Will AI replace molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 12m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 5h 48m (73%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.4% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 5 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 12m of a typical shift. 20 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary. (1h 18m a shift; e.g. Wittmann Battenfeld presses with integrated cell monitoring at T&M Enterprises, in use)
• Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses. (24m a shift; e.g. MiR500 AMR + six-axis unload/trim robot at Cabka North America, in use)
• Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times. (18m a shift; e.g. ENGEL iQ weight control (plus), in use)
• Maintain inventories of materials. (6m a shift; e.g. Gather AI inventory drones, in use)

5h 48m of a typical shift, or 73%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. (54m a shift)
• Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. (36m a shift)
• Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary. (30m a shift)
• Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences. (18m a shift)
• Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times. (18m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 85% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 81% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 75% work at arm's length or closer to other people

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Sep 11, 2026: Engel AI assistant can now change injection molding machine settings (Announced)

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 14,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $44,350 a year ($21.32 an hour), 13% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $34,170 and $61,600 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 145,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 14,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 150,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.10% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 214th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 145,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 57% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 48m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, SAP software

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (12m touched, $43k median pay)
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (1h 19m touched, $46k median pay)
• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood (0m touched, $43k median pay)
• Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (18m touched, $49k median pay)
• Refractory Materials Repairers (20m touched, $61k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 5 with robots in real deployments, 24 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.