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Manufacturing & Production · Updated Aug 2026

Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
48/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
44/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage87%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Turn valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure, temperature, and speed and feed rates, and to set cycle times.High
66
Measure and visually inspect products for surface and dimension defects to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.High
52
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.High
64
Read specifications, blueprints, and work orders to determine setups, temperatures, and time settings required to mold, form, or cast plastic materials, as well as to plan production sequences.High
68
Operate hoists to position dies or patterns on foundry floors.Medium
67
Trim excess material from parts, using knives, and grind scrap plastic into powder for reuse.Medium
69
Position and secure workpieces on machines, and start feeding mechanisms.Medium
67
Inventory and record quantities of materials and finished products, requisitioning additional supplies as necessary.Medium
70
Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses.Medium
69
Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers.Medium
69
Mix and measure compounds, or weigh premixed compounds, and dump them into machine tubs, cavities, or molds.Medium
67
Connect water hoses to cooling systems of dies, using hand tools.Medium
65
Preheat tools, dies, plastic materials, or patterns, using blowtorches or other equipment.Medium
65
Skim or pour dross, slag, or impurities from molten metal, using ladles, rakes, hoes, spatulas, or spoons.Medium
69
Observe continuous operation of automatic machines to ensure that products meet specifications and to detect jams or malfunctions, making adjustments as necessary.High
31
Observe meters and gauges to verify and record temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times.High
38
Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary.Medium
24
Install dies onto machines or presses and coat dies with parting agents, according to work order specifications.Medium
24
Perform maintenance work such as cleaning and oiling machines.Medium
25
Obtain and move specified patterns to work stations, manually or using hoists, and secure patterns to machines, using wrenches.Medium
24
Remove parts, such as dies, from machines after production runs are finished.Medium
24
Select and install blades, tools, or other attachments for each operation.Medium
24
Repair or replace damaged molds, pipes, belts, chains, or other equipment, using hand tools, hand-powered presses, or jib cranes.Medium
24
Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning.Medium
23
Smooth and clean inner surfaces of molds, using brushes, scrapers, air hoses, or grinding wheels, and fill imperfections with refractory material.Medium
18
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Inventory and record quantities of materials and finished products, requisitioning additional supplies as necessary.70
  2. Trim excess material from parts, using knives, and grind scrap plastic into powder for reuse.69
  3. Unload finished products from conveyor belts, pack them in containers, and place containers in warehouses.69
  4. Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers.69
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Adjust equipment and workpiece holding fixtures, such as mold frames, tubs, and cutting tables, to ensure proper functioning.01
  2. Smooth and clean inner surfaces of molds, using brushes, scrapers, air hoses, or grinding wheels, and fill imperfections with refractory material.02
  3. Remove finished or cured products from dies or molds, using hand tools, air hoses, and other equipment, stamping identifying information on products when necessary.03
  4. Install dies onto machines or presses and coat dies with parting agents, according to work order specifications.04
  5. Obtain and move specified patterns to work stations, manually or using hoists, and secure patterns to machines, using wrenches.05
Where else this work leads

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Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency51
Physical dependency64
Adoption pressure40
Labour-market resilience60
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →