Production · Holland code RC

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

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

Also called: Extruder Operator, Extrusion Operator, Extrusion Press Operator, Machine Operator, Equipment Technician (Equipment Tech), Extrusion Line Operator, Metal Inspector, Setup Operator.

O*NET 51-4021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $47,720; Middle half earn $40,450 to $56,840. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.
Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.
Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.
Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.
Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.3 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Active Listening2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing4.3 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
Mechanical3.8 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Education and Training3.0 / 5
Administration and Management2.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic95
Investigative21
Artistic7
Social1
Enterprising0
Conventional55

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

stamping press operator · DE Maschinenbediener für Stanzpresse/Maschinenbedienerin für Stanzpresse · FR emboutisseur/emboutisseuse
straightening machine operator · DE Maschinenbediener für Richtmaschine/Maschinenbedienerin für Richtmaschine · FR dresseur/dresseuse
extrusion machine operator · DE Extruderführer/Extruderführerin · FR opérateur extrusion en métallurgie/opératrice extrusion en métallurgie
metal drawing machine operator · DE Metallziehmaschinenbediener/Metallziehmaschinenbedienerin · FR opérateur de tréfilerie/opératrice de tréfilerie
plastic rolling machine operator · DE Rollenmaschinenarbeiter in der Kunststoffverarbeitung/Rollenmaschinenarbeiterin in der Kunststoffverarbeitung · FR calandreur en caoutchouc industriel/calandreuse en caoutchouc industriel
vacuum forming machine operator · DE Vakuumformgeber/Vakuumformgeberin · FR thermoformeur/thermoformeuse

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Plastics process operatives (8114)18,200 employed
Metal machining setters and setter-operators (5221)40,400 employed
Metal making and treating process operatives (8115)11,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.23. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-4021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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