Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
What Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Do
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 3.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.2/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.1/5
- English Languageimportance 2.7/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.7/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.6/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.8/5
- Spend Time Standing4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.4/5
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.3/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic97% skill match
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic97% skill match
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders97% skill match
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Power Plant Operators95% skill match
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders95% skill match
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders95% skill match
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.6/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.5/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC13.21× national avg
- 2Gettysburg, PA11.41× national avg
- 3Elkhart-Goshen, IN9.60× national avg
- 4Fort Smith, AR-OK8.83× national avg
- 5Elizabethtown, KY5.73× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodLateral Move
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
See the full career path from Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders →