Home / Tasks / Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing
In 1 of the 25 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 24, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 18m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 1.2 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
24No evidence yet
1Robots
Every job that does this
Each job words the task its own way. Minutes are that job's estimate for a typical shift; the label is the evidence for that job's version.
| Job and its version of the task | Per shift | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Cutters and TrimmersCut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools. | 2h 9m | No evidence yet |
| Stone Cutters and Carvers, ManufacturingCut, shape, and finish rough blocks of building or monumental stone, according to diagrams or patterns. | 58m | No evidence yet |
| Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersCut, strip, and bend wire leads at ends of coils, using pliers and wire scrapers. | 48m | No evidence yet |
| Model Makers, Metal and PlasticCut, shape, and form metal parts, using lathes, power saws, snips, power brakes and shears, files, and mallets. | 43m | No evidence yet |
| Etchers and EngraversPrepare workpieces for etching or engraving by cutting, sanding, cleaning, polishing, or treating them with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel. | 35m | No evidence yet |
| Tire BuildersCut plies at splice points, and press ends together to form continuous bands. | 26m | No evidence yet |
| Foundry Mold and CoremakersCut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds. | 25m | No evidence yet |
| Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersCut timber to the right size, and shape and trim parts of joints to ensure a snug fit, using hand tools, such as planes, chisels, or wood files. | 24m | No evidence yet |
| Engine and Other Machine AssemblersLay out and drill, ream, tap, or cut parts for assembly. | 24m | No evidence yet |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersCut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets. | 19m | No evidence yet |
| Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and FinishersCut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels. | 19m | No evidence yet |
| Hand SewersDraw and cut patterns according to specifications. | 19m | No evidence yet |
| Tool and Die MakersCut, shape, and trim blanks or blocks to specified lengths or shapes, using power saws, power shears, rules, and hand tools. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersCut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Molders, Shapers, and CastersMeasure and cut products to specified dimensions, using measuring and cutting instruments. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersGrind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersMeasure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodCut grooves, bevels, or miters, saw curved or irregular designs, and sever or shape metals, according to specifications or work orders. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Hydroelectric Plant TechniciansCut, bend, or shape metal for applications in hydroelectric plants, using equipment such as hydraulic benders or pipe threaders. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersCut stock manually to prepare for machine cutting, using tools such as knives, cleavers, handsaws, or hammers and chisels. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Print Binding and Finishing WorkersCut binder boards to specified dimensions, using board shears, hand cutters, or cutting machines. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass FibersOpen cabinet doors to cut multifilament threadlines away from guides, using scissors. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Semiconductor Processing TechniciansScribe or separate wafers into dice. | 6m | Robots |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems AssemblersCut cables and tubing, using master templates, measuring instruments, and cable cutters or saws. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine OperatorsSplice broken or separated film and mount film on reels. | under 1m | No evidence yet |
How to read this
This task type comes from O*NET's detailed work activities, which link similar tasks across jobs. A label applies to one job's version of the task: AI use comes from real AI conversations (Anthropic Economic Index) and robot evidence from deployments in real workplaces. "No evidence yet" may just mean the task is rare in the data. How we keep time.
See all 250 shared tasks, or find any job on the big clock.