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In the United States, cutting, punching and press machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic, correspond to O*NET-SOC 51-4031.00 (Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic), setting up, operating or tending machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend or straighten metal or plastic material: reading the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances; measuring finished products with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification, and checking for defects such as notches and scratches and sorting by defect type; using tools and measuring instruments to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures and adjusting the stroke length and guide stops; setting the cutting speed, feed rate or table angle to specification, starting the machine, monitoring the run and recording run data; placing and aligning the workpiece, loading, turning on coolant or chip-blowing air, and sharpening tools and replacing blades or grinding wheels and cleaning and lubricating the machine when necessary; and removing burrs or sharp edges with grinders and joining sheet metal parts with equipment such as spot welders. The preparation level for this occupation is Job Zone 1-2 (little to some preparation, SVP below 6.0), and official education feedback shows that among new entrants 63% require a high school diploma or equivalent, 35% a postsecondary certificate and 1% less than high school, with on-the-job training ranging from a few days to a year. Comparable positions in China are punching, shearing and sheet metal forming equipment operation positions in manufacturing and processing enterprises; their duties and pay basis do not correspond one-to-one with this U.S. occupational subcategory and cannot be interchanged.
Worth trying first: willing to stand continuously under the equipment takt and fit punches and dies, load material and monitor by hand, able to set the stroke, stops and speed to work orders and drawings and verify the first piece with measuring tools, willing to follow die locking, guards and interlocks and energy isolation procedures strictly, and stopping the machine before reporting when there is an abnormal sound, die misalignment or dimensional deviation.
Consider carefully: if you find it hard to adapt to equipment takt and repetitive motions, are sensitive to a noisy and oily environment, are unwilling to measure and verify repeatedly, or find die locking and stopping and tagging procedures troublesome, the actual work will differ from your expectations.
Metal punching and shearing equipment operation works with metal or plastic workpieces and sheet, along with punches, dies, blades, fixtures, stops and measuring tools; the outputs are punched and sheared parts meeting dimensional and tolerance requirements, first-piece and sampling measurement records, die fitting and stroke setting records, non-conforming item sorting records and run data and output records; the basis for handling is work order and drawing specifications, die drawings and tolerances, machine safety procedures (die locking, guards and interlocks, energy isolation) and the employer's inspection and escalation paths — not the job title.
Judgment two: Are the dies fitted and locked correctly?
Judgment one: Have the work order and tolerances been read correctly?
Set up and operate milling and planing machines, using milling cutters and planing tools to machine flat surfaces, grooves and profiles.
Set up and tend several metal and plastic processing machines at once to complete multiple operations.
Analyse specifications and make and repair precision tools such as metal dies, cutting tools, fixtures and gauges.
Refers to the extent to which a task can be performed or assisted by existing technology; it does not indicate whether the employer adopts it, nor does it indicate changes in headcount or wages.
The tool descriptions for the seven tasks and three divisions of labour are editorial candidates; this page has not run trials or confirmed employer adoption.
Organizational adoption requires checking real equipment acceptance, training, process records and division of labour; this page did not verify an adoption sample and does not judge prevalence or whether adoption is typically slower than capability.
Insufficient evidence: this round did not obtain a Chinese occupational median, starting pay or percentile corresponding to 51-4031, and a consultation gap cannot be used to infer that the official source has never published; manufacturing background is listed separately.
Main employment settings: punching, shearing and sheet metal forming equipment operation positions in manufacturing and processing enterprises, and related workstations in producers of automotive parts, home appliance hardware, metal products and plastic products.
Employment arrangements, piece rates and performance pay, shifts, hours and protective equipment follow the real employer; this round has no Chinese recruitment sample and does not infer the prevalence of these arrangements.
U.S. statistical basis: the wages and percentiles on this page are values published on O*NET/OEWS under 51-4031.00 (Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic)'s own basis, not a proxy for an adjacent occupation or another subcategory; employment size and employment projections likewise follow that subcategory's basis (based on BLS 2025—2035 projections).
A percentile is not a skill or seniority level; the contribution of industry, area, complex dies or multi-machine tending to the difference was not verified, and the pay reason cannot be inferred.
Verify readiness by drawing reading and tolerances, die fitting and locking, parameter verification, measurement and sorting, anomaly reporting and training performance; there is no evidence that personality or steady hands and patience predicts hiring competence.
Editorial self-observation suggestion: within actual tasks and authorization conditions, record dimensions, safety procedure compliance and omissions during repeated loading, monitoring and measurement, and check this against outcome feedback; do not treat your attitude toward repetitive tasks as a necessary condition for staying correct.
Editorial self-observation suggestion: following the unit's actual first-piece and sampling arrangements, record the issues raised by die fitting, stroke and parameter inspection and the subsequent handling results; do not treat your attitude toward inspection as a necessary condition for continuous improvement.
Die fitting, alignment and tightness are verified by authorized personnel according to the equipment procedure. Where U.S. 1910.217 applies to mechanical power presses, the employer's die fitting procedure, die securing and inspection are verified separately; excluded equipment such as hydraulic and pneumatic presses cannot copy that provision but still requires verification of applicable guarding.
Use guards, interlocks and eye and face protection according to procedure; do not run equipment that is unanchored or has an abnormal guard, and stop immediately and report when an anomaly is found.
This page does not cite specific job postings and does not count historical recruitment cases as open positions; recruitment and qualification conditions must be verified against the target employer's public information for the current year.
The training, observation and mentoring assessment methods in the examples are editorial designs, used to illustrate common verification approaches and not representing any employer's unified process.
The occupational total and annual average openings are official projections; Chinese orders, products, investment and real employer recruitment were not sampled, and an individual unit's demand cannot be inferred from the total.
U.S. 51-4031 own basis: about 171,000 people employed in 2025; BLS Table 1.2 projects about 153,100 in 2035, a net decrease of about 17,900, or 10.5%; the O*NET label is Decline. The 2025—2035 annual average is about 13,200 job openings including growth and replacement, which can coexist with a net decrease and is not an immediate opening, an individual probability of being hired or AI causation.
O*NET provides a look-up entry point for certifications and training in this segment, for verifying certificate and training information; this is an information entry point rather than a demand signal, and a training programme itself is not equivalent to hiring or equipment operation authorization.
Set up, operate or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend or straighten metal or plastic material: reading the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances; using gauges, templates, feeler gauges, shims and hand tools to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures; adjusting the stroke length and setting the positions of stops, guides and fixtures and setting the cutting speed, feed rate or table angle; placing and aligning the workpiece, loading and feeding workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into the machine; turning on coolant or chip-blowing air, starting the machine, monitoring the run and recording run data; measuring finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification; checking for defects such as notches or scratches and sorting by defect type; sharpening and dressing tools with grinding wheels, oilstones or lathes and replacing damaged blades and grinding wheels; removing burrs and sharp edges with portable grinders and joining sheet metal parts with equipment such as spot welders; and cleaning and lubricating the machine and tidying the workstation.
This occupation mainly uses punching and shearing dies to blank, punch, bend and straighten metal or plastic sheet and must be responsible for the dimensions and sorting results of its own batches; forging machine setters, operators and tenders centre on forging heating and plastic forming with forging dies; grinding, lapping, polishing and buffing machine tool setters, operators and tenders centre on grinding wheels, abrasives and surface processing; milling and planing machine setters, operators and tenders centre on milling cutters and planing tools and removal machining; multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders centre on tending several machines at once across multiple operations; tool and die makers centre on designing and making precision dies and tooling; and tool grinders, filers and sharpeners centre on sharpening cutting tools and tools specifically. Similar names do not mean duties or equipment operation requirements can be swapped.
The core output is punching and shearing results that meet specification and can be traced, together with records: workpieces cut or formed to specification, first-piece and sampling measurement records, die fitting and stroke setting records, non-conforming item sorting and equipment readjustment records, run data and output records, and equipment cleaning and lubrication records — not "how many parts you punched".
Low-risk validation: using safe materials such as card or thin plastic sheet, complete one exercise — "read the dimensions and tolerances from a fictional work order — write a die and stroke setting card — draw up a first-piece measurement and sorting table — write out the stop-and-report process for die misalignment and a guard or interlock anomaly" — this only assesses work preferences; the exercise does not operate real running punching or shearing equipment or involve real production orders, and is not equivalent to employer hiring or equipment operation authorization.
Judgment focus: whether, under the constraints of work order tolerances, die and equipment takt and machine safety procedures, you can turn die fitting and stroke setting, loading and monitoring, measurement and sorting and deburring into machining records that are verifiable, transferable and traceable.
Work pace is set by the stroke takt of the punching or shearing press, and one person often has to tend one or more machines and change dies frequently as orders and dies change; across metal sheet and plastic parts, equipment types, dies and inspection standards differ markedly.
Similar job titles among adjacent occupations do not mean the same duties; when comparing, first look at whether the focus is punching and shearing equipment, cutting and slicing machines, forging equipment, grinding and polishing machine tools, milling and planing machine tools, multiple machine tools, or tool and die making and sharpening, and whether the role carries die fitting, stroke setting or quality release responsibility.
Work orders, drawings, die drawings and measuring tool readings may be treated as inputs that must be verified, but you must not skip die locking and stroke verification and first-piece measurement based on experience, nor keep running when a guard or interlock is abnormal on the basis of "finish punching first".
A fit assessment should be checked against real work observation, mentoring feedback and your own condition; it cannot be replaced by an interest type or a single test.
All paper exercises on this page use fictional materials; in real production, equipment operation, die mounting, removal and locking, guard and interlock checks, energy isolation, personal protection and finished goods inspection must follow machine safety procedures, work instructions and employer policies.
At shift handover, verify the work order, material, die parameters and protection, then set up and trial punch according to procedure; equipment under maintenance energy control must not be unlocked or started without permission. Normal production checks and maintenance isolation are kept separate.
Judgment three: Are the stroke and stops set correctly?
Collaboration and reporting relationships | Collaborate with workers in the same process, inspectors, die and repair staff and team leaders within the scope of authority,
Across different materials, die types and equipment tonnage, the equipment, parameters and inspection standards differ markedly, and no blanket conclusion can be drawn from the occupation title.
Judgment six: Have you stopped the machine and escalated when something was abnormal?
The work of metal punching and shearing equipment operation can be divided into three connected but distinct work areas. The first is die fitting and machine setup: reading the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances; using gauges, templates, feeler gauges, shims and hand tools to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures on the ram or machine table; adjusting the stroke length to specification, setting the positions of stops, guides and support blocks, and turning controls to set the cutting speed, feed rate or table angle. The second is loading and monitoring the run: placing and aligning the workpiece on the cutting table or die by hand or with lifting gear, cranes and skids; loading and feeding workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into the machine; turning on coolant or chip-blowing air, starting the machine, monitoring the run and recording run data; testing and adjusting machine speed or action with gauges and hand tools, and changing dies and adjusting the ram or press components during multiple or continuous strokes. The third is measurement, inspection and maintenance close-out: measuring finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification, checking for defects such as notches and scratches and sorting by defect type; sharpening blunt blades with bench grinders, grinding wheels or lathes and replacing damaged blades or grinding wheels; dressing tool notches with oilstones, removing housings and feed pipes to replace worn parts such as springs or bushes; removing burrs and sharp edges with portable grinders, high-speed lathes or polishing stands, joining sheet metal parts with equipment such as spot welders, and cleaning and lubricating the machine and tidying the workstation. The three work areas alternate, but their basis, risk and responsibility differ; so do the equipment, parameters and inspection standards for different materials and die types.
Die fitting and machine setup
Read the work order and drawing → fit and align the punch, die and blade → lock the fixture and supports → adjust the stroke and stops → set the speed, feed and table angle → trial punch to confirm
Die fitting and stroke setting records, trial punch results
Loading and monitoring the run
Place and align the workpiece → load and feed → turn on coolant or chip blowing → start and monitor the run → record run data → adjust speed or action
Run data and output records, parameter adjustment records
Measurement, inspection and maintenance close-out
Measure to verify specification → inspect for defects and sort → sharpen or replace blades and grinding wheels → remove burrs and sharp edges → spot weld sheet metal parts → clean, lubricate and tidy the workstation
Where are the boundaries between metal punching and shearing equipment operation and adjacent forging, grinding and multiple machine tool positions?
This occupation shares some setting and inspection tasks with forging, grinding, milling and planing and multiple machine tools, but grinding, milling and planing are not as a rule press working. Forging includes cold and hot processes and tasks such as cutting and punching, and this occupation also lists preheating, so an absolute boundary cannot be drawn on whether heat is used. Multiple machine tools means more than one kind of machine or robot and does not necessarily mean tending several at once.
Set up, operate or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend or straighten metal or plastic material so that workpiece dimensions and shapes meet the drawings and tolerances.
Adjacent occupations are mainly cold and hot forging forming, grinding and polishing, milling and planing, and operating more than one kind of cutting or forming machine; they share inspection and setting but the processes differ.
Metal or plastic sheet and workpieces, punches and dies, blades and fixtures, work orders and die drawings; the basis is drawing dimensions and tolerances, die and equipment parameters, machine safety procedures, and the employer's review and escalation paths.
Verified by forging material and equipment, abrasive surface standards, milling and planing tools and fixturing, and multiple machine tool types; it is not a blanket distinction by number of machines or whether heat is used.
Read the work order and drawing → fit and lock the dies and adjust the stroke → load and monitor the run → measure, inspect and sort → sharpen or replace tools → deburr and clean up.
Adjacent work may be cold or hot forging, clamping and grinding, tool setting and milling and planing, or operating several kinds of machine tools in sequence; the actual process may include overlap such as cutting, punching and trimming.
Punched and sheared parts meeting dimensions and tolerances, first-piece and sampling measurement records, die fitting and stroke setting records, non-conforming item sorting records, run data and output records.
Outputs are verified against the actual specifications of forgings, ground parts, milled and planed parts or multi-process workpieces, and multiple machine tool output is not uniformly called assembled parts.
Staff in this occupation are responsible for the dimensions, shapes and sorting results of their own batches; die mounting, removal and locking, stroke setting, guard and interlock checks and energy isolation must follow machine safety procedures and employer policies, not their unilateral decision.
Each position's safety, quality, maintenance and release authority follows employer policy, and the occupation title does not confer final decision authority.
Collaboration and supervision
Collaborate with workers in the same process, inspectors, die and repair staff and team leaders within the scope of authority, and report to a supervisor or along the review path; when a die is misaligned or loose, a guard or interlock fails, there is an abnormal sound, material jams or dimensions are out of tolerance, stop the machine, isolate and report, refer and keep records according to procedure.
Adjacent staff's inspection, die, repair and process collaboration is verified against the actual employer; the names of cold and hot forging, grinding, milling and planing and multiple machine tools do not imply a uniform programming or heating position configuration.
Similar job titles do not mean the same duties: whether the focus is punching and shearing equipment, forging equipment, grinding wheel grinding, milling and planing machine tools, or multiple machine tools and tool and die making — and whether the role carries die fitting, stroke setting or quality release responsibility — determines the scope of duties and how performance is assessed, and the roles cannot be swapped by title.
The preparation levels and equipment operation requirements of adjacent occupations do not apply to this occupation; verify them item by item against each occupation's official materials and the requirements of the position.
Key occupational judgments
Six recurring professional judgments: whether the work order, drawing and tolerances are read correctly and the material and dies match; whether the punches, dies and blades are fitted, aligned and locked properly; whether the stroke length, stops and guides are set to specification; whether first-piece measurement and sampling are checked against the standards and defects sorted as required; whether tool and grinding wheel sharpening and replacement, machine cleaning and lubrication and equipment condition meet the requirements; and whether, when a die is misaligned or loose, a guard or interlock fails, material jams or dimensions are out of tolerance, the machine is stopped, the item isolated and the matter escalated first.
Determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances from the work order or production schedule and verify the batch; misreading leads to whole-batch dimensional errors and scrap.
Use tools and measuring instruments to fit, align and lock the punches, dies, blades and fixtures, and use feeler gauges and shims to confirm they seat properly; improper fitting causes misalignment, jamming and die damage.
Adjust the stroke length to specification and set the stops and guides, confirming component condition during multiple or continuous strokes; incorrect setting causes deviation and equipment damage.
Measure finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges and calipers to verify specification, check for notches and scratches and sort by defect type; missed inspection or misjudgement lets out-of-tolerance parts flow into the next process.
Judgment four: Do the first-piece check and sorting follow the standards?
Sharpen or replace blades and grinding wheels according to their condition, dress notches with oilstones and clean, lubricate and check the machine; blunt tools and poor lubrication cause quality problems and equipment failure.
Judgment five: Are the tools and machine maintained properly?
On misalignment, looseness, protection failure or jamming, stop the relevant run according to procedure and report; applicable maintenance is carried out by authorized personnel who isolate hazardous energy, control stored energy and verify, and a button is not isolation.
Drawing reading and material preparation | Determine the specification from the work order | Read the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances, plan the operation sequence and consider the physical properties of the workpiece material.
Fitting and locking dies | Fit dies and set tools | Use gauges, templates, feeler gauges, shims and hand tools to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures on the ram or table, and set tool tension, height and angle.
Setting parameters | Adjust the stroke and stops | Adjust the stroke length to specification, set the positions of stops, guides, support blocks and fixtures, turn controls to set the cutting speed, feed rate or table angle, and change dies and adjust components during continuous strokes.
Loading and running | Load and monitor the run | Place and align the workpiece by hand or with lifting gear, cranes and skids, load and feed workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into the machine, turn on coolant or chip blowing, start the machine, monitor the run and record run data.
Measurement and inspection | Measure and sort | Measure finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification, check for defects such as notches and scratches and sort by defect type, and test and adjust machine speed or action.
Maintenance and close-out | Sharpening, replacement, deburring, spot welding and cleaning are different tasks, and training and permissions must be verified separately — the operating position does not automatically acquire welding, lifting or maintenance qualifications. For applicable die changes, cleaning and clearing jams and maintenance, trained and authorized personnel isolate the relevant energy, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure; a stop button alone is not isolation. U.S. 1910.147 has exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the maintenance worker's exclusive control, so normal production is not uniformly written as lockout/tagout; in China, local rules and equipment procedures apply.
Work context and working conditions
Different punching, shearing, pressing, sawing and bending or straightening workstations each require verification of equipment takt, stance, noise and material risk; the U.S. respondent work context on this page is not a uniform Chinese working condition or disease rate.
Among U.S. respondents, 97% using common protective equipment every day is a combined question and does not mean each person wears every item listed; 90% have daily contact with distracting or uncomfortable noise, 57% have daily contact with hazards such as minor burns and cuts, and 39% have daily contact with hazardous conditions. Hazard exposure is not the actual injury proportion, and noise frequency does not prove that a dose limit is exceeded or that hearing is damaged.
Metal and plastic workpieces and the actual punches, dies, blades, measuring tools, coolant and lifting tools are verified separately. The 31 tasks include supplementary spot welding, preheating, deburring and sharpening, and not everyone does all of them. The detailed software profile lists CAD, CAM such as SS-Punch, CNC and office software; the 2025 hot postings show Office below 1% with five shares not provided, so on-site use is not inferred.
Then in order fit and lock the dies, set the stroke and stops, load and trial punch, monitor the run and record, measure, inspect and sort, deburr and clean up; before handover, organize unfinished batches and die parameters and hand over according to procedure; when a die is misaligned or loose, a guard or interlock fails, there is an abnormal sound, material jams or dimensions are out of tolerance, stop the machine and report according to procedure.
Among U.S. respondents, 42% face strict deadlines once or more a week but not every day and 44% rate repetitive tasks as very important; 42% bend or twist about half the time and 63% walk less than half the time, while 15% stand continually or almost continually. This cannot be generalized to everyone standing for long periods or working night shifts in peak season; the effect of material batch size and die changes on pace is an editorial verification item.
Among U.S. respondents, 41% have contact with others most of the time, 60% have face-to-face discussions every day and 42% rate teamwork as very important; 63% encounter conflict once a month or more but not every week, and "once a month or more" cannot be expanded into frequent daily conflict. Actual collaboration and reporting follow employer procedures.
55% of respondents consider the consequences of an error that is hard to correct extremely serious, and 21% say their decisions produce moderate results; these are not accident rates or release authority. First-piece checks, sampling, documentation and escalation are editorial verification suggestions, and the real employer's procedures are verified separately; for applicable die changes, cleaning and clearing jams and maintenance, trained and authorized personnel isolate the relevant energy, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure; a stop button alone is not isolation. U.S. 1910.147 has exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the maintenance worker's exclusive control, so normal production is not uniformly written as lockout/tagout; in China, local rules and equipment procedures apply.
The detailed profile currently lists 13 work styles, with attention to detail 81, dependability 75 and caution 65 as Impact scores, not percentages or test thresholds. The summary shows only two of them, so it cannot be said there are only two. The 97% protective equipment figure is a combined question, actual protection follows the equipment and task, and personal protective equipment does not replace machine guards.
Professional basis and boundaries of use
Tasks, work activities, knowledge and work context percentages, preparation level (Job Zone 1-2), interest code RC and work styles for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00)
U.S. 51-4031 own basis: about 171,000 people employed in 2025; BLS Table 1.2 projects about 153,100 in 2035, a net decrease of about 17,900, or 10.5%; the O*NET label is Decline. The 2025—2035 annual average is about 13,200 job openings including growth and replacement, which can coexist with a net decrease and is not an immediate opening, an individual probability of being hired or AI causation.
The main 2025 industry is manufacturing at 88%; the remaining 12% is an editorial difference and is not passed off as an official separately listed other category including wholesale trade. The typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions.
Articles 28–30, 36 and 44–45 of China's Work Safety Law separately cover position training, the special operations qualification where actually applicable, safety equipment, protection and notification; a requirement for all staff to hold a certificate or a unified education duration must not be inferred from the name "press operator".
The ILO abstract is a broad-scope reference on generative AI task exposure; this round did not verify a matching score for 51-4031 and does not provide this page with an adoption rate, net employment figure or displacement date.
In the United States, cutting, punching and press machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic, correspond to O*NET-SOC 51-4031.00 (Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). The official scope is: setting up, operating or tending machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend or straighten metal or plastic material. Duties include reading the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances; measuring finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification; checking for defects such as notches or scratches and sorting by defect type; using gauges, templates, feeler gauges, shims and hand tools to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures on the ram or table; adjusting the stroke length and setting the positions of stops, guides and fixtures; turning controls to set the cutting speed, feed rate or table angle; placing and aligning the workpiece, loading and feeding workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into the machine; turning on coolant or chip-blowing air, starting the machine, monitoring the run and recording run data; marking reference lines and identification information on the workpiece according to drawings, templates or specifications; sharpening or dressing tools with grinding wheels, oilstones or lathes and replacing damaged blades and grinding wheels; removing housings and feed pipes to replace worn parts; removing burrs and sharp edges with portable grinders and joining sheet metal parts with equipment such as spot welders; and cleaning and lubricating the machine and tidying the workstation. Typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions. On O*NET, the wage, employment and industry data for this subcategory follow 51-4031.00's own basis and do not use a parent-occupation proxy basis, and the source period must be stated when citing. On the Chinese side, comparable positions are punching, shearing and sheet metal forming equipment operation positions in manufacturing and processing enterprises, and the two classification systems are not one-to-one: this page does not apply U.S. preparation levels, wages or qualifications to mainland China, nor does it merge the duties of forging machine setters, operators and tenders, grinding, lapping, polishing and buffing machine tool setters, operators and tenders, milling and planing machine setters, operators and tenders, multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders, tool and die makers, or tool grinders, filers and sharpeners into this occupation. Die fitting, part changing, tool sharpening, spot welding, preheating and lifting are processes in the task profile and are carried out separately according to the actual training and permissions; they are not uniform work or operating authorization for all staff.
Grind, file and sharpen cutting tools and tools with grinding machines, oilstones and hand tools.
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation, 51-4022.00)
Set up and operate forging hammers or presses to forge and finish metal at high or ambient temperature.
The difference is that the core is forging dies and hot forming, and the billet undergoes large plastic deformation; this occupation mainly does blanking, punching and bending with punching and shearing dies.
Better suited to people who want to do forging heating and forming.
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation, 51-4033.00)
Set up and operate grinding, polishing and chamfering machines, using grinding wheels and abrasives to machine workpiece surfaces and dimensions.
The difference is that the core is surface processing with grinding wheels and abrasives and the role is not responsible for blanking and punching; this occupation centres on punching and shearing forming, with grinding being only deburring and dressing.
Better suited to people who want to specialise in surface processing and grinding.
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation, 51-4035.00)
The difference is that it relies on rotating cutting tools for removal machining and is mainly single-piece or small batch; this occupation relies on dies and the stroke for punching and shearing.
Better suited to people who want to do milling and planing work.
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation, 51-4081.00)
The difference is that it cycles through several machine tools with a wider process span; this occupation usually tends one class of operation, punching or shearing.
Better suited to people who want to tend several machines under a demanding takt.
Tool and Die Makers (adjacent occupation, 51-4111.00)
The difference is that the core is making and repairing dies and precision tools, oriented to tooling manufacture; this occupation uses dies for batch processing and is not responsible for designing and making dies.
Better suited to people who want to do precision tooling manufacture and repair.
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners (adjacent occupation, 51-4194.00)
The difference is that it specialises in the cutting edges and geometry of cutting tools and tools; sharpening in this occupation is only one part of equipment maintenance.
Better suited to people who want to specialise in tool sharpening and dressing.
How does metal punching and shearing equipment operation compare with adjacent forging, grinding and tooling positions?
The table below compares metal punching and shearing equipment operators with five adjacent directions across four items — occupational direction, core work and outputs, key differences, and what it suits better; occupation codes follow the O*NET-SOC convention, and similarity in metal or plastic press working settings does not mean duties, equipment operation or qualifications can be swapped.
Conclusion: these directions all work in metal or plastic processing and dimensional verification settings, but the objects (punching and shearing dies, forging dies, grinding wheels and abrasives, milling and planing tools, several machine tools, precision tooling and tool cutting edges) and whether the role uses punching dies for blanking and forming or designs and makes dies differ markedly; when choosing, go by the actual duties, objects and process of the target position, not just the occupation title.
Basis: O*NET OnLine 51-4031.00 and the official occupational profiles of the adjacent occupations (updated in 2026); the wage, employment and industry data for this occupation follow 51-4031.00's own basis, the preparation levels and equipment operation requirements of adjacent occupations do not apply to this occupation, and this page is not to be used to infer hiring chances or income.
Next step: using the fictional exercises on this page or one workshop shadowing session, verify whether the object of the target direction is punching and shearing equipment, forging equipment, grinding wheel grinding, milling and planing machine tools, multiple machine tools, or tool and die making and sharpening, and then decide on a direction.
When tools are introduced, responsibility does not transfer along with the system; below are the human control steps that can be carried out in this occupation.
Measures, task by task, how close generative AI is to work tasks, rather than making job displacement predictions.
There is no verifiable causal data for this occupation. Technical capability, organizational adoption and headcount are three different levels, and this page does not present any one of them as a conclusion.
Next, once permitted, verify the real tools, the trial punch error for the same material, die and tolerance, missed defects and human permissions; this page has not completed trials, and any die change and trial punch must be within authorization and safety procedures.
Refers to actual changes in headcount and income, determined jointly by order demand, product mix, automation investment and equipment adoption; this page has no verifiable occupation-specific causal data for this occupation.
Six 2025 U.S. posting keywords: Office below 1%; the shares for AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are not provided, not 0, and do not prove on-site use or generative AI. The detailed software profile separately lists CAM and CNC, which is a different class of profile information.
How will AI and automation affect metal punching and shearing equipment operation?
What was verified is 31 occupational tasks and general context; this round has no generative AI adoption rate, measured efficiency gain, displacement date or wage and employment causation. General automation at 24% moderate and 64% slight is not GenAI adoption. Work order extraction, die recipes, automatic feeding and visual inspection are editorial candidates to be verified, and tooling, CAM and CNC are not generative AI. Practical trials must verify tolerances, die suitability, protection and human permissions.
Below, each source used on this page is listed one by one, along with what it actually regulates or measures and the limits on its use.
O*NET technology and hot technology statistics for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00)
Technology keywords are market signals; they do not measure usage rates, proficiency or job displacement.
ILO global measurement research on generative AI and occupational task exposure
The ILO abstract read did not yield a matching score for 51-4031 or a Chinese punching and shearing sample, so it cannot be asserted that the full research has no occupation-specific data; exposure is not the same as adoption, a displacement date or net employment.
O*NET survey of tasks, work activities and work context for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00)
Lists tasks such as reading work orders, fitting and locking dies, adjusting the stroke, loading and monitoring, measurement and sorting, and deburring, together with work context percentages (including 97% wearing protective equipment every day, 90% exposed to noise every day, 55% rating the consequences of error as extremely serious, and 44% rating repeating the same task as very important).
This is a task and context profile and contains no technology adoption or job displacement data.
O*NET summary and employment trends (BLS 2025—2035 projections; this subcategory's own basis)
U.S. 51-4031 own basis: about 171,000 people employed in 2025; BLS Table 1.2 projects about 153,100 in 2035, a net decrease of about 17,900, or 10.5%; the O*NET label is Decline. The 2025—2035 annual average is about 13,200 job openings including growth and replacement, which can coexist with a net decrease and is not an immediate opening, an individual probability of being hired or AI causation.
This is aggregate occupational statistics; it contains no causal data on tool adoption and does not predict a displacement date.
NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0)
The NIST voluntary framework provides direction on human and machine responsibilities, oversight and risk records, with specific measures chosen and implemented by the actual organization.
This is a governance framework; it does not prescribe production processes or machine safety procedures, nor does it measure the automation level of this occupation.
What tasks are in the official task profile for metal punching and shearing equipment operators?
O*NET lists for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00): reading the work order or production schedule to determine the material, cutting line position, dimensions and tolerances; measuring finished workpieces with micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates or straightedges to verify specification; checking for defects such as notches or scratches and sorting by defect type; using gauges, templates, feeler gauges, shims and hand tools to fit, align and lock punches, dies, blades and fixtures; adjusting the stroke length and setting the positions of stops, guides and fixtures; placing and aligning the workpiece, loading and feeding workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into the machine; turning on coolant or chip blowing, starting the machine, monitoring the run and recording run data; sharpening and dressing tools with grinding wheels, oilstones or lathes and replacing damaged blades and grinding wheels; removing burrs and sharp edges with portable grinders and joining sheet metal parts with equipment such as spot welders; and cleaning and lubricating the machine and tidying the workstation.
What technologies are commonly mentioned in this occupation's settings?
Six 2025 U.S. posting keywords: Office below 1%; the shares for AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are not provided, not 0, and do not prove on-site use or generative AI. The detailed software profile separately lists CAM and CNC, which is a different class of profile information.
Do work context statistics show that AI will replace this occupation?
No. The O*NET work context percentages describe tasks and environmental conditions (such as noise exposure, wearing protective equipment, repetitive tasks, time pressure, the consequences of error and hazardous conditions) and contain no data on changes in technology adoption, headcount or individual income.
Will technological change directly reduce jobs in this occupation?
How do official projections describe employment in this occupation?
U.S. 51-4031 own basis: about 171,000 people employed in 2025; BLS Table 1.2 projects about 153,100 in 2035, a net decrease of about 17,900, or 10.5%; the O*NET label is Decline. The 2025—2035 annual average is about 13,200 job openings including growth and replacement, which can coexist with a net decrease and is not an immediate opening, an individual probability of being hired or AI causation.
Can task exposure research predict that jobs in this occupation will disappear?
No. Task exposure measures indicate how close tasks are to technology; they do not give a displacement date or an occupation-specific projection.
Which governance requirements cannot be omitted when introducing AI tools?
Roles, records and oversight can be designed on the NIST voluntary framework; safety training, protection and hazardous energy control follow applicable law and employer policies separately. The framework does not grant process, maintenance or finished goods release authority.
Occupational task and work activity profile
Provides this occupation's tasks, work activities, knowledge and work context percentages, interest code RC and work styles
Six 2025 U.S. posting keywords: Office below 1%; the shares for AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are not provided, not 0, and do not prove on-site use or generative AI. The detailed software profile separately lists CAM and CNC, which is a different class of profile information.
A broad-scope global task exposure reference; no matching score was verified this round, and no adoption or displacement conclusion for this page is provided.
Provides this occupation's tasks, work activities and work context percentages
Provides an entry point for looking up certifications and training in this segment, for verifying certificate and training information
Own 2025 employment, 2025—2035 projected annual average openings and typical preparation; 2025 national wage percentiles are cited separately from O*NET and OEWS.
A voluntary AI risk governance reference, not an occupational adoption rate, displacement projection or mandatory equipment process standard.
Read the work order to determine dimensions and tolerances
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): work order parsing tools can extract specifications and give candidate parameters.
Confirming after verifying the material and dies remains the responsibility of people.
Fit, align and lock punches, dies and blades
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): die management and quick-change structures can simplify fitting.
Alignment, locking and seating confirmation remain the responsibility of people.
Adjust the stroke and set the stops and guides
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): control systems can save and recall recipes.
Setting to specification and confirming by trial punch remain the responsibility of people.
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): automatic feeding and process monitoring can maintain the takt and flag anomalies.
Judging jamming and misalignment and deciding to stop remain the responsibility of people.
Measure finished workpieces and sort defects
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): measurement and visual inspection tools can flag deviation and defects.
Judging sorting and release remains the responsibility of people.
Sharpen and replace tools, clean and lubricate
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): maintenance prompts and sharpening equipment can assist with upkeep.
Judging the cutting edge and equipment condition remains the responsibility of people.
Deburr sharp edges and spot weld sheet metal parts
Candidate to be verified (not measured adoption or efficiency gain): auxiliary tooling can secure and position the workpiece.
Judging by feel and the quality of the joint remains the responsibility of people.
Candidate to be verified: systems can parse work orders and give stroke, speed and feed suggestions.
Verify the material and dies, confirm the settings and take responsibility for the trial punch result.
Candidate to be verified: automatic feeding and process monitoring can maintain the takt and flag anomalies.
Judge jamming, misalignment and the nature of the anomaly and decide to stop and isolate.
Candidate to be verified: measurement and visual inspection tools can flag deviation and output.
Judging sorting, re-punching and release remains the responsibility of people.
Verify that the work order and drawing specifications, the material and batch and the dies and parameters used by the program are consistent; input errors flow straight into the whole batch.
Retain human review for die fitting and locking, stroke and stop setting, first-piece measurement and sorting and final release, and do not let equipment or software output replace machine safety procedures and work instructions.
Work orders, first-piece and sampling results, die and stroke settings, and die change and equipment maintenance are retained according to employer procedure and confirmed by the responsible person, with time and basis noted, traceable to the original work order and program version.
When a die is misaligned or loose, a guard or interlock fails, material jams or dimensions are out of tolerance, stop the machine and report and refer according to procedure.
Using specific equipment or tools requires completing position training and verifying the scope of authorization; maintenance additionally requires verification of hazardous energy control. Candidate AI or computer-numeric output does not replace safety procedures, quality review or statutory qualifications (where actually applicable).
The stroke and speed given by a system may not suit the current material and die condition, and misuse can put a whole batch out of tolerance or damage the die.
Treat system output as a candidate, verify the material and dies and confirm by trial punch, and have the first piece confirmed by the responsible person according to procedure with a record kept.
Dies, punches or fixtures that are not aligned and locked loosen or shift during the stroke, scrapping workpieces and creating flying debris and crushing hazards.
Fit, align and lock according to procedure with tools and measuring instruments, use feeler gauges and shims to confirm seating, and stop and report when something is abnormal.
Bypassing guards or interlocks for convenience directly exposes you to the ram, dies and flying particles.
Use guards, interlocks and eye and face protection according to procedure; do not run equipment that is unanchored or has an abnormal guard, and stop and report when an anomaly is found.
Treating a stop button as complete energy isolation allows the ram to move unexpectedly or release energy during maintenance.
For applicable die changes, cleaning and clearing jams and maintenance, trained and authorized personnel isolate the relevant energy, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure; a stop button alone is not isolation. U.S. 1910.147 has exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the maintenance worker's exclusive control, so normal production is not uniformly written as lockout/tagout; in China, local rules and equipment procedures apply.
Noise, oil contamination and minor injuries
Noise, contaminants and sharp edge hazards must be verified by the actual substance, dose and duration; context frequency does not prove disease, injury or slipping probability, and there is no local testing this round.
Select protection, cleaning and occupational health measures according to the actual equipment and process risk assessment; whether gloves are used must consider risks such as entanglement, and the combined 97% protective equipment response does not imply uniform gloves for all staff.
People preparing to enter this occupation
First build the basics of drawing reading and tolerances, die fitting and stroke setting, and measurement and sorting, then learn computer-numeric punching and die management, and develop an awareness of machine safety and energy isolation.
Treat equipment and software output as candidates and prompts, retain independent review of die locking, the stroke, the first piece and sorting, and document truthfully.
Clarify equipment use and human review points, guard and interlock checks, lockout/tagout and personal protection rules and the path for stopping, isolating and reporting, and write safety and quality into the procedures.
In training, develop die fitting and stroke setting, measurement and sorting and machine safety, and the awareness of verification and responsibility under a human-machine division of labour.
The Chinese salary conclusion is therefore an evidence boundary, not zero income; the U.S. statistics follow 51-4031.00's own basis and cannot directly substitute for the income of comparable positions in mainland China.
Note: not obtaining an occupation-specific figure does not mean the official channel has never published one; this page only registers the actual scope and results of consultation and does not substitute U.S. data, industry averages or opaque recruitment samples.
Public basis and gaps for punching, shearing and sheet metal forming equipment operation positions in mainland China
2025 urban manufacturing unit pre-tax annual average wages: non-private 113,594 yuan, private 76,055 yuan (released 2026-05-15). It covers urban legal entities with 5 or more employees, excluding self-employed individuals and freelancers; non-private does not mean only state-owned enterprises. It serves as industry background only when the actual employer is in manufacturing, and is not this occupation's wage, quote or percentile.
Insufficient evidence: this round did not obtain verifiable recruitment or quoted-pay statistics for such positions in mainland China; the pay disclosures of individual units or platforms cannot represent the national level
In China, take up the position after passing safety training according to law, and verify the special operations qualification where actually applicable and the equipment permissions separately; a requirement for all staff to hold a certificate or a broad reference to "special equipment" must not be inferred from the press operator title.
China's Work Safety Law requires training and qualification according to law, maintaining safety equipment, protection and hazard notification. The specific tool fitting and maintenance permissions, energy control and occupational health are verified against the actual equipment and material; the applicable U.S. 1910.147 maintenance provisions and exceptions are listed separately and cannot be treated as general Chinese regulations.
Editorial compilation: machine setup, team leader or process management directions usually require front-line equipment operation experience and quality and safety awareness, with appointment conditions set by company policy; this page does not constitute a qualification determination.
Editorial check list: actual shifts, night shifts, piece rates and performance pay, overtime and wage composition. This round did not verify Chinese recruitment or wage samples and does not state national prevalence.
Insufficient evidence: the causal link between AI adoption and income for this occupation in China was not verified; the manufacturing average does not reflect the change in this occupation's division of labour, and industry aggregation does not prove that tool change never produces occupational data.
The manufacturing reference and this occupation's precise wage gap are presented side by side; industry averages are not written as occupational wages, and U.S. income is not used to convert Chinese starting pay or take-home income.
Insufficient evidence: individual starting pay, take-home income and continuous hours were not verified. The official source publishes the annual and hourly wages directly, and individual income should be checked separately against the contract, bonuses and overtime; the 42% deadline frequency is not hours or income evidence.
Employment size, projected change and job openings each answer a different question and must not be conflated into an individual probability of being hired; all three follow 51-4031.00's own basis.
In 2025 the main industry listed is manufacturing only, at 88%, with the remaining 12% an editorial difference; no separate category of other including wholesale trade at 11% is listed; industry employment is not wages.
Insufficient evidence: no state- or area-level median wage for this occupation was obtained (United States, 2025 wage data period). Area values must be looked up on the O*NET local wages page by area and period and cannot be treated as an individual offer. Wage statistics and the profile serve different purposes: OEWS is used for wages, O*NET for tasks, work context and preparation level, and employment projections are limited to the 2025—2035 projection period; they are retained separately when cited, and all figures on this page follow 51-4031.00's own basis.
How should the wages and employment of U.S. metal punching and shearing equipment operation be read?
Wage percentiles and the annual wage basis
The median marks the midpoint of the distribution: under this basis, half of workers are below and half above that value; it is not the average starting pay and does not mean it is reached upon entry.
Questions to ask when reading these numbers
The 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles only indicate wage distribution positions; their correspondence with experience levels or specific income factors was not verified, and they cannot be treated as an offer.
U.S. 51-4031 own basis: about 171,000 people employed in 2025; BLS Table 1.2 projects about 153,100 in 2035, a net decrease of about 17,900, or 10.5%; the O*NET label is Decline. The 2025—2035 annual average is about 13,200 job openings including growth and replacement, which can coexist with a net decrease and is not an immediate opening, an individual probability of being hired or AI causation.
Which industries is this occupation distributed across?
In 2025, manufacturing accounted for 88% of this occupation's employment, not industry wages or the Chinese position share.
The remaining 12% is an editorial arithmetic difference, not an official combined other-industry category or a wholesale trade share.
The main industry listing is manufacturing only; the old 89/11 two-category wording is not carried over, and wages are not split by employment.
Industry shares are not the same as self-employment or employer wages, and the specific detail was not verified.
What factors make income differ for similar positions?
Actual hours, bonuses and overtime must be verified against the contract and pay records; the official national annual and hourly wages cannot directly yield an individual's sustained income, and this page did not verify the prevalence of shift work.
Duties under the same occupation title vary considerably: across different materials, die types and equipment tonnage, the equipment, parameters and inspection standards differ, corresponding to different skills and work intensity.
The editorial income check items are area, duties, equipment, hours, bonuses and overtime composition; this round did not verify the contribution of these factors to wage differences in this occupation.
How should employment projections be read?
Where comparable occupation income for mainland China was not obtained, this page keeps the gap, does not interpolate, does not borrow from adjacent occupations, and does not perform currency conversion.
O*NET shows that 42% face strict deadlines more than once a week but not every day and 44% rate repeating the same task as very important; following the trial punch and first-piece process and explaining the situation when necessary is more sound than rushing the work and skipping verification.
Trait descriptions do not diagnose personality and do not predict whether someone can handle a specific position.
First verify the real shape of the work: equipment takt and how many machines are tended, the share of standing and repetitive motions, the noisy, oily and hazardous equipment environment, shift arrangements, and whether you accept being inspected and sorting non-conforming parts against standards.
Do not use communication style to judge hiring or assignment, and do not treat emotional descriptions as health conclusions.
Check it item by item against what you can tolerate.
RC (Realistic, Conventional)
Realistic corresponds to fitting dies by hand, operating machines and working with metal and plastic workpieces; Conventional corresponds to setting parameters to drawings and tolerances, and measuring, verifying and recording. The code comes from the official interest profile and is not a personality label.
The interest code published for this occupation on the O*NET summary page is RC: Realistic corresponds to fitting dies and operating punching and shearing equipment and working with workpieces, and Conventional to verifying dimensions and tolerances to drawings and recording. Please check against actual tasks — whether you are willing to fit dies and set up the machine by hand under the equipment takt and measure and verify repeatedly; the interest code only describes the type of activity, does not predict work performance and does not constitute a hiring standard.
Do your work preferences match those of metal punching and shearing equipment operation?
Verify stance and equipment takt, work order tolerances, die tightness, loading and inspection and anomaly reporting against the actual workstation; only 15% of respondents stand continually or almost continually, so the occupation as a whole cannot be said to require continual standing. Experience and training do not grant maintenance or release authority.
The interest types and questionnaires in this section describe experience preferences only; they do not replace ability, qualification, training or hiring judgements and must not be used as conclusions for hiring, assignment or performance assessment.
First do a paper walkthrough of dimensional verification and anomaly reporting for a fictional work order; workshop observation requires the unit's permission, and equipment operation, tool fitting and maintenance require completed safety training and must fall within the scope of authorization, and the paper exercise does not grant equipment permissions.
Occupational interests (RIASEC)
Are my interest types close to punching and shearing work?
The interest code O*NET publishes for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00) is RC: Realistic corresponds to fitting dies by hand, operating machines and working with metal and plastic workpieces, and Conventional to verifying dimensions and tolerances to drawings. Treat the code as a clue to the type of activity, not as a personality label.
Willing to fit dies and operate equipment by hand and work with workpieces.
Willing to verify dimensions against drawings and tolerances and record truthfully.
Official source: O*NET OnLine 51-4031.00 interest code (updated in 2026)
The interest code only describes the type of activity; it does not predict work performance and does not constitute a hiring standard.
Do my personality traits help with punching and shearing work?
The Big Five can be used for self-observation; this round has no occupational validity, thresholds or hiring prediction, so no relationship can be called the most direct; verify with tasks such as dimensional verification, reliable recording and anomaly reporting.
Able to verify against drawings and inspection standards and keep records reliable.
Able to stay focused and safe under equipment takt and hazardous conditions.
General self-observation; insufficient evidence: the validity, matching thresholds or hiring prediction for this occupation were not verified.
Personality preferences (MBTI-type)
Can MBTI tell me whether I am suited to equipment operation or to machine setup or team leadership?
MBTI-type tools describe preferences and are not occupational assignment tools; the difference between equipment operation and machine setup or team leadership lies mainly in the form of work (tending equipment and executing versus setting die parameters and coordinating), not in preference type. Please check with actual experience.
Ask yourself whether you are willing to monitor equipment and verify repeatedly according to procedure; the answer does not assign an operating position.
Ask yourself whether you are willing to verify parameters and coordinate anomalies; this must be validated with actual tasks and does not infer machine setup or management fit.
General-purpose tool: a type preference description, not an occupational fit assessment
Type results must not be used as a basis for hiring, assignment or promotion.
Motivation clues (Enneagram-type)
Can the Enneagram help me understand why I want to do punching and shearing work?
Enneagram-type tools describe motivation clues: wanting to operate equipment by hand, wanting stable employment, or wanting to enter manufacturing and die processing to build technical experience lead to different choices. Treat it as a tool for asking questions, not as a conclusion about a position.
Able to articulate what you want to get out of this job.
Willing to test whether the motivation holds up using actual job observation and mentoring feedback.
General-purpose tool: a motivation description, not an occupational fit assessment
Do not treat motivation descriptions as a career choice conclusion or a basis for employment decisions.
Cognitive and operational abilities
What are the cognitive and operational ability requirements of this occupation?
Job Zone is a preparation range, not an intelligence level; a high school or equivalent education and medium-term on-the-job training are the typical U.S. conditions. The O*NET Importance scores for arm-hand steadiness, control precision and near vision are all 69, and do not correspond to IQ thresholds or percentages.
Able to read drawings and tolerances and set parameters to specification.
Able to complete loading, monitoring and recording reliably according to procedure.
General-purpose tool: a cognitive performance description, with no official occupational threshold
Cognitive test results are not used as a hiring standard and do not replace training and operational proficiency.
Communication and emotional management
Are strong communication and emotional management abilities needed?
Among U.S. respondents, 41% have contact with others most of the time, 60% have face-to-face discussions every day and 42% rate teamwork as very important; 63% have conflict once a month or more but not every week. These are not emotional test thresholds or personality hiring validity.
Able to explain equipment status and abnormal situations clearly.
Able to stay professional amid takt pressure and collaborative conflict and hold to safety procedures.
General-purpose tool: a communication and emotion description, not a threshold for the position
Die fitting, machine setup and trial punching direction
Fit, align and lock punches, dies and blades to work order and drawing, adjust the stroke and stops and confirm by trial punch; suited to people willing to study dies and equipment settings.
Constrained by drawings and tolerances; accuracy and patience must be maintained through die changes and trial punches.
Loading, monitoring, measurement and sorting direction
Load and align workpieces, monitor the run and record data, measure finished workpieces with measuring tools and inspect for defects and sort; suited to people willing to tend equipment continuously and verify dimensions.
Constrained by the equipment takt and inspection standards; consistency and safety are required in a noisy and hazardous environment.
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation)
Set up and operate forging hammers or presses to forge and finish metal at high or ambient temperature.
Both cold and hot forging processes exist, so verify material forming, forging dies and the actual heating requirements against the target equipment; this occupation also lists preheating, so an absolute boundary is not drawn on whether heat is used.
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation)
Set up and operate grinding, polishing and chamfering machines, using grinding wheels and abrasives to machine workpiece surfaces and dimensions.
The core is surface processing with grinding wheels and abrasives; moving into it requires building grinding wheel selection and grinding parameter skills.
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation)
Set up and operate milling and planing machines, using milling cutters and planing tools to machine flat surfaces, grooves and profiles.
Milling and planing metal or plastic workpieces requires fixturing, tools, parameters and precision; milling uses rotating tools and planing uses a different motion, so the two cannot both be written as relying only on rotating tools.
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent occupation)
51-4081 operates more than one kind of cutting or forming machine/robot, including setup, inspection and maintenance; the definition does not require tending several machines at once.
Build the skills for several machine tool processes, fixturing and parameters against the actual position; whether several machines run at once is verified separately, and a tighter takt or automatic transfer cannot be inferred.
Will repeated die fitting, loading and measurement make you lose patience?
Can you accept inspection and mentoring pointing out dimensional or die fitting problems in your work?
Will equipment takt and delivery pressure make you skip the trial punch or protection?
Would you rather do die fitting and machine setup or loading, monitoring, measurement and sorting?
Die fitting and machine setup places more weight on die and stroke setting, while loading, monitoring, measurement and sorting places more weight on takt and inspection judgement: be clear about the target direction before deciding.
Are you willing to stand for long periods in a noisy environment and communicate frequently with colleagues?
According to the O*NET survey, 97% wear protective equipment every day, 90% are exposed to noise every day, 41% have contact with others most of the time and 60% have face-to-face discussions every day; the work requires both hands-on tending of equipment and liaison with inspection and adjacent processes.
Can you adapt to repetitive motions, noise and a hazardous equipment environment?
O*NET shows that for this occupation, 57% are exposed every day to minor burns, cuts, bites or stings, 39% are exposed to hazardous conditions every day, 42% bend or twist about half the time and 55% rate the consequences of error as extremely serious; people sensitive to the environment should verify the shape of the work first.
Can you adapt to shift work and the pace set by the equipment takt?
42% of respondents face strict deadlines more than once a week but not every day, with 77% regular and 23% irregular work arrangements; night shifts, peak season or widespread shift work in China cannot be inferred, and the target position's actual shifts and breaks must be verified.
Are you willing to keep practising die fitting, stroke setting and safety procedures?
Editorial self-observation suggestion: record mentoring feedback, first-piece reviews and actual punching and shearing operation results, and check the tasks that need improvement; at present no evidence for this position shows that these records predict fit better than test scores, and competence must not be judged from any single item.
Can an interest or personality test decide whether I am suited to punching and shearing work?
No. Tests describe preference clues; they do not predict work performance and do not constitute a hiring, qualification or suitability judgement; the real judgement comes from actual job observation, mentoring feedback and your own condition.
What should the next step be?
First verify fictional dimensions and anomaly reporting on paper, then observe a real workstation once permitted; die fitting, trial punching and maintenance must be trained and within authorization, and the exercise grants no permission.
Supports tasks, work context and work styles; the interest code only describes the type of activity and does not constitute a fit conclusion.
Supports employment and projection figures, used to judge the size of the occupation, not to judge personal fit.
Observation points for preparation level, industry distribution and education feedback (O*NET 51-4031.00), not representing any specific employer's hiring conditions.
The O*NET interest questionnaire describes experience preferences only; it does not replace ability, qualification, training or hiring judgements.
Supports comparison with cold and hot forging, setting and inspection and forming tasks; there is overlap in cutting, punching and trimming, and not all positions use heat.
For comparison with grinding wheel grinding and surface processing in the grinding, lapping, polishing and buffing machine tool setters direction (adjacent occupation).
For comparison with milling, planing and tool setting in the milling and planing machine setters direction (adjacent occupation).
Supports comparison with more than one kind of cutting or forming machine type and does not prove that several machines are necessarily tended at once or that the takt is tighter.
For applicable die changes, cleaning and clearing jams and maintenance, trained and authorized personnel isolate the relevant energy, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure; a stop button alone is not isolation. U.S. 1910.147 has exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the maintenance worker's exclusive control, so normal production is not uniformly written as lockout/tagout; in China, local rules and equipment procedures apply.
The material and equipment risk assessment determines protective equipment and workstation controls, and gloves require a separate assessment of hazards such as entanglement, so they are not uniformly required for all running; protective equipment must not replace required point-of-operation guarding.
Carry out the trial punch and first-piece measurement to work order and drawing, correct die and parameter anomalies promptly, and on deviation stop immediately, isolate and report, keeping verification records.
Follow the trial punch and first-piece process and secure safety and verification before speed; when necessary, explain the situation and apply for an adjustment or report upward according to procedure.
What are the actual job risks of metal punching and shearing equipment operation?
Verify die fitting and tightness, point-of-operation guarding, maintenance energy control, noise and contaminants and dimensional quality against the actual equipment and process; materials and equipment differ, and U.S. respondent frequencies cannot be used to infer local accidents, disease or the prevalence of oil contamination.
The O*NET tasks and U.S. context support risk verification; Chinese safety law supports training, equipment and protection; U.S. 1910.212 general guarding, 1910.217 which applies only to mechanical power presses, and 1910.147 applicable to maintenance energy control are listed separately. There are no employer measurements or accident and disease rates; the first-piece quality procedure is an editorial suggestion and in practice follows unit policy.
This section only explains risk and control directions; it does not replace work safety regulations, machine safety procedures (die locking, guards and interlocks, energy isolation) or the employer's inspection and authorization policies, and it does not constitute a safety determination, liability determination or legal advice.
Start with the work context and working conditions
Positions that fit and change punches, dies and blades
Editorial risk scenario: if punches, dies or fixtures are not aligned and locked, they may loosen or shift during the stroke, scrapping workpieces, damaging dies and creating flying debris and crushing hazards. The specific consequences and handling are verified against the actual equipment and unit procedures; U.S. mechanical power press die securing requirements are verified separately within the scope of 1910.217.
Die misalignment can scrap workpieces, damage dies and cause personal injury.
Positions operating and tending punching and shearing equipment
Guards and interlocks prevent contact with the ram, dies and flying particles; bypassing or removing a guard for convenience, or continuing to run with an abnormal guard or interlock, directly exposes you to danger.
Guard and interlock failure can cause serious crushing, cuts and eye injuries.
Positions carrying out equipment repair and maintenance
For applicable die changes, cleaning and clearing jams and maintenance, trained and authorized personnel isolate the relevant energy, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure; a stop button alone is not isolation. U.S. 1910.147 has exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the maintenance worker's exclusive control, so normal production is not uniformly written as lockout/tagout; in China, local rules and equipment procedures apply.
Energy that is not isolated causes serious injury during maintenance.
Noise, oil contamination and minor injuries
Positions working long hours in a noisy and oily environment
The 97% protective equipment figure is a combined question; 90% report daily uncomfortable noise, 57% daily contact with minor burn and cut hazards and 39% daily hazardous conditions; exposure frequency is not the actual disease or injury proportion. Oil contamination slipping is an editorial scenario and must be checked at the workstation rather than inferred from those percentages.
Health and injuries require verification of the actual noise dose, substances, sharp edges and protection; this round did not verify disease rates, accident rates or local testing.
Dimensional deviation and whole-batch scrap
Positions responsible for die fitting, stroke setting and first-piece measurement
Editorial risk projection: misreading the work order, faulty die fitting or unsuitable parameters may cause deviation, scrap and delivery impact, and the source does not prove that every error necessarily scraps a whole batch; inspection and isolation follow the real procedures.
Deviation and scrap disrupt delivery dates and cause material and labour losses.
Risk under equipment takt and judgement pressure
Positions tending equipment under equipment takt and delivery pressure
42% face strict deadlines more than once a week but not every day, 44% rate repetitive tasks as very important and 55% rate the consequences of error as extremely serious; skipping protection or verification when rushing is an editorial risk projection with no causal or frequency data on rush-work accidents.
Takt and pressure affect the quality of judgement and work safety.
Wage and employment projections do not support judgements about equipment accidents or disease; the risks cite occupational tasks and applicable safety rules separately.
Observation points for preparation level, industry distribution and education feedback (O*NET 51-4031.00).
Articles 28–30, 36 and 44–45 of China's Work Safety Law support training, protection and safety equipment requirements; they are not disease rates.
The ILO abstract serves only as background on generative AI task exposure and cannot prove press guarding, disease rates or die securing; this section cites the actually applicable standards instead.
The voluntary framework serves only as an AI human-machine oversight reference, not a traditional quality missed-defect rate or machine safety law.
| Entry-level position | What you mainly do at the start | Preparation evidence verification (editorial suggestion) | How to demonstrate it without experience | Difference from other directions |
|---|
| Equipment operation support position | Under the guidance of a mentor, handle loading and unloading, cleaning and basic measurement, using simple tools and protection according to procedure. | Safety procedure compliance, attention to detail and hands-on ability. | A fictional loading, unloading and measurement record sample. | Supervised support and cleaning, without independent responsibility for die setting and machining. |
| Punching and shearing equipment operation position | Independently set the stroke and stops to work order and drawing, load and monitor the run, and verify the first piece with measuring tools. | Parameter setting, dimensional tolerances, anomaly judgement and safety procedure compliance. | A fictional stroke setting and first-piece measurement record sample. | Responsible for the dimensions and appearance of its own batches, with execution to machine safety procedures and records kept. |
| Die fitting and machine setup position | Fit, align and lock punches, dies and blades, adjust the stroke and guides and trial punch, and handle complex dies. | Die fitting and locking, stroke setting and trial punch judgement. | A fictional die fitting and trial punch correction sample. | Focused on die and equipment setting, constrained by drawings and tolerances. |
| Measurement, inspection and sorting position | Measure finished workpieces with measuring tools, inspect for defects and sort by defect type, and assist with rework and isolation. | Measurement accuracy, consistency of defect judgements and completeness of records. | A fictional measurement and defect sorting record sample. | The focus is measurement and sorting, requiring liaison with adjacent processes. |
| Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (adjacent direction) | Set up and operate forging hammers or presses to forge and finish metal at high or ambient temperature. | Forging heating, die use and forming quality. | A fictional forging parameter and forming inspection sample. | Adjacent cold and hot forging also includes cutting, punching and trimming tasks, and this occupation also lists preheating, so the boundary is verified by the main equipment and process rather than by whether heat or dies are used. |
Education and training requirements
The typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions.
Insufficient evidence: real Chinese recruitment samples or a unified education and duration were not verified
Physical and working environment adaptation
Verify stance, shifts, protection and noise against the actual workstation; not all workers can be described as standing for long periods
This page did not obtain unified public conditions for mainland China, which must be verified against the target employer's requirements for the current year; this page does not constitute health or hiring advice.
Observable evidence of professional ability
Able to fit and lock dies to work order and drawing, set the stroke and stops, load and machine within tolerance, verify the first piece with measuring tools, inspect for defects and sort, and to stop the machine and report on die misalignment, a guard or interlock anomaly or out-of-tolerance dimensions (from O*NET task and work context data).
The above are task and context observation points, not personality labels or hiring thresholds; the work context shows 97% wearing protective equipment every day, 90% exposed to noise every day, 55% rating the consequences of error as extremely serious and 44% rating repeating the same task as very important.
Common objects and tool scope
Metal or plastic sheet and workpieces, punches and dies, blades and grinding wheels, fixtures and stops, cooling and chip-blowing devices, measuring tools such as micrometers and gauges, hand tools and lifting equipment; the O*NET technology profile lists technology keywords such as Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Outlook, SAP, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
Six 2025 U.S. posting keywords: Office below 1%; the shares for AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are not provided, not 0, and do not prove on-site use or generative AI. The detailed software profile separately lists CAM and CNC, which is a different class of profile information.
Work sample one: a fictional die and stroke setting plan
Deliverable: a fully fictional die fitting and stroke setting plan, including the workpiece dimensions and tolerances, die and blade selection, the locking and seating confirmation method, and the stroke and stop setting values.
State the basis for each judgement (work order, drawing or work instruction); the plan must not be self-contradictory.
Work sample two: fictional first-piece measurement and sorting records
Deliverable: a fictional first-piece measurement record, including the measurement items, tolerance judgements, defect type identification and sorting and handling steps.
Distinguish the given data from your own judgements, explain the basis, and do not use real production order data.
Work sample three: a fictional safety and anomaly handling process
Deliverable: a fictional process for handling die misalignment and a guard or interlock anomaly, including the stopping, isolation, reporting and pre-restart confirmation steps.
Work sample four: a debrief note
Deliverable: a one-page note explaining how you would handle die misalignment, an out-of-tolerance dimension or an equipment anomaly, which step takes the most time, and what you will practise next; do not include real production orders or commercial information.
| Stage | What may be assessed | Observation evidence | Boundaries of use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawing reading and measurement Q&A | Whether you can clearly explain the basic requirements and basis of work order dimensions, drawing symbols and tolerance verification. | Answer records and the process of the scenario exercise. | One employer's assessment method does not represent a unified process. |
| Safety and anomaly judgement | Whether you can state the sequence of stopping, isolating and reporting when a die is misaligned or loose, a guard or interlock fails, material jams or dimensions are out of tolerance, and how to isolate energy before maintenance. | Answer records and the basis for judgement. | The scope of assessment is set by the employer; this page makes no inference. |
| Die and equipment Q&A | Whether you understand the basic requirements for die fitting, alignment and locking, stroke and stop setting, and trial punch confirmation. | Answer records or an on-site demonstration. | Assessment standards are set by the employer; this page makes no inference. |
| Mentoring or trial-shift observation | The standard of die fitting, stroke setting, loading and monitoring, measurement and sorting and safety protection performed as required by the mentor. | Mentor evaluation or trial-shift records, and a process debrief. | Assessment and hiring conditions are set by the employer; this page does not constitute a hiring promise or authorization. |
| Qualification/preparation item | Mainly suited to whom | Practical role in job seeking | Whether it is a universal entry threshold | Registration/processing conditions | Investment considerations | Important limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Job seekers | Verify the real employer's posting | U.S. BLS typical high school or equivalent; no unified Chinese threshold was verified | The employer's actual posting | Insufficient evidence: unified cost or duration not verified | Education does not replace training or equipment permissions |
| Position safety education and training | Workers taking up the position | In China, take up the position after qualifying according to law | Article 28 of the Work Safety Law; the typical U.S. medium-term on-the-job training is listed separately | Organized by the unit according to law with qualification verified | Insufficient evidence: unified cost or duration not verified | Training does not authorize all die changes and maintenance |
| Equipment permissions and statutory qualifications (where actually applicable) | Staff who actually operate and maintain | Verify the operable scope for the specific task | Special operations follow the actual scope; it is not inferred that everyone in this occupation needs a certificate | Qualifications and unit permissions are verified separately | Insufficient evidence: cost or duration not verified | Internal permissions do not replace statutory qualifications |
| Die and stroke machine setup skills | People who fit dies and set up machines and trial punch | Affects readiness for related positions | Not an entry threshold for all positions | Accumulated through process practice and mentoring | Insufficient evidence: unified input or duration not verified | Machine setup skills are not equivalent to die design or equipment repair authorization. |
| Quality inspection and measurement knowledge | People who carry out dimensional and defect inspection | Affects readiness for quality inspection positions | Not an entry threshold for all production positions | Accumulated through inspection practice and standards training | Insufficient evidence: unified input or duration not verified | Inspection knowledge is not equivalent to the authority to decide quality release. |
| Process and team management ability | People preparing to take on team leader or process management duties | Affects competitiveness and readiness for related positions | Not an entry threshold | Accumulated through front-line equipment operation and management practice | Insufficient evidence: unified input or duration not verified | Management ability is not equivalent to quality or safety decision authority. |
Education, safety training, applicable statutory qualifications, equipment and maintenance permissions and quality responsibility are verified separately and are not interchangeable.
The typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions.
Articles 28–30, 36 and 44–45 of China's Work Safety Law support specific training, equipment, protection and the special operations qualification where actually applicable; spot welding and lifting in the occupational tasks do not authorize all staff to perform them, and the real tasks must be verified.
Insufficient evidence: no Chinese employer posting, unified education, input or duration, or single national press licence was verified.
Distinguish employer conditions, safety training, the statutory qualifications that actually apply, equipment maintenance permissions and quality responsibility. The typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions.
The typical U.S. BLS conditions are a high school diploma or equivalent, no related occupational experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers. O*NET respondents' opinion on the education needed by new employees is 63% high school or equivalent, 35% postsecondary certificate and 1% below high school, which is not the education composition of new employees. JobZone1–2 ranging from a few days to a year is a cross-occupation general range and cannot replace this occupation's training category or be used to infer Chinese conditions.
In China, take up the position after passing training according to law, with specialized training for new processes and equipment; the qualification for a special operation that actually applies is verified separately according to law, and a requirement for all staff to hold a certificate must not be inferred from the press operator title. If spot welding or lifting is actually undertaken, the applicable qualification must be verified separately; this round has no specific workstation catalogue match or unified national education or duration.
Fictional production scenario material (exercise input)
Fictional scenario: a punching and shearing equipment operator encounters four problems during a shift. First, a die set was set for the previous batch of material and this batch is slightly different in thickness; second, after the trial punch the first piece's dimensions fall at the tolerance edge and the delivery date is very tight; third, an abnormal sound is heard while the equipment runs and it is unclear whether an interlock indicator on the guard is normal; fourth, one die set needs its blades changed, the maintenance worker says it will be dealt with later, and the team leader is pressing to keep producing.
Materials provided: work order dimensions and drawings; die fitting and stroke setting requirements; first-piece measurement and defect sorting requirements; guard and interlock requirements and the energy isolation and maintenance reporting procedures.
Materials not provided: the rules for judging and conceding an edge dimension, the authority to handle an abnormal sound, whether changing blades requires stopping and isolation, and the priority between servicing and production. If the exercise requires these conditions, state your assumptions and the people you need to confirm with.
Task requirements
Please write a one-page handling and reporting plan covering: die and stroke re-verification and trial punch arrangements, handling of the edge dimension, verification of the abnormal sound and guard interlock and the decision to stop, and arrangements for changing blades and servicing.
The plan must state which information comes from the given materials and which is still assumption, and indicate whether the basis is the drawing, the measurement requirements or the machine safety and energy isolation procedures.
Reference deliverable (can be derived from the prompt)
The plan should include: die and stroke re-verification (verify the die and stroke against this batch's material and trial punch again to confirm, not carrying over the previous batch's settings), an edge dimension (re-measure and verify whether it is within tolerance, and when out of tolerance or uncertain stop the machine, isolate and report according to procedure without releasing on your own), an abnormal sound and guard interlock (stop the machine first, do not bypass the interlock, verify the guard and interlock according to procedure and report, and resume only after confirming they are normal), changing blades and servicing (isolate the energy and apply the tag under the energy control procedure before working, do not treat a stop button as complete isolation, and report the servicing arrangement according to procedure and explain it to the team leader), and handover (state the status of the four items, the actions taken and the matters still to be confirmed).
The reference deliverable only lists the elements that should be included and does not require wording identical to the example; being able to explain the basis for your judgements is enough.
Boundaries and conclusions that cannot be inferred
This item only tests awareness of die and stroke verification, dimensional judgement, machine safety and energy isolation handling and anomaly escalation; it does not evaluate whether the handling of any real case is compliant, and it does not constitute a safety determination, liability determination or legal advice.
Do not use real production orders or unredacted commercial information; where real equipment operation, die mounting, removal and locking, guards and interlocks, energy isolation and personal protection are involved, machine safety procedures, work instructions and unit policies must be followed.
Day 1: Read a public document
Find a public educational document on press safety or sheet metal forming, mark three key requirements and the corresponding practices, and write down the points you want to confirm.
Day 2: Run one die and stroke setting walkthrough
Using a fictional work order and drawing, write out the die and blade selection, the locking confirmation method and the stroke setting card, and note the conditions that need confirmation.
Day 3: Write a first-piece measurement and tolerance verification checklist
Using a fictional work order, list the measurement items, tolerance judgements and defect sorting criteria, marking the items that require stopping the machine and reporting.
Day 4: Run one guard and energy isolation verification
Using a fictional scenario, write out the steps and verification method for handling die misalignment and a guard or interlock anomaly and for energy isolation.
Day 5: Write an anomaly handling record
Using a fictional scenario, write a record of stopping, isolating and reporting for an abnormal sound or an out-of-tolerance dimension, including the basis for judgement and the handover content.
Day 6: Have someone review using only the materials
Ask a peer to review your judgements using only your plan, and write down the questions they raise.
Day 7: Decide whether to continue
Return to the judgement checklist on this page and write down three reasons you are willing to continue and two conditions that call for caution.
How does metal punching and shearing equipment operation enter the field and advance?
Preparation and verification when entering the field
The exercises, work samples and seven-day arrangement on this page are editorial designs, and the materials are fictional or based on public information; they do not constitute proof of training completion, a hiring promise or equipment operation authorization.
Typical U.S. BLS preparation and the O*NET respondents' opinions on requirements, with specific machinery following applicable standards; Chinese safety law and real employer policies are listed separately. No Chinese job posting was verified, and U.S. ranges are not used to infer Chinese conditions.
This section explains the U.S. preparation level and the actual situation in mainland China separately:
Qualifications and credentials must be verified item by item: education, equipment operation and safety training, equipment operation authorization or work qualification, die and stroke machine setup skills, and quality inspection ability are not the same level of status and cannot substitute for one another.
Supervised equipment support workstation
Under the guidance of a mentor, handle loading and unloading, cleaning and basic measurement, able to use simple tools and protection according to procedure and record truthfully; the goal is to become familiar with the equipment, dies and safety procedures.
Independently operate punching and shearing equipment
Independently set the stroke and stops to work order and drawing and load and monitor the run: able to fit and adjust to specification, correctly judge anomalies and stop and report and refer on die misalignment or out-of-tolerance dimensions.
Responsible for die fitting, machine setup and measurement inspection
Fit, align and lock punches, dies and blades, adjust the stroke and guides and confirm by trial punch, measure finished workpieces with measuring tools, inspect for defects and sort; able to judge whether dimensions and shapes meet the standard and work with review and adjacent processes.
Team leader or process management direction
Participate in process scheduling, quality standards and team management, or take on a class of materials and dies; this stage usually requires front-line equipment operation experience and quality and safety awareness, with appointment conditions set by company policy.
Die fitting, machine setup and equipment operation direction
Equipment operation support position
Under the guidance of a mentor, handle loading and unloading, cleaning and basic measurement, using simple tools and protection according to procedure.
Able to complete support and cleaning according to procedure and report anomalies promptly.
The actual employer's education requirement prevails; in China, take up the position after passing statutory safety training, with equipment and maintenance permissions confirmed separately.
Familiar with equipment, dies and safety procedures.
Punching and shearing equipment operation position
Independently set the stroke and stops to work order and drawing, load and monitor the run, and verify the first piece with measuring tools.
Dimensions within tolerance, correct parameter settings, and anomalies reported according to procedure.
According to the employer's requirements; equipment operation and safety training is the core basis.
Learn complex dies and parameter adjustment.
Die fitting and machine setup position
Fit, align and lock punches, dies and blades, adjust the stroke and guides and trial punch, and handle complex dies.
Able to balance tolerances, die condition and efficiency requirements.
According to company policies and position requirements.
Learn die structure and process improvement.
Team leader direction (adjacent)
Responsible for process scheduling, quality standards and team management, taking on coordination and review.
Able to balance quality, safety and team condition.
Usually requires front-line equipment operation experience and management ability, with the conditions set by company policy.
Verify the duties and qualification requirements of this direction.
Loading, monitoring and measurement inspection direction
Monitoring support position
Under guidance, monitor the equipment run, record data and carry out cleaning and maintenance, recording according to procedure.
Able to complete monitoring and recording according to procedure, and record and report anomalies truthfully.
The actual employer's education requirement prevails; in China, take up the position after passing statutory safety training, with equipment and maintenance permissions confirmed separately.
Familiar with equipment operation and inspection standards.
Monitoring and measurement position
Independently monitor the run, test and adjust machine action, measure workpieces with micrometers and gauges and inspect for defects.
Stable running, accurate measurement and traceable records.
According to the employer's requirements; measurement and equipment operation training is the core basis.
Learn complex workpiece inspection and limit sample judgement.
Sorting and quality handling position
Sort non-conforming parts by defect type, assist with rework and isolation handling, and judge workpiece condition.
Able to balance inspection standards, defect sorting and delivery requirements.
According to company policies and position requirements.
Learn defect analysis and quality improvement.
Quality management direction (adjacent)
Responsible for quality standards, inspection specifications and external communication.
Able to balance quality, efficiency and collaboration goals.
According to company policies and rules.
Verify the duties and qualification requirements of this direction.
Equipment and process coordination direction
Process support position
Assist with loading and unloading, work-in-progress flow and recording, using protection according to procedure.
Able to complete support work according to procedure and record truthfully.
The actual employer's education requirement prevails; in China, take up the position after passing statutory safety training, with equipment and maintenance permissions confirmed separately.
Familiar with process interfaces and safety procedures.
Multiple equipment coordination position (only where the actual employer has such a position)
Only where the actual employer arranges several machines to be tended at once should the number of machines, staffing, protection and permissions be verified; this is not a unified definition of 51-4031 or 51-4081.
Stable takt, balanced quality and safety, and clear handover.
Verify employer training, the range of equipment that may be operated and statutory qualifications (where actually applicable); training does not automatically authorize tool change, repair or equipment modification.
Learn multi-machine coordination and process optimization.
Process coordination position
Coordinate the pace of adjacent processes, material and work-in-progress flow, handle anomalies and hand over.
Able to balance takt, quality and safety requirements.
According to company policies and position requirements.
Learn process optimization and multi-party coordination.
Production management direction (adjacent)
Responsible for production planning, team and site management, taking on coordination and target management.
Able to balance delivery dates, quality, safety and staffing.
According to company policies and rules.
Verify the relevant requirements for this management direction.
Own 2025 employment and the 2025—2035 projection of annual average openings, with typical conditions of high school or equivalent, no related experience and medium-term on-the-job training; these are not individual credentials.
Observation points for preparation level, industry distribution and education feedback (O*NET 51-4031.00).
For directional verification of the employment, safety and operation boundaries of manufacturing and processing positions in mainland China.
Supports the officially published annual and hourly wages and the wage distribution; without individual hours, an individual's continuous annual or monthly income cannot be converted, and not all hourly wage data should be written off as impossible to annualize.
Editorial compilation of the criteria for verifying position information: a job posting can only indicate one employer's hiring need at one point in time.
A job posting can only indicate one employer's hiring need at one point in time. The three cannot substitute for one another.
Market signals and adjacent directions for metal punching and shearing equipment operation
The projection is a change in the total size of the occupation, not an individual probability of being hired; openings under this basis include growth and replacement and do not mean positions immediately increase or decrease.
The certification and training entry point does not predict the number of positions or wage levels, and is not equivalent to hiring or equipment operation authorization.
A job posting does not represent national demand, the median wage or unified entry requirements.
Shared abilities: knowledge of metal forming, die use and dimensional verification.
The target cold and hot forging equipment, plastic forming of materials and forging die control must be added; heating skills and conditions are verified only where an actual hot process applies.
Forging includes cold and hot processes and cutting, punching and trimming, and this occupation also lists preheating. Moving into it requires adding forging processes and equipment, and an absolute boundary cannot be drawn on whether heat is used or on a complete absence of punching and shearing tasks.
Shared abilities: machine tool operation, parameter setting and dimensional verification.
To build: grinding wheel and abrasive selection, surface processing and grinding parameter ability.
Distance note: moving from punching and shearing forming to surface processing and grinding.
Shared abilities: machining to drawing, tool setting and measurement inspection.
To build: milling and planing tools, workpiece fixturing and geometric precision control ability.
Distance note: moving from die forming to milling and planing removal machining.
Editorial task mapping: reading work orders, equipment setting, inspection and anomaly reporting may be shared, and the actual experience must be verified.
Add processes for more than one kind of machine tool or robot, fixturing, tools and maintenance permissions; tending several machines in rotation at once is not a unified requirement.
A move from punching and shearing tasks to multiple cutting or forming machine tools, with the actual number of simultaneous machines and the takt verified separately; the mapping does not guarantee hiring or wages.
Shared abilities: equipment parameter setting, and material and dimensional control.
To build: rolling processes, roll train adjustment and continuous production control ability.
Distance note: moving from die punching to continuous rolling processing.
Actual experience of participating in die fitting and tolerance verification can serve as a basis for measurement and die structure; using dies does not automatically confer design and manufacturing ability.
To build: die design, precision machining and assembly and fitting ability.
Distance note: moving from using dies for batch processing to designing and making dies.
Only actual sharpening or measurement experience may be shared; the supplementary maintenance tasks in this occupation do not prove that everyone can do precision grinding.
To build: tool geometric parameters, grinding machine adjustment and sharpening precision control ability.
51-4194 covers precision grinding of metal objects such as dies, parts and cutting tools, not only cutting tools; moving into it requires adding equipment, geometric parameters and precision, and the mapping does not guarantee hiring.
Cutting to specification, setting up and inspection may be shared; processes for glass, stone and food and the corresponding cables and tools must be verified separately and do not apply automatically.
To build: blades, cables and multi-material suitability for cutting and slicing equipment.
Distance note: moving from metal and plastic punching and shearing to cutting and slicing many materials.
Own 2025 employment and the 2025—2035 projection of annual average openings; not immediate recruitment or AI causation.
An official entry point for looking up certification and training information; it does not predict the number of positions or wage levels.
Observation points for preparation level, industry distribution and education feedback (O*NET 51-4031.00).
For the tasks and work context of this U.S. occupation 51-4031.00; adjacent tasks are set out in each target occupation's profile, and this position's material is not used to prove adjacent preparation levels or equipment operation authorization.
Work order parsing and parameter suggestions, die and press programming, and process monitoring and record automation can reduce some of the drawing reading, setting and recording work; but die fitting, alignment and locking, stroke and stop verification, first-piece measurement and sorting, handling jams and misalignment and energy isolation before maintenance still depend on people and remain constrained by machine safety procedures and authorization boundaries. O*NET shows that 44% of this occupation rate repeating the same task as very important, 42% face time pressure more than once a week and 97% wear protective equipment every day; technical exposure is not the same as organizational adoption or the disappearance of jobs.
What can be verified is change at the task level: three types of task — work order parsing and parameter setting, loading and monitoring the run, and measurement and recording — can be partly handled by tools; this page has no occupation-specific adoption or displacement data.
Drawing reading and tolerance verification, die fitting, alignment and locking, stroke and stop setting, first-piece measurement and defect sorting, and the ability to stop, isolate and report according to procedure.
In the U.S. 2025 wage data, the median annual wage is 46,330 dollars (22.27 dollars per hour), with percentiles of 35,760 / 38,870 / 46,330 / 55,410 / 65,510 dollars (hourly 17.19 / 18.69 / 22.27 / 26.64 / 31.50), under O*NET-SOC 51-4031.00's own basis; values broken down by state or area must be looked up on the O*NET local wages page by area and period and cannot be treated as an individual offer; no occupation-level figure was obtained for mainland China, and this page treats it as a gap without substituting industry averages or recruitment samples.
The U.S. preparation level is Job Zone 1-2 (SVP below 6.0), typically requiring a high school education or equivalent with some positions requiring none, and on-the-job training ranging from a few days to a year; official education feedback shows that among new entrants 63% require a high school diploma or equivalent, 35% a postsecondary certificate and 1% less than high school; in mainland China, the relevant education plus equipment operation and safety training is usually required, according to the target employer's rules.
There is no unified national licence in the U.S.; on-the-job training is mostly provided by employers, and there is separate certification and training information to look up; in mainland China, such positions mostly require equipment operation and safety training according to company requirements, and operating specific equipment may require the unit's work qualification or a certificate under current rules; specific conditions should be verified against the target employer and current rules.
First complete one exercise using safe materials such as card or thin plastic sheet — "read the dimensions and tolerances from a fictional work order — write a die and stroke setting card — draw up a first-piece measurement and sorting table — write out the stop-and-report process for die misalignment and a guard or interlock anomaly" — or one workshop shadowing session, and then verify the object, equipment requirements and safety boundaries of the target direction.
The O*NET summary and employment trends page (based on BLS 2024—2034 projections, 51-4031.00's own basis) shows about 174,700 people under this basis in 2024, a projection label of Decline (declining -1% or lower) and an annual average of about 14,400 openings including growth and replacement; the projection is on an occupation-total basis, the work mainly involves die fitting and machine setup, loading and monitoring and measurement and sorting, and it should be verified against local manufacturing and processing orders, product mix and automation investment, with priority given to verifying how die locking, guards and interlocks, energy isolation and personal protection are implemented.
FermatMind career content editorial team (source verification and exercise design)
Listed separately by own tasks, 2025 wages, 2025—2035 employment, 2025 posting text, specific safety regulations and manufacturing background. ILO and NIST are broad-scope references, and no AI adoption or effect for this occupation was verified; original source names and URLs are retained with limits noted.
Updated: 2026-10-09; the statistical period and scope of application of each source are listed separately.
Note: this page distinguishes official statistics, industry and employer policies, and editorial compilation; source names and scopes of application are not interchangeable.
For comparison with forging heating and forming in the forging machine setters, operators and tenders direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge forging duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the forging heating and forging die forming tasks of forging machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (adjacent occupation); this occupation uses punching and shearing dies for blanking and forming, and forging duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
For comparison with die and tooling making in the tool and die maker direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge die design and manufacturing duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the die and precision tooling manufacture and repair tasks of tool and die makers (adjacent occupation); this occupation uses dies for batch processing, and die design and manufacturing duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
For comparison with tending several machines and process coordination in the multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge multi-operation machine tool duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the multi-machine tending and multi-operation tasks of multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (adjacent occupation); this occupation usually tends one class of operation, punching or shearing, and multi-operation machine tool duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
Supports the employment and projection figures for this occupation (this subcategory's own basis).
Does not include mainland China information and cannot replace mainland China data.
Checked this round: the old 2024–2034 projection is retained for out-of-scope consumers; the current authorized module cites BLS Table 1.2 separately.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2024—2034 projection period; retrieved 2026-09-19
official statistics
Occupation-specific
The old 2024–2034 projection is retained for out-of-scope consumers; the current authorized module cites BLS Table 1.2 separately.
2026-09-19
Supports the classification and employment context of such positions in mainland China.
Do not infer qualification, equipment operation authorization or wage figures from it.
Checked this round: the gov.cn homepage does not support specific recruitment, safety provisions or licensing; this round lists Work Safety Law provisions separately.
Public information from competent authorities and industry sources
Mainland China
Current rules; retrieved 2026-09-19
official guidance
contextual
The gov.cn homepage does not support specific recruitment, safety provisions or licensing; this round lists Work Safety Law provisions separately.
2026-09-19
For comparison with cutting and slicing in the cutting and slicing machine setter direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge cutting and slicing duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the cutting and slicing tasks of cutting and slicing machine setters, operators and tenders (adjacent occupation); this occupation centres on punching and shearing die forming, and cutting and slicing duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
For comparison with rolling and roll train adjustment in the rolling machine setter direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge continuous rolling duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the rolling and roll train adjustment tasks of rolling machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (adjacent occupation); this occupation centres on die punching and shearing forming, and continuous rolling duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
For comparison with tool sharpening in the tool grinder, filer and sharpener direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge dedicated sharpening duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the cutting tool and tool sharpening tasks of tool grinders, filers and sharpeners (adjacent occupation); sharpening in this occupation is only one part of equipment maintenance, and dedicated sharpening duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
For comparison with surface treatment in the grinding and polishing worker, hand direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge surface treatment duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the manual surface treatment tasks of grinding and polishing workers, hand (adjacent occupation); this occupation centres on punching and shearing forming, and surface treatment duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
Supports observation points on entry preparation level, interest code and industry distribution.
Does not constitute any specific employer's hiring conditions or a threshold for mainland China.
Checked this round: the main 2025 industry is manufacturing at 88%, and the old "other including wholesale trade 11%" is not separately listed; the education 63/35/1 is respondents' opinion on what is required, not the composition of employees.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
The main 2025 industry is manufacturing at 88%, and the old "other including wholesale trade 11%" is not separately listed; the education 63/35/1 is respondents' opinion on what is required, not the composition of employees.
2026-09-19
For comparison with milling, planing and tool setting in the milling and planing machine setters direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge milling and planing removal machining duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the milling and planing tasks of milling and planing machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (adjacent occupation); this occupation centres on die forming, and milling and planing removal machining duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
The interest questionnaire is for self-observation only.
Must not be used as a basis for hiring, assignment or promotion.
O*NET OnLine
United States / general
Current tool; retrieved 2026-09-19
official tool
contextual
The interest questionnaire only describes experience preferences; it does not replace ability, qualification, training or hiring judgements and does not predict work performance.
2026-09-19
Register the detailed levels of public wage statistics in mainland China.
Industry averages must not be written as this occupation's wages.
Checked this round: the homepage is not evidence of occupational wages or specific industry values; this round lists 2025 manufacturing separately.
National Bureau of Statistics
Mainland China
Current release; retrieved 2026-09-19
official statistics
Industry reference
The homepage is not evidence of occupational wages or specific industry values; this round lists 2025 manufacturing separately.
2026-09-19
For explaining governance, record-keeping and human oversight requirements when introducing AI systems.
The framework does not replace safety procedures or the employer's division of responsibility.
Checked this round: a voluntary framework, not mandatory press safety regulation.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
United States
AI RMF 1.0; retrieved 2026-09-19
institutional framework
contextual
A voluntary framework, not mandatory press safety regulation.
2026-09-19
For explaining the coverage and conversion basis of wage statistics.
Does not provide individual income conclusions and cannot be used to derive an individual's take-home pay.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025 wage data; retrieved 2026-09-19
official statistics
Occupation-specific
Provides a wage statistics entry point published by occupation code and coverage notes; the percentile values on this page are published via the O*NET national wages page (51-4031.00), under this subcategory's own basis; industry average wages must not be treated as this occupation's wages, and percentiles must not be treated as starting pay.
2026-09-19
Supports this occupation's tasks, work context and preparation level.
Contains no technology adoption or job displacement data.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
Supports this occupation's tasks, work activities, knowledge and work context percentages, preparation level, interest code and 2024 industry employment shares; it is a single-occupation basis and contains no technology adoption, job displacement or income change data.
2026-09-19
Supports the market signal explanation of employer technology keywords.
Keywords are not the same as adoption rates or ability requirements.
Checked this round: in the 2025 U.S. posting keywords the Office share is below 1% and five shares are not provided; these are not on-site usage rates.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
In the 2025 U.S. posting keywords the Office share is below 1% and five shares are not provided; these are not on-site usage rates.
2026-09-19
Register the detailed levels of the public pay survey in mainland China.
No single-occupation figure was obtained for this occupation, and no proxy value is filled in.
Checked this round: this item of the old MOHRSS pay survey page was not re-read, so it is not passed off as 2025 manufacturing evidence; this round lists the NBS industry background separately, which is not an occupational wage.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
Mainland China
Current release basis; retrieved 2026-09-19
official statistics
Industry reference
This item of the old MOHRSS pay survey page was not re-read, so it is not passed off as 2025 manufacturing evidence; this round lists the NBS industry background separately, which is not an occupational wage.
2026-09-19
Explains that hourly wages and annual income cannot be directly interchanged.
Does not provide individual income conclusions.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
Current method statement; retrieved 2026-09-19
official methodology
contextual
Explains the OEWS covered population, wage composition and conversion assumptions; it does not provide specific figures for this occupation and is not used to convert hourly wages into individual monthly income.
2026-09-19
For explaining the statistical position and basis of wage percentiles.
OEWS converts annual and hourly wages for most occupations using a standard 2080-hour work year; statistical annualization is not the same as an individual's actual income and must not be used to derive an individual's actual full-year income or take-home pay.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025 wage data; retrieved 2026-09-19
official statistics
Occupation-specific
Publishes this occupation's annual wage percentiles of 35,760 / 38,870 / 46,330 / 55,410 / 65,510 dollars, and also publishes hourly wages (17.19 / 18.69 / 22.27 / 26.64 / 31.50); these values follow 51-4031.00's own basis; percentiles are statistical positions, not skill levels, and cannot be converted into individual monthly income or take-home pay; state- or area-level data must be looked up on that page by area and period.
2026-09-19
Supports the verification entry point for certification and training information.
The entry point does not predict the number of positions or wage levels.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official guidance
Occupation-specific
Provides a look-up entry point for certifications and training in this segment, for verifying certificate and training information; this is an information entry point description that does not predict the number of positions or wage levels and does not replace position training and equipment operation authorization requirements in mainland China.
2026-09-19
For explaining the method of measuring task-level exposure.
Task exposure is not the same as automation adoption or job displacement outcomes.
Checked this round: the abstract read this round did not verify a matching score for 51-4031, and it is not asserted that the full research has no occupation-specific data.
International Labour Organization
Global
Research publication date; retrieved 2026-09-19
institutional research
contextual
The abstract read this round did not verify a matching score for 51-4031, and it is not asserted that the full research has no occupation-specific data.
2026-09-19
Supports tasks, work activities and work context percentages.
Contains no technology adoption, job count or income change data.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Supports this occupation's (51-4031.00) tasks, work activities and work context percentages; that page is a single-occupation basis and contains no technology adoption or job displacement data.
2026-09-19
For comparison with grinding wheel grinding and surface processing in the grinding, lapping, polishing and buffing machine tool setters direction (adjacent occupation).
Do not merge surface processing duties into this occupation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page updated in 2026; retrieved 2026-09-19
official source
Occupation-specific
Only supports the grinding wheel, abrasive and surface processing tasks of grinding, lapping, polishing and buffing machine tool setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (adjacent occupation); this occupation centres on punching and shearing forming, and surface processing duties are not merged into this occupation.
2026-09-19
The 31 tasks distinguish core from supplementary and include sawing, bending and straightening, die fitting, sharpening, deburring, spot welding and preheating; not all workers perform all of them. 13 work styles; context frequency is not a disease or accident rate; the education 63/35/1 is an opinion on what is required, not the composition of employees, and an updated label is not a unified survey year.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Page Updated2026; statistical periods listed separately; retrieved 2026-10-09
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
The 31 tasks distinguish core from supplementary and include sawing, bending and straightening, die fitting, sharpening, deburring, spot welding and preheating; not all workers perform all of them. 13 work styles; context frequency is not a disease or accident rate; the education 63/35/1 is an opinion on what is required, not the composition of employees, and an updated label is not a unified survey year.
2026-10-09
Table header units in thousands: employment 171.0 to 153.1, change -17.9 thousand and -10.5%, and the 13.2 thousand openings figure is the projected period annual average; median annual wage 46330 dollars. Typical conditions are high school or equivalent, no related experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers or a Chinese condition; no AI causation is provided.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025 base year; 2025–2035 projection; retrieved 2026-10-09
official statistics
Occupation-specific
Table header units in thousands: employment 171.0 to 153.1, change -17.9 thousand and -10.5%, and the 13.2 thousand openings figure is the projected period annual average; median annual wage 46330 dollars. Typical conditions are high school or equivalent, no related experience and medium-term on-the-job training, not a unified threshold for all employers or a Chinese condition; no AI causation is provided.
2026-10-09
Annual wage 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 35760/38870/46330/55410/65510 dollars, hourly 17.19/18.69/22.27/26.64/31.50 dollars. Percentiles are not seniority or starting pay and do not imply individual take-home income, causation for specific factors or an AI effect.
O*NET OnLine
United States
2025 national wages; retrieved 2026-10-09
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
Annual wage 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 35760/38870/46330/55410/65510 dollars, hourly 17.19/18.69/22.27/26.64/31.50 dollars. Percentiles are not seniority or starting pay and do not imply individual take-home income, causation for specific factors or an AI effect.
2026-10-09
Of the six items, the Microsoft Office posting share is Under1%; the five items AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are Not available, and no 0 is filled in. A posting mention rate is not on-site adoption or proficiency; the detailed profile separately lists CAM and CNC software, which is also not generative AI.
O*NET OnLine
United States
Full-year 2025 U.S. Lightcast posting text; retrieved 2026-10-09
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
Of the six items, the Microsoft Office posting share is Under1%; the five items AutoCAD, Excel, Outlook, Word and SAP are Not available, and no 0 is filled in. A posting mention rate is not on-site adoption or proficiency; the detailed profile separately lists CAM and CNC software, which is also not generative AI.
2026-10-09
Manufacturing non-private 113,594 yuan and private 76,055 yuan, both pre-tax annual average wages. It covers urban legal entities with 5 or more employees; excluding self-employed individuals and freelancers; non-private does not mean only state-owned enterprises. It serves as industry background only when the employer is actually in manufacturing, and is not a metal and plastic cutting, punching and press occupational wage, starting pay or percentile.
National Bureau of Statistics
Mainland China
2025 statistical year; released 2026-05-15; retrieved 2026-10-09
official statistics
Industry reference
Manufacturing non-private 113,594 yuan and private 76,055 yuan, both pre-tax annual average wages. It covers urban legal entities with 5 or more employees; excluding self-employed individuals and freelancers; non-private does not mean only state-owned enterprises. It serves as industry background only when the employer is actually in manufacturing, and is not a metal and plastic cutting, punching and press occupational wage, starting pay or percentile.
2026-10-09
Article 28: take up the position after passing training; Article 29: specialized training for new processes, technologies, materials and equipment; Article 30: only personnel who actually perform special operations obtain qualifications as required; Article 36: maintain safety equipment and do not disable or damage guards; Articles 44–45: hazard notification, labour protection equipment and its correct use. It cannot be presumed from the occupation title that all cutters perform special operations; it does not provide unified education, wages or training duration.
State Administration for Market Regulation (full legal text)
Mainland China
Third amendment on 2021-06-10; retrieved 2026-10-09
official law
contextual
Article 28: take up the position after passing training; Article 29: specialized training for new processes, technologies, materials and equipment; Article 30: only personnel who actually perform special operations obtain qualifications as required; Article 36: maintain safety equipment and do not disable or damage guards; Articles 44–45: hazard notification, labour protection equipment and its correct use. It cannot be presumed from the occupation title that all cutters perform special operations; it does not provide unified education, wages or training duration.
2026-10-09
Applicable in U.S. operations to guard points of operation, nip points, rotating parts and flying chips; special hand tools cannot replace the required guards. It is not a Chinese legal provision or a complete selection guide for personal protective equipment.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
United States
Current standards page; retrieved 2026-10-09
official regulation
contextual
Applicable in U.S. operations to guard points of operation, nip points, rotating parts and flying chips; special hand tools cannot replace the required guards. It is not a Chinese legal provision or a complete selection guide for personal protective equipment.
2026-10-09
Applicable maintenance such as tool changes, cleaning and clearing jams: trained and authorized personnel isolate, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure. A stop button is not an energy isolation device; there are exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the exclusive control of the maintenance worker, so not every normal production or hand tool operation is written as requiring lockout/tagout.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
United States
Current standards page; retrieved 2026-10-09
official regulation
contextual
Applicable maintenance such as tool changes, cleaning and clearing jams: trained and authorized personnel isolate, control stored energy and verify according to the employer's energy control procedure. A stop button is not an energy isolation device; there are exceptions for qualifying minor servicing and where a plug is under the exclusive control of the maintenance worker, so not every normal production or hand tool operation is written as requiring lockout/tagout.
2026-10-09
The voluntary risk management framework provides direction on human and machine responsibilities and oversight, risk records and assessment; it is not mandatory process regulation, an occupational AI adoption rate or a displacement projection.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
United States
AI RMF 1.0 (2023); retrieved 2026-10-09
institutional framework
contextual
The voluntary risk management framework provides direction on human and machine responsibilities and oversight, risk records and assessment; it is not mandatory process regulation, an occupational AI adoption rate or a displacement projection.
2026-10-09
A global generative AI task exposure reference; this round's abstract did not yield a matching score for 51-4031.00 or a Chinese punching and shearing equipment position sample, and it is not claimed that the full research has no occupation-specific data. Exposure is not the same as measured adoption, degree of automation, net job change or a displacement date.
International Labour Organization
Global
Research abstract of 2025-05-20; retrieved 2026-10-09
institutional research
contextual
A global generative AI task exposure reference; this round's abstract did not yield a matching score for 51-4031.00 or a Chinese punching and shearing equipment position sample, and it is not claimed that the full research has no occupation-specific data. Exposure is not the same as measured adoption, degree of automation, net job change or a displacement date.
2026-10-09
Where U.S. rules apply to mechanical power presses: a5 excludes brake presses, hydraulic and pneumatic presses, and forging presses and hammers, and is not the standard for all equipment in this occupation. c1 point-of-operation guarding has a conditional exception where the opening does not exceed 1/4 inch; d7 die securing, d9 the employer's die setting procedure, e1 inspection and maintenance records. Special hand tools cannot replace guarding; workers are not authorized to modify equipment themselves.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
United States
Current standards page; retrieved 2026-10-09
official regulation
contextual
Where U.S. rules apply to mechanical power presses: a5 excludes brake presses, hydraulic and pneumatic presses, and forging presses and hammers, and is not the standard for all equipment in this occupation. c1 point-of-operation guarding has a conditional exception where the opening does not exceed 1/4 inch; d7 die securing, d9 the employer's die setting procedure, e1 inspection and maintenance records. Special hand tools cannot replace guarding; workers are not authorized to modify equipment themselves.
2026-10-09