DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2020

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	1,830	201	$20.89/hr	$0.36/hr	$15.64/hr	$17.42/hr	$20.40/hr	$24.08/hr	$28.06/hr
U S	76,940	1,847	$18.43/hr	$0.13/hr	$12.21/hr	$14.37/hr	$17.72/hr	$22.12/hr	$26.23/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Leading Industries for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Industry OES Employment OES Median Wage Manufacturing 1,770 $20.53/hr

Other Regional Data For Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Geography (click title for details) OES Projections Employment Median Wage % Change 2023 - 2025 Minnesota 1,830 $20.40/hr 0.5% Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA 1,090 $21.11/hr N/A Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 950 $21.17/hr N/A Northwest Minnesota 400 $19.79/hr N/A Central Minnesota 320 $19.60/hr N/A Northwest Balance of State 300 $19.79/hr N/A Southeast Balance of State 290 $20.33/hr N/A Southeast Minnesota 250 $19.18/hr N/A Southwest Minnesota 180 $20.85/hr N/A Southwest Balance of State 90 $21.23/hr N/A Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA 60 $18.65/hr N/A Grand Forks ND-MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Duluth MN-WI MSA N/A N/A N/A St Cloud MN MSA N/A $19.42/hr N/A Fargo ND-MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Rochester MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Northeast Minnesota N/A N/A N/A

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change 2023 - 2025
Sheet Metal Workers	2,860	$30.16/hr	2.7%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, &Tenders, Metal & Plastic	2,720	$18.44/hr	-0.4%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	2,010	$18.68/hr	0.6%
Tool and Die Makers	1,840	$27.62/hr	0.3%
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,200	$19.10/hr	1.0%
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	730	$19.66/hr	-0.8%
Semiconductor Processors	140	$17.54/hr	2.1%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	$19.81/hr	-1.2%

• Installs dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machine extruding thermoplastic or metal materials.
• Starts machine and sets controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and synchronizes speed of extrusion.
• Loads machine hopper with mixed materials, using auger, or stuffs rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.
• Operates shearing mechanism to cut rods to specified length.
• Replaces worn dies when products vary from specifications.
• Measures extruded articles for conformance to specifications and adjusts controls to obtain product of specified dimensions.
• Reels extruded product into rolls of specified length and weight.
• Tests physical properties of product with testing devices, such as acid-bath tester, burst tester, and impact tester.
• Examines extruded product for defects, such as wrinkles, bubbles, and splits.
• Studies specifications, determines setup procedures and selects machine dies and parts.
• Adjusts controls to draw or press metal into specified shape and diameter.
• Selects nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameter and length of rod.
• Weighs and mixes pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.