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Boston Career Explorer

Production

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.

Also called: Die Setter, Fabrication Operator, Machine Operator, Machine Setter, Press Brake Operator, Press Operator

Median pay in Greater Boston
$48,080
$23.12/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,290
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−8.1%
290 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$39,380$42,500$48,080$60,820$65,520

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure11 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 15
  • Language-model AIOE 12
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 6

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with reading work orders, recording machine data, and flagging defects, but running the machines and handling and measuring parts are physical tasks. Federal projections expect more automated and programmable machines to take over some tasks, and Massachusetts job numbers are expected to fall (-8.1%) through 2034.

Likely to change

  • Reading work orders and production schedules
  • Recording machine operating data

Still relies on people

  • Setting up and running cutting machines
  • Checking finished parts for flaws by hand

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as manufacturers are expected to use more CNC, automated, and programmable machinery to perform some functions or tasks previously done by these workers.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

    Measuring and examining workpieces against specifications carries over directly. Welding offers a Boston median pay of $63,770 and projected growth of 4.2%.

    Pay difference
    +$15,690 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    You already start machines, monitor them, and measure products for defects. This job uses the same skills and has projected growth of 3.9%.

    Pay difference
    +$3,140 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +3.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

    Reading work orders and trimming excess material builds on your shop-floor skills. This move offers a median pay of $55,530 and projected growth of 6.7%.

    Pay difference
    +$7,450 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.7%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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