What is an Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator?

Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator Job Description Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

What do Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders do On a Daily Basis?

• Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.
• Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths.
• Change dies on extruding machines according to production line changes.
• Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters.
• Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
• Clean work areas.

Things an Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator Should Know How to Do

Below is a list of the skills most Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders say are important on the job.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator Jobs

• Injection Molder
• Mold Injector
• Wire Mill Operator
• Extrusion Press Operator
• Manufacturing Engineer

Is There Going to be Demand for Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 72,300 jobs in the United States for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.

Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender jobs are decreasing by a rate of -15.2%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -11,000 jobs for Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 5,600 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are Georgia, Utah, and Alabama.

Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, California, or Indiana. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

The salary for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ranges between about $23,840 and $52,060 a year. The median salary for this occupation is $35,150.

How much do Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic make in each U.S. state?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Iowa	$45,820
Connecticut	$42,960
South Carolina	$41,990
Rhode Island	$41,640
Minnesota	$40,500
Illinois	$40,470
Wisconsin	$40,030
West Virginia	$39,540
Washington	$39,530
North Carolina	$39,370
Massachusetts	$39,300
Oregon	$39,230
New Hampshire	$39,140
Colorado	$39,060
Virginia	$38,710
Delaware	$38,540
Nebraska	$38,520
Pennsylvania	$38,380
Maine	$38,330
Kentucky	$37,550
New York	$36,670
North Dakota	$36,370
Kansas	$36,050
Tennessee	$35,770
Indiana	$35,650
Utah	$35,640
Missouri	$35,630
Maryland	$35,500
Ohio	$35,420
Texas	$35,310
Oklahoma	$35,240
Arkansas	$35,230
Louisiana	$35,130
New Jersey	$35,060
South Dakota	$35,020
California	$34,520
Georgia	$34,210
New Mexico	$34,130
Nevada	$33,910
Arizona	$33,560
Michigan	$32,040
Vermont	$32,030
Florida	$31,350
Mississippi	$30,250
Idaho	$30,090
Alabama	$28,830

What Tools & Technology do Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• SAP
• Microsoft PowerPoint

Becoming an Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator

Learn what Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender education requirements there are.

How Long Does it Take to Become Extruding & Drawing Machine Operator?

Where Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Are Employed

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those interested in being a Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender may also be interested in:

• Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators
• Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

Are you already one of the many Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

• Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons