AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic?

Task-level automation exposure for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

15% weighted task index

24 of 24 tasks scored

Median Salary

$46,170 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

33,190 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+5.8% employment change

5,100 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 48 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$35,620 – $57,860

Highest medians

Montana $57,860

Hawaii $55,990

Oregon $52,740

Connecticut $52,520

Washington $51,780

Lowest medians

Arkansas $35,620

Alabama $36,730

Wyoming $37,510

Mississippi $37,580

North Carolina $38,190

State figures come from the 51-9195 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 15%

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

Physical work 87%

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

Judgment & influence 4%

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

Routine administration 0%

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 3/100 Low

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

24 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) 6%

1 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 4%

1 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 90%

22 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

#23666 · Core · 80% automatable

Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.

information retrieval — Parse specs and materials from orders

Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.

#23667 · Core · 8% automatable

Trim or remove excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.

physical manipulation — Manual trimming of workpieces

Trim excess material from workpieces.

#23668 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.

physical manipulation — Applying parting agents is manual mold prep

Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.

#23669 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.

physical manipulation — Engraving requires controlled hand tool operation

Engrave designs, text, or other markings onto materials, workpieces, or products.

#23670 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Assemble, insert, and adjust wires, tubes, cores, fittings, rods, or patterns into molds, using hand tools and depth gauges.

physical manipulation — Mold building is hands-on craft work

Build production molds.

#23671 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Clean, finish, and lubricate molds and mold parts.

physical manipulation — Manual application of lubricants to workpieces

Clean workpieces or finished products. Apply lubricants or coolants to workpieces.

#23672 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Separate models or patterns from molds and examine products for accuracy.

physical manipulation — Removing workpieces from molds is physical

Remove workpieces from molds.

#23673 · Supplemental · 18% automatable

Set the proper operating temperature for each casting.

physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment

Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.

#23674 · Supplemental · 4% automatable

Load or stack filled molds in ovens, dryers, or curing boxes, or on storage racks or carts.

physical manipulation — Hands-on stacking of finished items

Stack finished items for further processing or shipment. Load items into ovens or furnaces.

#23675 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Align and assemble parts to produce completed products, using gauges and hand tools.

physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment

Assemble metal or plastic parts or products. Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.

#23676 · Supplemental · 17% automatable

Operate and adjust controls of heating equipment to melt material or to cure, dry, or bake filled molds.

physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment

Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment. Operate heating or drying equipment.

#23677 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Select sizes and types of molds according to instructions.

decision support — Equipment selection against specs; human verifies fit

Select production equipment according to product specifications.

#23678 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Patch broken edges or fractures, using clay or plaster.

physical manipulation — Filling cracks is manual finishing work

Fill cracks, imperfections, or holes in products or workpieces.

#23679 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Withdraw cores or other loose mold members after castings solidify.

physical manipulation — Removing workpieces from molds is physical

Remove workpieces from molds.

#23680 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Repair mold defects, such as cracks or broken edges, using patterns, mold boxes, or hand tools.

physical manipulation — Manual shaping and fitting of physical templates and molds

Repair templates, patterns, or molds.

#23681 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Measure and cut products to specified dimensions, using measuring and cutting instruments.

physical manipulation — Marking reference points requires hands-on measurement

Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators. Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.

#23682 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Smooth surfaces of molds, using scraping tools or sandpaper.

physical manipulation — Hand finishing of metal edges with tools

Smooth metal surfaces or edges.

#23683 · Supplemental · 19% automatable

Measure ingredients and mix molding, casting material, or sealing compounds to prescribed consistencies, according to formulas.

physical manipulation — Physical measuring and dispensing of ingredients

Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes. Mix substances to create chemical solutions.

#23684 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Remove excess materials and level and smooth wet mold mixtures.

physical manipulation — Manual trimming of workpieces

Trim excess material from workpieces.

#23687 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Verify dimensions of products, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, vernier gauges, or protractors.

physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces

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

#23688 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Bore holes or cut grates, risers, or pouring spouts in molds, using power tools.

physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation

Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing. Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.

#23690 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Tap or tilt molds to ensure uniform distribution of materials.

physical manipulation — Adjusting mold position is hands-on machine work

Adjust position of molds during processing.

#23691 · Core · 5% automatable

Construct or form molds for use in casting clay or plaster objects, using plaster, fiberglass, rubber, casting machines, patterns, or flasks.

physical manipulation — Mold building is hands-on craft work

Build production molds.

#23692 · Core · 4% automatable

Pour, pack, spread, or press plaster, concrete, or other materials into or around models or molds.

physical manipulation — Manual placement of materials into molds

Place materials into molds.

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Community Sentiment

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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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