Explore by Career/Production
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.
- Median pay
- $48,310
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- -14.4%
- Declining
- Typical entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Key skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Quality Control Analysis
What they do
- Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers.
- Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers.
- Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines.
- Observe milling or planing machine operation, and adjust controls to ensure conformance with specified tolerances.
- Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools.
- Position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools, and hoists.
- Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders.
- Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations.
- Compute dimensions, tolerances, and angles of workpieces or machines according to specifications and knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
- Move cutters or material manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to mill workpieces to specifications.
Majors that lead here
No mapped majors yet.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.