Career
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders
Run machines that cut and slice materials.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Remove defective or substandard materials from machines, and readjust machine components so that products meet standards.
- Maintain production records, such as quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
- Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments.
- Press buttons, pull levers, or depress pedals to start and operate cutting and slicing machines.
- Review work orders, blueprints, specifications, or job samples to determine components, settings, and adjustments for cutting and slicing machines.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
AI
Last year BLS cited AI in this outlook; this year's table does not. That is not evidence the job is unaffected.
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Remove defective or substandard materials from machines, and readjust machine components so that products meet standards.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Reading Comprehension.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $46,570 a year and 5,400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$43,380 · -2.5%
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,550 · -10.8%
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,760 · -13.6%
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,330 · -10.5%
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$42,770 · -1.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.