Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

However, not every task is smart. Simple jobs like sweeping up metal chips or stamping a part number are usually done by regular tools or people, not by AI. We didn’t find examples of autonomous robots doing shop-floor cleaning or labeling beyond basic machines or stamps.

Similarly, planning the order of operations is still often done with usual software or human judgment (though new AI scheduling tools are being tested ^[4]). In short, the heavy-duty cutting and forming steps have seen much automation, but many other steps still need human hands and eyes.

On the other hand, smart machines are expensive. A small shop with low labor costs (median pay is about \$22.50/hour for these jobs ^[1]) may hesitate to pay for costly robots and AI. And some tasks are still tricky: machines may struggle to handle odd-shaped metal or sudden changes.

Studies find AI scheduling and monitoring can cut costs and waste ^[4], but it takes time to train systems and staff. In general, when wages rise or workers are hard to find, factories adopt automation faster. Where budgets or flexibility are tight, change comes more slowly.

Even as AI grows, skilled workers remain important for setting up machines, fixing problems, and dealing with new situations – human judgment and skill still play a big role in metalworking ^{[1] [2]}.