Home / Tasks / Operate cutting equipment
In 1 of the 19 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 18, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 41m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 1.4 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
18No 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticSet up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. | 2h 56m | No evidence yet |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticSet up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material. | 1h 47m | No evidence yet |
| MachinistsMachine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders. | 1h 34m | No evidence yet |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersSet up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material. | 1h 19m | No evidence yet |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticSet up and operate machines, such as lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, presses, drills, or auxiliary machines, to make metallic and plastic workpieces. | 1h 16m | No evidence yet |
| Model Makers, Metal and PlasticSet up and operate machines, such as lathes, drill presses, punch presses, or bandsaws, to fabricate prototypes or models. | 1h 8m | No evidence yet |
| Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticStart lathe or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met. | 1h 4m | Robots |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodGuide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts. | 1h 4m | No evidence yet |
| Wood Model MakersSet up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and planers to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications. | 1h 3m | No evidence yet |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersSet up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components. | 41m | No evidence yet |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersPrepare metal surfaces or workpieces, using hand-operated equipment, such as grinders, cutters, or drills. | 24m | No evidence yet |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticActivate machine start-up switches to grind, lap, hone, debar, shear, or cut workpieces, according to specifications. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticOperate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Printing Press OperatorsSet up or operate auxiliary equipment, such as cutting, folding, plate-making, drilling, or laminating machines. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Etchers and EngraversStart machines and lower cutting tools to beginning points on patterns. | 14m | No evidence yet |
| BakersOperate slicing or wrapping machines. | 13m | No evidence yet |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticActivate shears and grinders to trim workpieces. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Hand Cutters and TrimmersRoute items to provide cutouts for parts, using portable routers, grinders, and hand tools. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems AssemblersSet up or operate machines or systems to crimp, cut, bend, form, swage, flare, bead, burr, or straighten tubing, according to specifications. | 6m | 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.