to $57,190 | 280 |
| Connecticut | $46,090 | $39,130 to $57,480 | 240 |
| Florida | $39,800 | $36,520 to $47,600 | 780 |
| Georgia | $45,670 | $38,290 to $49,530 | 1,150 |
| Idaho | $38,580 | $30,840 to $50,790 | 210 |
| Illinois | $47,370 | $38,070 to $59,850 | 1,690 |
| Indiana | $46,790 | $38,640 to $50,080 | 3,150 |
| Iowa | $49,340 | $47,960 to $56,520 | 500 |
| Kansas | $44,290 | $40,580 to $46,810 | 600 |
| Kentucky | $36,180 | $32,210 to $45,200 | 1,690 |
| Louisiana | $44,200 | $34,770 to $57,010 | 200 |
| Maine | $57,990 | $44,600 to $61,450 | 140 |
| Maryland | $46,640 | $37,870 to $51,140 | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $47,220 | $43,050 to $51,410 | 950 |
| Michigan | $39,790 | $37,170 to $48,690 | 1,970 |
| Minnesota | $52,070 | $47,330 to $59,060 | 560 |
| Mississippi | $46,560 | $37,800 to $57,500 | 660 |
| Missouri | $47,470 | $37,300 to $55,360 | 1,040 |
| Nebraska | $48,760 | $43,760 to $58,550 | 750 |
| Nevada | $50,050 | $47,880 to $55,820 | not published |
| New Hampshire | $47,730 | $44,210 to $50,080 | 410 |
| New Jersey | $47,080 | $39,680 to $54,930 | 1,880 |
| New Mexico | $36,710 | $31,110 to $36,710 | 80 |
| New York | $44,660 | $36,300 to $62,330 | 3,260 |
| North Carolina | $43,050 | $29,100 to $55,710 | 3,420 |
| North Dakota | $46,220 | $42,290 to $53,000 | 270 |
| Ohio | $47,070 | $40,000 to $53,500 | 3,970 |
| Oklahoma | $42,180 | $37,290 to $42,320 | 1,310 |
| Oregon | $48,360 | $44,450 to $58,800 | 370 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,580 | $46,170 to $70,920 | 2,450 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,330 | $21,840 to $27,720 | 330 |
| Rhode Island | $39,230 | $33,780 to $49,570 | 80 |
| South Carolina | $51,620 | $45,670 to $63,820 | 2,460 |
| South Dakota | $43,240 | $38,250 to $51,200 | 610 |
| Tennessee | $41,970 | $36,260 to $47,140 | 4,210 |
| Texas | $37,710 | $36,080 to $46,110 | 3,420 |
| Utah | $49,100 | $40,200 to $59,060 | 250 |
| Vermont | $52,340 | $50,120 to $52,340 | 160 |
| Virginia | $49,390 | $43,760 to $55,500 | 1,810 |
| Washington | $44,510 | $42,720 to $52,340 | 750 |
| West Virginia | $50,690 | $45,500 to $54,990 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $46,370 | $40,140 to $46,900 | 1,730 |
Nationally: $45,760. 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 4 of its 26 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow. | Not published |
See all 26 tasks
| Not much | Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products. | Not published |
| Not much | Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses. | Not published |
| Not much | Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels. | Not published |
| Not much | Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor. | Not published |
| AI alone | Send product samples to laboratories for analysis. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing. | Not published |
| AI + software | Complete work tickets, and place them with products. | Not published |
| Not much | Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking. | Not published |
| Not much | Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products. | Not published |
| Not much | Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes. | 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 26 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 26 tasks fall under 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
Show all 21 activities
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Process shipments or mail | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies |
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 extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 next
of 4,038 moves out
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers Moderate +5.0% 9%
- 2 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,921 moves in
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers Moderate +5.0% 7%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 4 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Low +2.4% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 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
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% less than high school
- 78% high school
- 9% postsecondary certificate
- 8% some college
- 4% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 20% less than high school
- 51% high school
- 17% some college
- 7% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 257 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
10.1% 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 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Auger Press Oper, Man Controller; FORMING-MACHINE OPERATOR). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” 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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-9041.00