AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4072.00

Will AI replace Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: AI can already handle 1 of 29 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 29 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Molding, Coremaking, and Casting 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
Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times. 80 Estimated Standard 4.0
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. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Install dies onto machines or presses and coat dies with parting agents, according to work order specifications. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Repair or replace damaged molds, pipes, belts, chains, or other equipment, using hand tools, hand-powered presses, or jib cranes. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Select and install blades, tools, or other attachments for each operation. 20 Estimated Standard 3.7
Maintain inventories of materials. 20 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Connect water hoses to cooling systems of dies, using hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Cool products after processing to prevent distortion. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Remove parts, such as dies, from machines after production runs are finished. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Operate hoists to position dies or patterns on foundry floors. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Perform maintenance work such as cleaning and oiling machines. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Obtain and move specified patterns to work stations, manually or using hoists, and secure patterns to machines, using wrenches. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Inventory and record quantities of materials and finished products, requisitioning additional supplies as necessary. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Select coolants and lubricants, and start their flow. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Position and secure workpieces on machines, and start feeding mechanisms. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Trim excess material from parts, using knives, and grind scrap plastic into powder for reuse. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Smooth and clean inner surfaces of molds, using brushes, scrapers, air hoses, or grinding wheels, and fill imperfections with refractory material. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Mix and measure compounds, or weigh premixed compounds, and dump them into machine tubs, cavities, or molds. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Preheat tools, dies, plastic materials, or patterns, using blowtorches or other equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Pour or load metal or sand into melting pots, furnaces, molds, or hoppers, using shovels, ladles, or machines. 15 Estimated No tier 3.4
Skim or pour dross, slag, or impurities from molten metal, using ladles, rakes, hoes, spatulas, or spoons. 15 Estimated No tier 3.1

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 29 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 29 of 29. 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 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 25% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 75% 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
150,470
Median annual wage
$44,350
Middle half of earners
$37,270 to $51,020
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-3.8%

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

Will AI replace Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

AI already handles 1 of the 29 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 20 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 -3.8% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

20 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 29 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 29 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times. 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 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 75% 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 Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, and what do they earn?

150,470 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $44,350 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -3.8% 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: Molding, Coremaking, and Casting 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/molding-coremaking-and-casting-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

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