AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9041.00
Will AI replace Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: AI can already handle 3 of 26 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 26 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Send product samples to laboratories for analysis. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Complete work tickets, and place them with products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 26 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 26 of 26. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 30% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 30% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 70% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 58,770
- Median annual wage
- $45,760
- Middle half of earners
- $38,360 to $52,580
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.0%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 80% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure16
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure20
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure15
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure22
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 76% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure16
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and AI
Will AI replace Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
AI already handles 3 of the 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 23 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +2.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
23 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 26 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 26 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales; Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets; Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 30% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 70% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, and what do they earn?
58,770 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $45,760 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.0% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/extruding-forming-pressing-and-compacting-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders
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