Production · Holland code RC

Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.

Also called: Machine Operator, Molder, Process Technician, Production Technician, Core Machine Operator, Die Cast Technician, Diecast Machine Operator, Mold Setter.

O*NET 51-4072.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $44,350; Middle half earn $37,270 to $51,020. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 57% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
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.

Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.
Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary.
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.
Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times.
Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences.
Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times.
Connect water hoses to cooling systems of dies, using hand tools.
Remove parts, such as dies, from machines after production runs are finished.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Active Learning2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing3.5 / 5
Mechanical3.5 / 5
Mathematics3.1 / 5
English Language2.9 / 5
Administration and Management2.5 / 5
Physics2.5 / 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.

Realistic100
Investigative21
Artistic6
Social1
Enterprising1
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)

foundry operative · DE Gießereimechaniker/Gießereimechanikerin · FR opérateur en fonderie/opératrice en fonderie
coquille casting worker · DE Gießereimechaniker Schwerpunkt Druck- und Kokillenguss/Gießereimechanikerin Schwerpunkt Druck- und Kokillenguss · FR coquilleur en fonderie/coquilleuse en fonderie
foundry moulder · DE Gießereimechaniker Schwerpunkt Kernherstellung/Gießereimechanikerin Schwerpunkt Kernherstellung · FR mouleur en fonderie/mouleuse en fonderie
mouldmaker · DE Gießereimechaniker Schwerpunkt Handformguss/Gießereimechanikerin Schwerpunkt Handformguss · FR mouleur noyauteur/mouleuse noyauteuse
moulding machine operator · DE Gießereimechaniker Fachrichtung Maschinenformguss/Gießereimechanikerin Fachrichtung Maschinenformguss · FR mouleur/mouleuse
moulding machine technician · DE Industriemechaniker für Gießereianlagen/Industriemechanikerin für Gießereianlagen · FR mécanicien sur machines pour le moulage/mécanicienne sur machines pour le moulage

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Plastics process operatives (8114)18,200 employed
Metal machining setters and setter-operators (5221)40,400 employed
Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (5236)16,800 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 “Craft and related trades workers”. 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, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

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 -1.15. 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 (51-4072).

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.

Take the career interests test