Metal and plastic machine workers

$47k median pay1.0M US jobsSee How to Become One
4
out of 10
Building Momentum

The core of the work is physical and requires presence on a factory floor to handle materials and maintain machinery. However, AI and advanced automation are increasingly capable of handling the digital aspects of the job, such as CNC programming, machine monitoring, and quality inspection, which is already contributing to a projected decline in employment.

Task breakdown

AI can do now25%
AI can assist38%
Human domain38%

Based on 0 O*NET work activities for this occupation

I want to...

Tools built for this work

1
CloudNC CAM AssistPricing not public — quoted per seat by shop size

Generates machining strategies and toolpaths inside existing CAM software, which CloudNC says completes up to 80% of a CAM program in minutes.

Learn more

Pricing verified as of August 2026. Vendors change plans often — confirm on the tool’s site before buying.

3 ways to level up

1

Build an AI-assisted workflow for your top task

Take your highest-volume recurring task and redesign it with AI in the loop. Document the before/after process so your team can follow it.

Moves you from 4 → 6
2

Replace one manual review process with AI + human check

Let AI handle the first pass on document review, data validation, or quality checks. You review AI's output instead of doing it from scratch.

Cut review time by 60%
3

Set up AI templates for recurring deliverables

Create reusable AI prompts for reports, proposals, or analyses you produce regularly. Save them where your team can access and adapt them.

Moves you from 5 → 7

Estimated time savings

4.8hours per week

Conservative estimate based on AI exposure score and a 40-hour work week. Assumes 30% of exposed tasks produce real time savings today.

Personalized plan

Answer 3 quick questions and get a tailored action plan with specific tools, timelines, and next steps for your role.

AI Score measures how much AI opportunity your role has. Higher scores mean more potential for AI-assisted productivity gains. Scores are derived from O*NET task data across 342 occupations. This is a starting point, not a verdict. Tool recommendations are based on industry fit and are not endorsements.

Methodology · jobsdata.ai