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Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they do

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $46,330 Median per year · $22.27/hr Most earn $35,760–$65,510

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.
  • Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.
  • Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.
  • Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
  • Operate forklifts to deliver materials.
  • Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.

Job outlook

United States
11% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 13,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing28.7%
  • Motor vehicle parts manufacturing15.5%
  • Plastics product manufacturing7.5%
  • Merchant wholesalers, durable goods6.0%
  • Machinery manufacturing5.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

This is not usually a straight-out-of-school job. Most people finish high school, then spend about 2 to 4 years in related machine or production work before they run these machines on their own.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build reading, math, and shop skills, since you'll need to read blueprints, measure accurately, and follow safety rules.

  2. Cutting and Slicing Machine Operator

    1-2 years

    Start by feeding material into cutting machines and learning safe setup, measuring, and quality checks under an experienced worker.

  3. Punch Press Operator

    1-2 years

    Learn to set up and run presses and shears on metal or plastic, check parts against specs, and keep the machine running safely.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Press Operator

    2-4 years of experience first

    You take on training new operators, checking setups, and helping keep production on schedule, which shows you can handle more responsibility.

  2. Production Supervisor

    3-5 years of experience first

    You manage a team and its schedule, quality, and safety rather than running machines yourself, which usually calls for strong communication and planning skills.

  3. Tool and Die Maker

    2-4 years of related work, plus an apprenticeship of experience first

    This is a different, highly skilled trade where you build the cutting tools and dies that machines like these use, and it typically requires a formal apprenticeship or certificate.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, drafting, or technical classesHands-on classes teach you how machines, tools, and measurements work, which gives you a head start.
  • Take math classes, especially geometry and measurementSetting up cutting and press machines depends on precise measurements and angles.
  • Join a career and technical student organizationClubs like these often include skills competitions and networking with local employers.
  • Get a part-time or summer job at a factory, warehouse, or workshopEven entry-level production work shows employers you can follow safety rules and work steadily.
  • Volunteer for a community workshop or makerspaceHands-on time with tools and machines builds confidence and comfort around equipment.

In college

  • Take courses in manufacturing processes, blueprint reading, or industrial safetyThese classes teach the specific knowledge employers want for machine setup and safe operation.
  • Get a summer or part-time job in manufacturingReal production experience counts toward the 2 to 4 years employers commonly expect.
  • Join a campus engineering, robotics, or skills clubTeamwork and hands-on projects build the practical habits that machine work relies on.
  • Look for a community college certificate in machining or industrial technologyMany schools offer short certificate programs that can make you a stronger candidate for entry-level machine jobs.
  • Ask a local manufacturer about an internship or apprenticeshipSeeing a real production floor helps you learn what the work involves and makes useful contacts.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for job openings at local manufacturers and ask whether they offer on-the-job training, since most people in this job learn by doing.
  • Keep a simple record of any shop, welding, or machine experience you get, because employers often care about hands-on skills and a good safety record.
  • Practice reading measurements and basic geometry, since accuracy with numbers matters a lot in this work.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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