Career Details
Career Details
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Career Details
51-4031.00 - Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
51-4031.00 - Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
Key Facts

Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
192,200
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
152,700
Estimate
Change in Employment
-39,500
Estimate
Change in Employment %
-20.6%
Estimate
Tasks

Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
- Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.
- Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.
- Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
- Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
- Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
- Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
- Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
- Install, align, and lock specified punches, dies, cutting blades, or other fixtures in rams or beds of machines, using gauges, templates, feelers, shims, and hand tools.
- Clean and lubricate machines.
- Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
- Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools.
- Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.
- Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.
- Lubricate workpieces with oil.
- Mark identifying data on workpieces.
- Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.
- Clean work area.
- Operate forklifts to deliver materials.
Supplemental
- Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.
- Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.
- Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.
- Thread ends of metal coils from reels through slitters and secure ends on recoilers.
- Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.
- Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.
- Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.
- Hand-form, cut, or finish workpieces, using tools such as table saws, hand sledges, or anvils.
- Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.
- Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.
- Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.
- Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.
- Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
- Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge

Knowledge
The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools

Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology

Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications

Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing

Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
