AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9012.00

Will AI replace Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: AI can already handle 1 of 20 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 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, 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
Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture. 80 Estimated Standard 4.2
Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Install, maintain, or repair hoses, pumps, filters, or screens to maintain processing equipment, using hand tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Dump, pour, or load specified amounts of refined or unrefined materials into equipment or containers for further processing or storage. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Communicate processing instructions to other workers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Turn valves to pump sterilizing solutions or rinse water through pipes or equipment or to spray vats with atomizers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Remove clogs, defects, or impurities from machines, tanks, conveyors, screens, or other processing equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Clean or sterilize tanks, screens, inflow pipes, production areas, or equipment, using hoses, brushes, scrapers, or chemical solutions. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Connect pipes between vats and processing equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Assemble fittings, valves, bowls, plates, disks, impeller shafts, or other parts to prepare equipment for operation. 15 Estimated No tier 3.4
Remove full containers from discharge outlets and replace them with empty containers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.3

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 20. 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 20% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 20% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 80% 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
60,100
Median annual wage
$51,610
Middle half of earners
$44,410 to $63,930
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-4.3%

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 Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and AI

Will AI replace Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

AI already handles 1 of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 19 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 -4.3% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

19 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 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture. 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 20% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 80% 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 Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, and what do they earn?

60,100 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $51,610 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -4.3% 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: Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still 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/separating-filtering-clarifying-precipitating-and-still-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders

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