Occupation Details
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.
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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$31,360.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$39,250.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$49,270.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
3,800
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
4,280
+48 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
454
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.1%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
Some Training - Certificate or hands-on training
Experience Requirements
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education Requirements
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Training Details
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Apprenticeship
Contact your regional representative to learn more about apprenticeships available in your area by visiting Apprenticeship Contacts.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
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.
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.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Innovation
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Abrasive wheels
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Allen wrenches
- Anvils
- Bench grinders
- Bench lathes
- Blanking presses
- C clamps
- Claw hammers
- Cleaning scrapers
- Combination squares
- Computer terminals
- Computerized numerical control CNC turret punching machines
- Core cutters
- Crimping machines
- Cutting machines
- Dial calipers
- Die cutting presses
- Digital micrometers
- Feeler gauges
- Forklifts
- Forming presses
- Gauge blocks
- Gear-cutting machines
- Grease guns
- Hand nibblers
- Hand torches
- Handsaws
- Handtrucks
- Heating furnaces
Technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Automated inventory software
- Computerized numerical control CNC software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Word
- SAP business and customer relations management software
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- set up computer numerical control machines
- attach or mark identification onto products or containers
- plan or organize work
- measure, weigh, or count products or materials
- adjust production equipment/machinery setup
- set up production equipment or machinery
- maintain or repair industrial or related equipment/machinery
- clean equipment or machinery
- install equipment or attachments on machinery or related structures
- understand machine setup instructions
- understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
- recognize characteristics of metals
- monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
- move or fit heavy objects
- perform safety inspections in manufacturing or industrial setting
- examine products or work to verify conformance to specifications
- fabricate, assemble, or disassemble manufactured products by hand
- load or unload material or workpiece into machinery
- use precision measuring tools or equipment
- operate metal or plastic fabricating equipment/machinery
- use hand or power tools
- operate hoist, winch, or hydraulic boom
- read blueprints
- read specifications
- read production layouts
- read technical drawings
- read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- 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.
- Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.
- Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
- Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
- Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
- 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.
- Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
- Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.
- Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
- Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
- Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools.
- Clean and lubricate machines.
- Mark identifying data on workpieces.
- Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.
- Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.
- Clean work area.
- Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.
- Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.
- Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.
- Thread ends of metal coils from reels through slitters and secure ends on recoilers.
- Operate forklifts to deliver materials.
- Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.
- Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.
- Lubricate workpieces with oil.
- Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.
- Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.
- Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
- Hand-form, cut, or finish workpieces, using tools such as table saws, hand sledges, or anvils.
- Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.
- Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.
- Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Machine setters, operators, and tenders?metal and plastic
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
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