DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-4031 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.| Percentiles | |||||||||
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| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities | 3,620 | 376 | $16.81/hr | $0.79/hr | $9.83/hr | $12.95/hr | $17.25/hr | $20.80/hr | $22.95/hr |
| Minnesota | 5,490 | 417 | $16.52/hr | $0.50/hr | $10.14/hr | $13.03/hr | $16.75/hr | $20.16/hr | $22.63/hr |
| U S | 181,160 | 2,536 | $15.29/hr | $0.08/hr | $9.71/hr | $11.66/hr | $14.60/hr | $18.05/hr | $22.02/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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Tasks for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Lubricates workpiece with oil.
- Preheats workpiece, using heating furnace or hand torch.
- Inspects workpiece for defects.
- Installs, aligns, and secures gears, holding fixtures, dies to machine bed, using gauges, templates, feelers, shims, and hand tools.
- Operates power press, power brake, apron brake, swaging machine, foot-powered press, hydraulic press, or arbor press according to specifications.
- Selects and positions flat, block, radius, or special purpose die sets into ram and bed of machine, using hoist, crane, measuring instruments and hand tools.
- Installs and aligns knives, disk cutters or fixtures to shear, bevel, or trim fabricated items.
- Hones cutters with oilstone to remove nicks.
- Observes machine operation and examines cut strips for flatness, holes, burrs, and surface defects.
- Lubricates and cleans machine.
- Lifts workpiece manually or by hoist, and positions and secures against guides and stops.
- Lays out cutting lines on metal stock to obtain maximum number of pieces from stock.
- Measures dimensions of workpiece, using tape, gauge, template, or rule and square, for conformance to specifications.
- Tests and adjusts cutting speed and action, according to specified length of product, using gauges and hand tools.
- Operates shear or slitter that cuts or shears metal, such as plates, sheets, slabs, billets, or bars, to size.
- Reads production schedule to determine setup or adjustment of equipment.
- Threads end of metal coil from reel through slitter and secures ends on recoiler.
- Selects, cleans, and installs spacers, rubber sleeves, and cutter on arbors.
- Starts machine, adjusts blade and controls, using wrenches, rule, gauge, or template, and monitors operation.
- Turns controls to set cutting speed, feed rate, and table angle for specified operation.
- Scribes reference lines on workpiece as guide for sawing operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.
- Replaces defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.
- Places workpiece on cutting table, manually or using hoist, and clamps workpiece into position.
- Measures completed workpiece to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.
- Marks identifying data on workpieces.
- Examines completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges and marred surfaces, and sorts defective pieces according to defect.
- Removes housings, feed tubes, tool holders, and other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs and bushings.
- Sharpens dulled blades, using bench grinder, abrasive wheel, or lathe.
- Reads work order for specifications, such as materials to be used, location of cutting lines, and dimensions and tolerances.
- Positions guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpiece, using hand tools and measuring devices.
- Sets blade tension, height, and angle to perform prescribed cut, using wrench.
- Turns valves to start flow of coolant against cutting area and to start airflow which blows cuttings away from kerf.
- Selects blade according to specifications and installs on machine, using hand tools.
- Starts machine and feeds workpiece against blade, guiding along layout lines, to cut workpiece to specified dimensions.
- Activates machine and observes operation to detect misalignment or machine malfunctions.
- Installs, aligns and locks specified punches, dies and cutting blades in ram or bed of machine, using gauges and hand tools.
- Sets stops or guides or installs jigs or fixtures for positioning successive workpieces.
- Measures workpiece with rule or tape, or traces from template and marks location with scribe, soapstone, or centerpunch.
- Inspects workpieces for conformance to specifications, visually or using gauges or templates, scale, compass and adjusts machine to correct errors.
- Cleans and lubricates machines.
- Reads job order to determine location of holes or cutting lines.
- Sets controls or installs gears to synchronize action of feed bar or rollers.
- Adjusts ram stroke of press to specified length, using hand tools.
- Positions, aligns, and secures workpiece against fixtures or stops on machine bed or on die.
- Sets stops on machine bed, changes dies, and adjusts components, such as ram or power press, when making multiple or successive passes.
- Measures workpiece and verifies dimensions and weight, using micrometer, template, straightedge, and scale.
- Plans sequence of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of metal.
- Lifts, positions, and secures workpiece between dies of machine, using crane and sledge.
- Grinds out burrs and sharp edges, using portable grinder, speed lathe, and polishing jack.
- Hand forms, cuts, or finishes workpiece, using tools, such as table saw, hand sledge and anvil, flaring tool, and gauge.