Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production
Setup starts with specifications, blueprints, and work orders that set temperatures, cycle times, and the production sequence. Valves and dials regulate pressure, temperature, speed, and feed; meters and gauges are watched so those settings hold. Automatic machines need watching during a run for jams, defects, or drift from specifications, with adjustments as needed. Finished pieces are measured and inspected for surface and dimension faults; cooling hoses get connected to dies, and dies come out after a run. A better fit when someone likes watching automatic machines, reading gauges, and catching faults before a batch goes out of tolerance.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$44'350
Median Wage Market Position
$44'350
What you might do
- Set up and run molding or casting machines
- Watch machines for jams and adjust as needed
- Inspect molded parts for size and surface defects
- Set pressure, heat, speed, and cycle times
- Read work orders to plan machine setups
- Connect cooling hoses to the dies
Skills that matter
- Reading blueprints for mold cycle settings
- Watching automatic machines for jams
- Setting pressure, heat, and feed rates
- Inspecting molded parts for surface and size defects
- Logging temperatures and press-cycle times
- Calling out malfunctions during a run
AI & the future of this role
Routine machine setup and monitoring are areas where smarter controls and robotics could take on more of the load. Changeovers, quality checks, and keeping aging equipment running still call for human judgment on the floor.
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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