Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Career, Salary and Skills

Occupation description

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

National salary and employment

Top skills

Typical tasks

• Move controls to set cutting speeds and depths and feed rates, and to position tools in relation to workpieces.
• Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences.
• Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators.
• Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
• Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.
• Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
• Crank machines through cycles, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls to ensure specified timing, clearances, and tolerances.
• Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances.

Technology

• Autodesk HSMWorks
• Computer numerical control CNC editor software
• G-code
• Inventory tracking software
• M-code

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in CA
  Median $60,180 · Employment 2,600
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in TX
  Median $48,020 · Employment 2,150
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in MI
  Median $46,680 · Employment 1,540
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Los Angeles, CA
  Median $60,110 · Employment 1,280
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in IL
  Median $54,930 · Employment 1,260
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in OH
  Median $49,880 · Employment 1,180
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Houston, TX
  Median $47,900 · Employment 1,020
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Detroit, MI
  Median $49,210 · Employment 740
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in IN
  Median $49,420 · Employment 710
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in TN
  Median $40,730 · Employment 700
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in CT
  Median $49,380 · Employment 690
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in MA
  Median $60,870 · Employment 690

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