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Date: 10/19/2025

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • 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.
    • Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
    • Clean and lubricate machines.
    • Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
    • Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
    • Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.
    • Operate forklifts to deliver materials.
    • Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.
    • Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.
    • Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
    • Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
    • Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
    • Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.
    • Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.
    • Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.
    • Clean and lubricate machines.
    • Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.
    • Mark identifying data on workpieces.
    • Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.
    • Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.
    • Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.
    • Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
    • Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
    • 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.
    • Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.
    • Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
    • Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.
    • Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.
    • Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.
    • Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.
    • Clean work area.
    • Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.
    • Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
    • Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.
    • Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.
    • Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.
    • Lubricate workpieces with oil.
    • Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.
    • Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
    • Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.
    • Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.
    • Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
    • Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.
    • Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.

    Skills

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    Knowledge

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 43920/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 21.11/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 15,610
    • Yearly Projected Openings 1390

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Innovation
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Abrasive drums
    • Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Anvils
    • Bending machines
    • Blow torch
    • C clamps
    • Calipers
    • Claw hammer
    • Cleaning scrapers
    • Cold chisels
    • Cutting die
    • Cutting machines
    • Double ended stud
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Feeler gauges
    • Forklifts
    • Gage block set
    • Gear cutting tool
    • Grease guns
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hex keys
    • Hoists
    • Horizontal turning center
    • Hydraulic press brake
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Induction heaters
    • Label making machines
    • Level sensors or transmitters
    • Locking pliers
    • Mainframe console or dumb terminals
    • Metal shearing machine
    • Micrometers
    • Multi-tasking or universal machining center
    • Nibblers
    • Open die forging press
    • Pallet trucks
    • Personal computers
    • Power grinders
    • Power saws
    • Precision file
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Protective gloves
    • Protractors
    • Punching pliers
    • Rulers
    • Sawing machines
    • Saws
    • Scales
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Sharpening stones or tools or kits
    • Shears
    • Sledge hammer
    • Squares
    • Straight edges
    • Templates
    • Tongs
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Track cranes
    • Tube bending machine
    • Utility knives
    • Wire brushes

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Industrial control software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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    Workforce Supply Tool

    The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

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