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Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$46980	6500	1.2%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$46980

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

6500

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

1.2%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Detailed Work Activities

Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Determine production equipment settings.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
Replace worn equipment components.
Package products for storage or shipment.
Diagnose equipment malfunctions.
Maintain production or processing equipment.
Repair production equipment or tools.
Clean work areas.
Operate cutting equipment.
Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
Load materials into production equipment.
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.

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.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.
Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.
Clean work areas.
Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.
Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.
Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers.
Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.
Maintain an inventory of materials.
Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters.
Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications.
Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods.
Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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