Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic resume
What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called cutting and creasing press operator, cutting machine operator, cutting punching and press machine setters operators and tenders metal and plastic and thermal cutting machine operator.
$46,330
Median pay a year
171,200
People do this work
6
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Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
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A Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic resume, filled in
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Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic
Summary
Cutting, punching, and press machine operator setting up and tending machines to cut, punch, and bend metal or plastic, while measuring and examining workpieces for quality and recording operational data
Experience
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Set up, operated, or tended machines to cut, punch, or bend metal or plastic material
Measured completed workpieces to check if they met specifications using micrometers and gauges
Examined completed workpieces for defects and sorted them by types of flaws
Started machines, monitored their operations, and recorded operational data
Marked identifying data on workpieces and scribed reference lines for cutting operations
Skills
Core Skills
Operating cutting equipment, Setting fixtures, Setting equipment controls, Operating grinding equipment, Sharpening cutting tools, Reviewing blueprints and instructions, Reading work orders or instructions
Hands-On Work
Cleaning production equipment, Mounting attachments or tools, Mounting materials or workpieces
Education
High School Diploma Your school, Year
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What to put on a Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic resume
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What did you do each day?
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Measured workpieces for accuracyChecked for defects in piecesRead work orders for detailsStarted machines and recorded dataSet up and operated cutting machinesCleaned the work area
becomes
On your resume
Measured workpieces for accuracy to ensure compliance with specifications
Read work orders to determine material requirements and production details
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Add what improved once the measurements were done
The line
Measured workpieces for accuracy, leading to improved quality of finished products
Add what improved once the measurements were done
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Quality of finished products improvedFewer defects in final piecesProduction flow became smoother
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Show what got clearer or easier because you read the orders
The line
Read work orders to determine material requirements and production details
Show what got clearer or easier because you read the orders
Pick one that fits
Reduced errors in material selectionStreamlined the setup processHelped avoid production delays
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Adding it to the line…
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What it is made of
Skills for a Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Operating cutting equipment
Cleaning production equipment
Setting fixtures
Mounting attachments or tools
Mounting materials or workpieces
Setting equipment controls
Operating grinding equipment
Sharpening cutting tools
Reviewing blueprints and instructions
Reading work orders or instructions
Monitoring equipment operation
Marking equipment with labels
The work itself
What a Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
What it pays
How much does a Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$38,870
Median
$46,330
75th percentile
$55,410
About 171,200 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$45,160
$49,010
$58,320
AL
$37,850
$43,830
$48,000
AR
$37,140
$45,580
$51,160
AZ
$39,780
$46,610
$51,240
CA
$43,710
$48,450
$58,450
CO
$45,840
$50,790
$59,830
CT
$38,440
$46,280
$53,920
DE
$39,860
$41,640
$48,380
FL
$36,180
$39,440
$46,670
GA
$38,690
$45,080
$50,730
IA
$40,120
$48,240
$52,730
ID
$37,650
$39,580
$46,200
IL
$41,670
$48,990
$59,030
IN
$40,630
$46,980
$56,350
KS
$39,520
$46,840
$53,670
KY
$39,300
$45,760
$60,230
LA
$37,660
$40,870
$48,900
MA
$39,570
$45,760
$57,460
MD
$39,420
$47,320
$50,780
ME
$47,130
$51,820
$60,440
MI
$38,580
$46,120
$66,130
MN
$42,850
$49,770
$60,130
MO
$39,500
$48,310
$60,170
MS
$36,220
$40,650
$48,990
MT
$45,280
$48,490
$51,680
NC
$37,390
$43,400
$50,090
ND
$47,230
$48,400
$56,670
NE
$39,520
$48,690
$58,020
NH
$41,950
$48,110
$52,430
NJ
$40,130
$45,680
$51,800
NM
$36,400
$39,430
$45,580
NV
$40,540
$47,690
$50,420
NY
$39,800
$46,930
$57,070
OH
$38,360
$45,230
$50,640
OK
$36,260
$40,930
$49,870
OR
$48,070
$53,680
$59,550
PA
$40,710
$47,860
$58,780
PR
$21,840
$24,090
$28,670
RI
$43,550
$48,170
$59,780
SC
$39,230
$44,420
$49,290
SD
$41,900
$46,060
$53,330
TN
$37,580
$44,780
$48,310
TX
$36,940
$42,720
$47,460
UT
$44,030
$46,670
$50,960
VA
$41,380
$47,300
$52,890
VT
$39,640
$43,560
$51,950
WA
$46,280
$51,160
$60,890
WI
$43,930
$49,270
$58,560
WV
$35,410
$43,070
$57,570
WY
$45,520
$46,890
$51,870
Other names
Other names for this job
cutting and creasing press operator, cutting machine operator, cutting punching and press machine setters operators and tenders metal and plastic, thermal cutting machine operator, adjuster, angle shear operator, angle shear setup operator, arbor press operator, automatic punch press operator, automatic screwmaker, automobile bumper straightener, bander operator.
This page is about the occupation Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.