Overview
Responsibilities
T-A-S-K
Education
Income & Employability
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Related Careers

Description

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

Interests

  • Realistic
  • Conventional

Learn More about Interests

Work Values

  • Support
  • Relationships
  • Independence

Learn More about Work Values

Work Styles

  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Self-Control
  • Integrity
  • Cooperation

Learn More about Work Styles

Tasks

  • Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
  • Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
  • Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
  • Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.
  • Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.

Work Activities

  • Controlling Machines and Processes
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Getting Information
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Detailed Work Activities

  • Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Technology Skills

  • Spreadsheet software
  • Presentation software
  • Electronic mail software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Enterprise application integration software

Abilities

  • Control Precision
  • Manual Dexterity
  • Multilimb Coordination
  • Reaction Time
  • Near Vision

Skills

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Monitoring

Knowledge

  • Production and Processing
  • Mathematics
  • English Language

Most Common Education Level

The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.

Certificates

This information is currently unavailable.

Income Percentile

The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.

Income PercentileAnnual Income
Low (10%)$39,298
Median (50%)$43,166
High (90%)$48,474

Income by Experience

This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–5 years), to senior level (6–8 years), to expert level (8+ years).

ExperienceIncome
Entry Level $43,166
Mid Level $48,015
Senior Level N/A
Expert Level N/A

Employability

There are currently 64,100 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 65,300 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 2%.

The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.

Projected Job Growth of 2%

Related Careers

The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services, Lightcast, CareerOneStop, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For more details regarding the data sources and the specific information sourced, click here.

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