AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4022.00

Will AI replace Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: AI can already handle 1 of 13 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 13 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications. 80 Estimated Standard 4.3
Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Remove dies from machines when production runs are finished. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Sharpen cutting tools and drill bits, using bench grinders. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 13 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 13. 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 31% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 31% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 69% 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
8,930
Median annual wage
$49,030
Middle half of earners
$42,440 to $60,130
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-18.9%

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and AI

Will AI replace Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

AI already handles 1 of the 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 21 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 -18.9% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

21 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 13 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 13 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 31% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 69% 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 Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, and what do they earn?

8,930 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $49,030 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -18.9% 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: Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. 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/forging-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

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