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Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (O*NET 51-4035.00) set up, operate, or tend mills and planers to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic workpieces.
Boundary: This page covers only O*NET 51-4035.00 for career exploration. Actual equipment operation, safety protection, and quality release must follow employer procedures and local regulations.
How to assess: Use an entirely fictional part drawing to check whether you can document machining sequence, workholding and tool-setting points, cutting parameter ranges, first-piece inspection items, and safety protection confirmation, retaining reviewable records.
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic corresponds to O*NET 51-4035.00. Duties involve setting up, operating, or tending milling and planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic workpieces.
Adjacent relationships are for comparing directions only. This occupation centers on milling and planing; CNC operators mainly use program-driven processes, lathes machine rotational parts, and grinders focus on precision surfaces. Qualifications and safety requirements are not interchangeable.
Compare each point: Who interprets drawings and programs, who clamps workpieces and sets tools, who confirms first pieces and release, and who bears safety responsibility?
New operators
Practice workholding, machining, and measurement with entirely fictional drawings.
Practicing machine tool operators
Mainland China has no national occupational median with exactly the same scope as O*NET 51-4035.00. Manufacturing averages are industry proxies only, not individual wages.
2025 average annual wages in mainland China's urban non-private manufacturing units were 113,594 yuan / year (National Bureau of Statistics scope).
U.S. occupation 51-4035.00: 2025 wages and 2025—2035 projections; not starting pay, Chinese wages, or personal guarantees.
2025 wages: 10th percentile annual pay $37,840, direct hourly pay $18.19; 25th percentile annual pay $45,210, direct hourly pay $21.74; 50th percentile annual pay $52,800, direct hourly pay $25.39; 75th percentile annual pay $64,900, direct hourly pay $31.20; 90th percentile annual pay $81,030, direct hourly pay $38.96. Percentiles are statistical positions, not experience stages or take-home income.
The following are editorial risk controls supported by occupational tasks and work context, not accident rates, diagnoses, or operating procedures. Follow the actual jurisdiction, equipment, and employer.
Control safety, quality, or unresolved abnormality risks and escalate under actual employer procedures. Continue after the responsible person confirms.
Official tasks / context provide occupational background. Check specific safety controls and authority against local and organizational rules.
This page has not collected actual job advertisements. The following are editorial ability stages and checking suggestions, not recruitment sample statistics, uniform job levels, or guaranteed timelines.
O*NET JobZone1–2. New-hire required education survey: 47% high school, 19% bachelor's, 15% postsecondary certificate. Not the education distribution of current workers or a uniform threshold. Check Chinese operating training, equipment authorization, and special-operation requirements by specific task.
U.S. 51-4035.00: Employment in 2025—2035 is projected to move from 12,400→10,800, -13%, net change -1,600. Average annual openings of 1,000 include growth and replacement demand; the overall projection does not establish AI causality.
United States, national; distinguish employment stock, growth, net change, and openings. Generative AI net job causality was not obtained.
Work mainly involves drawing interpretation, workholding, machining, measurement, and records. The O*NET work context survey shows 89% wearing common protective equipment daily, 70% encountering noise daily, 67% standing continually, and 50% working more than 40 hours weekly.
This occupation centers on milling and planing. CNC operators mainly use program-driven processes, lathes machine rotational parts, and grinders focus on precision surfaces. Similar titles do not make duties and safety requirements interchangeable.
Look at observable behavior: Can you machine consistently to drawings, measure correctly and check tolerances, maintain safety protection, and record honestly? The RC interest code describes activity preferences only; it cannot determine competence or qualifications.
Suitable conditions: Willingness to follow procedures around machinery and in workshops, reproduce machining consistently, measure correctly, and stop and escalate abnormalities.
Note: Personality labels and interest codes cannot determine fit or qualifications. These exercises confer no equipment operation or safe-work authorization and use no actual production data.
Work context (O*NET work context survey): 89% wear common protective equipment daily, 70% encounter noise daily, 74% encounter contaminants daily, and 59% encounter hazardous equipment daily.
Work pace and physical demands: 67% must stand continually, 74% continually use their hands to handle or feel objects, and 50% work more than 40 hours weekly.
Quality and tolerances: 74% rate being exact or accurate as extremely important. Machining requires checking key dimensions and tolerances against drawings and measuring instruments.
Abilities and work practices: Mechanical and machining knowledge, shop mathematics and measurement skills, procedural safety practices, and honest recording.
Main outputs are an acceptable metal or plastic workpiece, machining records, and production data. Operators and responsible people jointly confirm safety and quality judgments.
Before tool changes, obstruction clearing, or maintenance, stop, disconnect power, and isolate energy according to procedures. Workshop standards define all authorization boundaries.
Difference from CNC operators: They mainly use program-driven systems; this occupation includes manual feed and parameter adjustments.
Difference from lathe operators: They machine rotational parts; this occupation mainly machines planes, grooves, and profiles.
Difference from grinding operators: They focus on precision surfaces; this occupation centers on milling and planing.
Machine and measure according to procedures and retain records.
Team leaders and process personnel
Define safety conditions, parameter ranges, and first-piece confirmation first.
Quality and safety personnel
Check tolerances, protection, and abnormality escalation.
2025 average annual wages in mainland China's urban private manufacturing units were 76,055 yuan / year. The two unit categories must not be mixed.
Actual compensation also depends on region, machine type, shifts, piece rates, and experience. Check actual contracts and local rules.
U.S. 51-4035.00: Employment in 2025—2035 is projected to move from 12,400→10,800, -13%, net change -1,600. Average annual openings of 1,000 include growth and replacement demand; the overall projection does not establish AI causality.
U.S. employment industry shares: Manufacturing 88%, other 12%. These are not industry wages or demand rates.
Employment size, growth rate, net change, and average annual openings must be explained separately and cannot be combined into a personal employment guarantee.
Also check machine type, shift systems, and region when comparing jobs. Organizations and regions differ substantially; do not extrapolate across regions.
This role needs equipment operation and measurement skills. Fit evidence consists of reviewable machining and measurement records, not self-labels. The RC interest code describes activity preferences only.
Exploratory tools
Machine operators and others working in the same area.
Protection failures may cause serious injury and equipment damage.
Entry exercise: Use entirely fictional drawings for workholding, parameter, and first-piece inspection exercises, asking others for feedback against machining standards.
Work samples and materials: Keep de-identified or fictional machining records, dimensional measurements, and safety inspection checklists as evidence of operating and quality skills.
Probation and interviews: Explain drawing interpretation, workholding, parameter selection, measurement, and shutdown escalation, identifying judgments requiring authorized confirmation.
Seven-day trial: Days 1—2, learn drawings and safety procedures; days 3—5, machine and measure simple parts under supervision; days 6—7, ask others to challenge machining and safety judgments and write evidence for continuing, stopping, or changing direction.
Qualification decision: On-the-job training, equipment operating qualifications, and safe-work permits are different statuses. Actual requirements follow employers, equipment, and local rules. Training does not equal independent operation or equipment authorization.
Ability ladder: Before entry, check official occupational scope, actual employer requirements, training and safety rules, and supervised tasks. Advancement rests on reviewable machining and quality records, not guaranteed years.
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 | Field 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervised learning | Clamp workpieces and perform simple machining under guidance | Confirm by equipment, training, role, and actual authorization; months employed do not establish authority | Workholding and machining feedback | Expand to independent operation |
| Common-task assessment | Independently machine standard parts and self-inspect | Parameter changes require confirmation | Machining and measurement records | Expand to complex parts |
| Complex-task collaboration | Handle complex parts and critical tolerances | The responsible person confirms quality release | Process and quality records | Expand to processes and mentoring |
| Authorized ownership and mentoring | Lead machining processes and equipment condition management | The organization confirms authorization and safety | Process and equipment records | Expand to system responsibilities |
| Authorized standards and review | Lead processes and training within authorization | Do not replace organizational safety functions | Standards and mentoring records | Expand authorization according to rules |
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview preparation | Organize a fictional part machining and inspection plan | Ask others to challenge workholding and parameter grounds | Machining and inspection materials |
| At the interview | Explain drawing interpretation, parameter selection, and measurement | The interviewer confirms safety and process logic | Process and safety explanation |
| Supervised learning stage | Complete machining and inspection tasks under supervision | A mentor reviews machining and safety | Machining and inspection records |
| Job evaluation stage | Independently complete common machining and write records | The responsible person confirms contributions and compliance | Records and compliance materials |
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 | Field 5 | Field 6 | Field 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Mainly a high school diploma or equivalent | Employer | Verify by job | Education does not equal equipment authorization | Employer | Check against job requirements |
| On-the-job training | Machine tool operation and machining training | Employer or training provider | Verify content | Training does not equal independent operation | Employer | Check training scope |
| Equipment operating qualifications | Obtain under equipment and employer rules | Employer | Verify under authorization procedures | Qualification does not cover all equipment | Employer | Check authorized equipment |
| Safe-work permits | Follow location and work-type requirements | Competent authority or employer | Verify under the rules | A permit does not equal hiring | Competent authority | Check permit scope |
| Measurement and inspection training | Measuring instrument use and inspection methods | Employer or institution | Verify courses and skills | Training does not equal quality release authority | Employer | Check training scope |
| Record and quality requirements | Recording and traceability requirements | Employer | Verify under the system | Requirements do not equal authorization | Employer | Check applicability |
2025—2035 projections; this page has not collected actual job advertisements and provides no national demand rate.
AI or technology research indicates which tasks may receive assistance, not organizational adoption or net job change. People remain responsible for workholding, safety, and quality release.
Adjacent transitions: Moving into CNC, lathes, grinding, or equipment repair requires checking skills, qualifications, and safety requirements individually. Each path requires evidence matching new outputs.
Program and parameter management, measurement data collection, and production records are more readily assisted. Workholding and safety judgments, first-piece confirmation, and quality release remain mainly human tasks. Available material supports task-level assistance assessments only.
Machine guards and interlocks, personal protective equipment, parameter ranges, and first-piece confirmation must follow employer procedures and local regulations. Safety judgment and abnormality handling cannot be delegated to tools or unauthorized people.
These sources do not establish national occupational wages exactly matching O*NET 51-4035.00. Available National Bureau of Statistics 2025 manufacturing averages are 113,594 yuan / year for urban non-private and 76,055 yuan / year for urban private units. These industry proxies cannot represent this occupation's median.
BLS 2025 wage data: Median annual pay $52,800 (about $25.39 / hour), 10th percentile $37,840, and 90th percentile $81,030. 2024 employment was about 13,800, projected change in 2024—2034 about -14%, and average annual openings about 1,100.
In the U.S. occupational survey, 47% report a high school diploma or equivalent, 19% a bachelor's degree, and 15% a postsecondary certificate. Mainland China's machine operation and special-operation requirements follow competent authority and employer rules. Training does not equal independent operation or equipment authorization.
China's 2025 manufacturing industry proxies are not occupational wages. All five 2025 U.S. wage percentiles and published hourly rates were obtained; 2025—2035 overall projections do not establish AI causality. Editorial suggestions do not confer equipment, safety, or quality authority; complete full-page acceptance was not performed.
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
Ministry of Emergency Management / National People's Congress website
CN
current; accessed 2026-08-30
authoritative occupational evidence
combined_official
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2026-08-30
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ILO
GLOBAL
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market_signal
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2026-08-30
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National Bureau of Statistics of China
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current; accessed 2026-08-30
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Industry reference
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2026-08-30
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O*NET / U.S. DOL
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OSHA
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2026-08-30
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O*NET OnLine
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official custom occupation profile
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official occupation details
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O*NET OnLine
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official technology profile
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official certification discovery
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O*NET OnLine
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official local training discovery
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O*NET / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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2025 BLS OEWS wage data displayed by O*NET OnLine
O*NET display of BLS OEWS wage data
Occupation-specific
O*NET OnLine presents BLS OEWS wage data; preserve the displayed period, worker population, geography and unit. A direct BLS access failure does not invalidate this opened O*NET page.
2026-09-02
Use only for the stated O*NET occupation, US market and page subject. It does not establish a China mapping, China pay, or legal authorization.
O*NET OnLine
US
2025 BLS OEWS wage data displayed by O*NET OnLine
official occupation summary
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2026-09-02
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
O*NET / U.S. DOL
US
current; accessed 2026-08-30
authoritative occupational evidence
Occupation-specific
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
2026-08-30
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
O*NET / U.S. DOL
US
current; accessed 2026-08-30
authoritative occupational evidence
Occupation-specific
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
2026-08-30
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
O*NET / U.S. DOL
US
current; accessed 2026-08-30
authoritative occupational evidence
Occupation-specific
Supports only the stated market, occupation, and method; no extrapolation to individual outcomes.
2026-08-30