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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.

Also called: Cell Technician, CNC Machine Setter (Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Setter), Fabrication Set-Up Person, Injection Molding Technician, Machine Operator, Machine Technician

Median pay in Greater Boston
$49,150
$23.63/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
650
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.5%
160 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
$37,870$45,480$49,150$60,320$65,420

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

What you’d do

  • Inspect workpieces for defects, and measure workpieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates, or other measuring instruments.
  • Position, adjust, and secure stock material or workpieces against stops, on arbors, or in chucks, fixtures, or automatic feeding mechanisms, manually or using hoists.
  • Read blueprints or job orders to determine product specifications and tooling instructions and to plan operational sequences.
  • Select, install, and adjust alignment of drills, cutters, dies, guides, and holding devices, using templates, measuring instruments, and hand tools.
  • Observe machine operation to detect workpiece defects or machine malfunctions, adjusting machines as necessary.
  • Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, presses, drills, or auxiliary machines, to make metallic and plastic workpieces.

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 exposure26 of 100

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

  • AIOE 25
  • Language-model AIOE 23
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 30

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 job orders and planning machine steps, or with spotting problems in measurement data. Setting up tooling, loading parts by hand, and watching machines run depend on hands-on work and judgment, which AI tools do not do.

Likely to change

  • Reading job orders and planning operation sequences
  • Flagging defects or drift from measurement data

Still relies on people

  • Installing and aligning cutters, dies, and holding devices
  • Positioning and securing workpieces by hand

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.

  • Machinists

    Measuring parts, reading blueprints, and running machine tools carry over directly. Machinists earn a Boston median of $72,060, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$22,910 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Watching machines for malfunctions and adjusting them carry over to repair work. The Boston median is $75,200 and Massachusetts growth is 17.1%.

    Pay difference
    +$26,050 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

    Using hand and power tools and keeping accurate records carry over. The Boston median is $95,520, with moderate-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$46,370 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.8%
    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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