DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-4034 Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | 410 | 57 | $21.80/hr | $0.50/hr | $15.82/hr | $18.45/hr | $21.85/hr | $24.62/hr | $28.47/hr |
| U S | 28,070 | 982 | $20.49/hr | $0.16/hr | $13.16/hr | $15.84/hr | $19.56/hr | $24.21/hr | $29.48/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| 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% |
| 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% |
Tasks for Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Installs holding fixtures, cams, gears, and stops to control stock and tool movement, using hand tools, power tools, and measuring instruments.
- Moves toolholder manually or by turning handwheel, or engages automatic feeding mechanism, to feed tools to and along workpiece.
- Selects cutting tools and tooling instructions, according to knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics, or written specifications.
- Positions, secures, and aligns cutting tools in toolholders on machine, using hand tools, and verifies their position with measuring instruments.
- Observes operation and stops machine to inspect finished workpiece and verify conformance with specifications of first-run, using measuring instruments.
- Mounts attachments, such as relieving or tracing attachments, to perform operations, such as duplicating contours of template or trimming workpiece.
- Studies blueprint, layout, or chart, to visualize work and determine materials needed, sequence of operations, dimensions, and tooling instructions.
- Computes unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
- Lifts metal stock or workpiece manually or using hoist, and positions and secures it in machine, using fasteners and hand tools.
- Replaces worn tools and sharpens dull cutting tools and dies.
- Moves controls to set cutting speeds and depths, and feed rates and to position tool in relation to workplace.
- Cranks machine through cycle, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls, to ensure specified timing, clearance, and tolerances.
- Starts machine, and turns valve handle to direct flow of coolant on work area or coats disk with spinning compound.
