Set 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.
U.S. Workers
57,310
Median Salary
$45,130
10-Year Growth
+2.0%
Annual Openings
5,200
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
28 of 28 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
AI: Fully automatable - Regulating speeds, pressures, temperatures and material flows is routinely automated by control systems and AI-driven process control algorithms.
Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
AI: Fully automatable - Pressing control buttons is a basic interface action that can be fully automated via digital controls or actuator-equipped robotics.
Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
AI: Fully automatable - Measuring and weighing for conformance is widely automatable using sensors, vision systems, and automated gauging equipment.
Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels.
AI: Fully automatable - Activating and sequencing production machinery is readily automated via control systems and scheduled workflows, so AI/automation can fully perform this task.
Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
AI: Fully automatable - Monitoring lights, gauges and machine operations for malfunctions is well within current AI and sensor-based anomaly detection capabilities.
Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards.
AI: Fully automatable - Detecting out-of-spec filaments and notifying supervisors is a straightforward automation and alerting task for AI monitoring systems.
Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
AI: Fully automatable - Recording and maintaining production data can be fully automated using sensors, PLC/SCADA integration, computer vision, and database systems that log meter readings and part counts.
Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow.
AI: Fully automatable - Adjusting pressures, vacuums, and coolant flow is fully automatable when actuators and control systems are present and can be governed by PLCs or AI control algorithms.
Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes.
AI: Fully automatable - Synchronizing speeds across machine sections is a standard control problem that can be fully automated with closed‑loop controls and coordination algorithms.
Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing.
AI: Fully automatable - Robotic pick-and-place systems and conveyors already reliably remove, stack, and store molded parts in many production environments.
Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor.
AI: Fully automatable - Feeding products into machines is widely automated with conveyors and simple robotics, enabling full automation in most contexts.
Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated metrology (vision systems and CMMs) can measure arbors and dies to verify sizes against work tickets without human intervention.
Complete work tickets, and place them with products.
AI: Fully automatable - Digital work-ticket completion and print-and-apply or labeling systems already automate filling out and attaching job information to products.
Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
AI: Partial - Clearing jams and removing defective items can be partially automated with mechanized ejectors and robotic handlers, but complex or delicate interventions often still need humans.
Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.
AI: Partial - Component selection and physical installation can be partially automated with tool changers and fixtures, but complex manual alignment, heavy lifts, and ad hoc adjustments usually need human intervention.
Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.
AI: Partial - AI can parse work orders and recommend materials, procedures, and machine settings in routine cases, but complex, novel, or safety‑critical setup decisions still typically require human validation.
Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses.
AI: Partial - Robotic cleaning systems can handle some repetitive cleaning tasks, but the variety of dies, tight spaces, and delicate manual techniques means full automation is limited in general settings as of 2025.
Send product samples to laboratories for analysis.
AI: Partial - Initiating sample submission and routing can be automated (scheduling, labeling, automated in‑lab handling), but physical collection, packaging, and external shipment often remain partially manual.
Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products.
AI: Partial - Coupling air and gas lines can be automated in purpose‑designed systems with automated couplers and robotics, but routine hose/fitting connections across diverse equipment are still largely manual in practice.
Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines.
AI: Partial - Robotic feeders and automated dosing can handle many pouring and dumping tasks in controlled setups, but variable materials and informal scooping still require human judgement and dexterity.
Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing.
AI: Partial - Automated mixers, cutters, and forming machines perform many preparation steps, but variability in materials and on-the-fly adjustments mean humans are still often needed.
Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks.
AI: Partial - Automated material‑handling systems (AGVs, conveyors, robot arms) can perform many transfers, but diverse layouts and ad hoc moves still often require human labor in many facilities.
Thread extruded strips through water tanks and hold-down bars, or attach strands to wires and draw them through tubes.
AI: Partial - Automated threading systems exist but the delicate, variable nature of threading strips through tanks and guides typically still requires human setup or intervention.
Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters.
AI: Partial - Disassembling equipment for repair or part replacement involves diagnostic reasoning and dexterous manipulation, so only partial automation is practical as of 2025.
Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete.
AI: Partial - Removing molds and feeder components can be automated for repeatable, standardized setups but often requires manual disassembly and safety checks for varied or heavy components.
Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking.
AI: Partial - Applying release agents can be automated with sprayers or dispensers, but manual swabbing is still common for irregular shapes or spot treatments.
Ignite burners to preheat products, or use torches to apply heat.
AI: Partial - Automated ignition systems and robotic torches exist, but many torching/ignition tasks still require human setup, oversight, or manual intervention for safety and irregular situations.
Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes.
AI: Partial - Precision installation and alignment can be assisted or handled by fixturing and vision-guided robots in some settings, but many shops rely on human skill for complex or variable setups.