How to Land a Top-Paying Cutting Job: Your Complete Guide to Opportunities, Resumes and Cover Letters, Interviews, Salaries, Promotions, What to Expect From Recruiters and More. Weeks Carl
soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies.
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic set up or operate heating equipment, such as heat treating furnaces, flame-hardening machines, induction machines, soaking pits, or vacuum equipment, to temper, harden, anneal, or heat treat metal or plastic objects.
Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic set up or operate plating or coating machines to coat metal or plastic products with zinc, copper, nickel, or some other metal to protect or decorate surfaces (includes electrolytic processes).
Work Environment
Metal and plastic machine workers typically work in a well-ventilated environment.
Metal and plastic machine workers held about 939,700 jobs in 2010. Nearly all worked in manufacturing industries.
Employment in the detailed occupations that make up this group was distributed as follows:
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters,
operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 183,900
Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic 125,100
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators,
and tenders, metal and plastic 115,200
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders,
metal and plastic 76,500
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters,
operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 72,600
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 70,400
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders,
metal and plastic 41,900
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders 41,500
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 32,200
Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 31,200
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders,
metal and plastic 22,700
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 22,500
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders,
metal and plastic 20,800
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 18,600
Computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers,
metal and plastic 16,600
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders 15,600
Pourers and casters, metal 11,500
Foundry mold and coremakers 10,200
Model makers, metal and plastic 6,200
Patternmakers, metal and plastic 4,500
Metal and plastic machine workers are employed mainly in factories. Although the work is generally not dangerous, hazards exist and workers must adhere to safety standards. Most work in areas that are clean, well lit, and well ventilated.
Injuries
These workers operate powerful, high-speed machines that can be dangerous, so they must observe safety rules. Operators usually wear protective equipment, such as safety glasses, to protect them from flying particles of metal or plastic, earplugs to guard against noise from the machines, and steel-toed boots, to shield their feet from heavy objects that are dropped.
Many modern machines are enclosed, minimizing the exposure of workers to noise, dust, and lubricants used during machining.
Other required safety equipment varies by work setting and machine. For example, respirators are common for those in the plastics industry who work near materials that emit dangerous fumes or dust.
Work Schedules
Most metal and plastic machine workers are employed full time during regular business hours. Overtime is common, and because many manufacturers run the machinery long hours, evening and weekend work also is common.
How to Become a Metal or Plastic Machine Worker
Many workers attend vocational or trade school, learning to read blueprints and use computerized machinery.
A few weeks of on-the-job training are enough for most workers to learn basic machine operations, but 1 year or more is required to become highly skilled. Although a high school diploma is not required, employers prefer to hire workers who have one.
Education
For jobs as machine setters, operators, and tenders, employers generally prefer workers who have a high school diploma. Those interested in this occupation can improve their employment opportunities by completing high school courses in shop and blueprint reading and by gaining a working knowledge of the properties of metals and plastics. A solid math background, including courses in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and basic statistics, also is useful, along with experience working with computers.
Some community colleges and other schools offer courses and certificate programs in operating metal and plastics machines.
Training
Machine operator trainees usually begin by watching and helping experienced workers on the job, often through informal apprenticeships. Under supervision, they may start by supplying materials, starting and stopping the machines, or removing finished products from it. Then they advance to more difficult tasks that operators perform, such as adjusting feed speeds, changing cutting tools, or inspecting a finished product for defects. Eventually, some develop the skills and experience to set up machines and help newer operators.
It is largely the complexity of the equipment that determines the time required to become an operator. Most operators learn the basic machine operations and functions in a few weeks, but they may need a year or more to become skilled operators or to advance to the more highly skilled job of setter.
In addition to providing on-the-job training, employers may pay for some machine operators to attend classes. Other employers prefer to hire workers who have completed or are enrolled in a training program.
As the manufacturing process continues to advance with computerized machinery, knowledge of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines also can be helpful.
Certification
Although certification is not required, a growing number of employers prefer that applicants become certified. Certification can show competence and professionalism and can be helpful for advancement. The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) has developed skills standards in 24 operational areas and offers 52 skills certifications.
The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International also has developed a Precision Sheet Metal Operator (PSMO) certification program.
Advancement
Advancement usually includes higher pay and a wider range of responsibilities. With experience and expertise, workers can become trainees for more highly skilled positions. For example, it is common for machine operators to move into setup or machinery maintenance positions. Setup workers may move into maintenance,