AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4035.00
Will AI replace Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: AI can already handle 2 of 15 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 15 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Observe milling or planing machine operation, and adjust controls to ensure conformance with specified tolerances. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools, and hoists. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Compute dimensions, tolerances, and angles of workpieces or machines according to specifications and knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move cutters or material manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to mill workpieces to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mount attachments and tools, such as pantographs, engravers, or routers, to perform other operations, such as drilling or boring. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select cutting speeds, feed rates, and depths of cuts, applying knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record production output. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Make templates or cutting tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn valves or pull levers to start and regulate the flow of coolant or lubricant to work areas. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 15 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 15. 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 28% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 28% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 72% 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
- 12,460
- Median annual wage
- $52,800
- Middle half of earners
- $45,210 to $64,900
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -14.4%
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.
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 83% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure17
- Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 82% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure23
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure22
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure27
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure22
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and AI
Will AI replace Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
AI already handles 2 of the 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 26 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 -14.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
26 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 15 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers; Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 28% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 72% 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 Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, and what do they earn?
12,460 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $52,800 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -14.4% 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: Milling and Planing 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/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic
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