AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Task-level automation exposure for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

26% weighted task index

26 of 26 tasks scored

Median Salary

$45,760 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

58,770 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+1.5% employment change

5,200 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 46 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$23,330 – $57,990

Highest medians

Maine $57,990

Pennsylvania $53,580

Vermont $52,340

Minnesota $52,070

South Carolina $51,620

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $23,330

Kentucky $36,180

New Mexico $36,710

Texas $37,710

Idaho $38,580

State figures come from the 51-9041 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 26%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 66%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 3%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 11%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 26/100 Moderate

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 18%

4 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 8%

2 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 74%

20 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#12444 · Core · 15% automatable

Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.

physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment

Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products. Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment. Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#12447 · Core · 12% automatable

Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.

physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#12445 · Core · 25% automatable

Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.

physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces

Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products. Weigh finished products. Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

#12446 · Core · 42% automatable

Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.

visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human

Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.

#12455 · Core · 11% automatable

Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.

physical manipulation — Physically clearing jams in machinery

Remove products or workpieces from production equipment. Clear equipment jams.

#12452 · Core · 65% automatable

Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards.

text generation — Notifying maintenance needs is routine messaging

Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.

#12451 · Core · 82% automatable

Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.

data analysis — Record production data into structured logs

Record operational or production data.

#12449 · Core · 71% automatable

Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.

information retrieval — Parse specs and materials from orders

Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements. Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.

#12448 · Core · 15% automatable

Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow.

physical manipulation — Physical valve/control manipulation for coolant

Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.

#12466 · Core · 5% automatable

Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses.

physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of equipment in unstructured settings

Clean production equipment.

#12453 · Core · 12% automatable

Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes.

physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#12456 · Core · 8% automatable

Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks.

physical manipulation — Physical moving of products between work areas

Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.

#12459 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels.

physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#12450 · Supplemental · 30% automatable

Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.

decision support — Equipment selection against specs; human verifies fit

Select production equipment according to product specifications. Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

#12463 · Supplemental · 75% automatable

Send product samples to laboratories for analysis.

text generation — Sending digital materials automatable; physical mailing human

Send information, materials or documentation.

#12470 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products.

physical manipulation — Connecting supply lines is physical fitting

Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.

#12468 · Supplemental · 4% automatable

Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines.

physical manipulation — Hands-on loading of materials into equipment

Load materials into production equipment.

#12462 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing.

physical manipulation — Physical measuring and dispensing of ingredients

Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes. Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing. Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#12461 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing.

physical manipulation — Removing workpieces from molds is physical

Stack finished items for further processing or shipment. Remove workpieces from molds.

#12454 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor.

physical manipulation — Feeding materials into equipment is physical

Feed materials or products into or through equipment.

#12471 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets.

physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

#12458 · Supplemental · 47% automatable

Complete work tickets, and place them with products.

data analysis — Record production information into systems

Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information. Record production information.

#12467 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters.

physical manipulation — Disassembly requires hands-on tool use

Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.

#12460 · Supplemental · 7% automatable

Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete.

physical manipulation — Removing parts from equipment is hands-on

Remove accessories, tools, or other parts from equipment. Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.

#12457 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking.

physical manipulation — Applying parting agents is manual mold prep

Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.

#12469 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes.

physical manipulation — Mounting tools requires hands-on setup

Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

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Community Sentiment

Do you agree?

Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?

Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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