DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-4021 Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | 1,510 | 300 | $17.70/hr | $0.76/hr | $11.87/hr | $13.46/hr | $16.64/hr | $21.50/hr | $26.32/hr |
| U S | 74,490 | 1,937 | $16.59/hr | $0.23/hr | $10.16/hr | $12.52/hr | $15.75/hr | $19.21/hr | $23.28/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2010 - 2020 | |
| Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic | 3,960 | $18.17/hr | 29.7% |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 2,640 | $16.56/hr | -3.9% |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 2,330 | $33.10/hr | 32.2% |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, &Tenders, Metal & Plastic | 1,740 | $17.14/hr | 10.5% |
| Tool and Die Makers | 1,700 | $24.03/hr | 3.1% |
| Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,250 | $16.82/hr | 7.7% |
| Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 830 | $18.11/hr | 8.0% |
| Semiconductor Processors | 750 | $14.69/hr | -14.3% |
| Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 600 | $19.92/hr | 11.7% |
Tasks for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Installs dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machine extruding thermoplastic or metal materials.
- Starts machine and sets controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and synchronizes speed of extrusion.
- Loads machine hopper with mixed materials, using auger, or stuffs rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.
- Operates shearing mechanism to cut rods to specified length.
- Replaces worn dies when products vary from specifications.
- Measures extruded articles for conformance to specifications and adjusts controls to obtain product of specified dimensions.
- Reels extruded product into rolls of specified length and weight.
- Tests physical properties of product with testing devices, such as acid-bath tester, burst tester, and impact tester.
- Examines extruded product for defects, such as wrinkles, bubbles, and splits.
- Studies specifications, determines setup procedures and selects machine dies and parts.
- Adjusts controls to draw or press metal into specified shape and diameter.
- Selects nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameter and length of rod.
- Weighs and mixes pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.