Skilled Trades
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.
Median salary
$45,130
Typical range
$35k – $65k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Entry / Junior
$34,790
~2 yrs to advance
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Established
$45,130
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Senior
$54,895
Key skills
A typical day
- •Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
- •Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
- •Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
- •Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
- •Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.