Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production
Work starts with the job order or blueprint: dimensions, finish, the order of holes, and which tools to load. The piece is bolted or clamped on the table, a zero point is set at an edge or hole location, and speeds, feeds, and depth are chosen for the metal or plastic. Controls drop the drill and start the automatic feed; worn cutters are changed with a wrench. Finished work is checked with calipers, micrometers, or gauges, and dial indicators confirm that reference lines stay parallel to the table. Suits people who like precise setup, close measuring, and watching a machine through a cut.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$49'080
Median Wage Market Position
$49'080
What you might do
- Set up machines to drill and bore parts
- Study blueprints for hole sizes and finishes
- Clamp workpieces on the table with jigs
- Lower the tool and engage the automatic feed
- Check finished holes with calipers and gauges
- Change worn cutting tools using wrenches
Skills that matter
- Studying prints for hole size and order
- Choosing speeds, feeds, and depths of cut
- Gauging bored holes with micrometers
- Getting the work parallel to the table axis
- Setting zero points on the workpiece
- Tracing why a hole missed the spec
AI & the future of this role
Drilling and boring are already well suited to CNC and robotic tending, so more standard runs may need fewer dedicated operators. Complex setups, tool wear judgment, and fixing misaligned work still matter, but overall exposure looks relatively high.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details