Skilled Trades
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.
Median salary
$41,230
Typical range
$32k – $60k
Job outlook
See national outlook
AI exposure
Plan a path to Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Entry / Junior
$31,990
~2 yrs to advance
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Established
$41,230
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Senior
$50,670
Key skills
A typical day
- •Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.
- •Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary.
- •Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.
- •Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times.
- •Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences.
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.