Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: $47K vs $49K Median Pay

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: what changes?

Consider Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders if you want to set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material. Consider Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic if you would rather set up, operate, or tend heating equipment, such as heat-treating furnaces, flame-hardening machines, induction machines, soaking pits, or vacuum equipment to temper, harden, anneal, or heat treat metal or…. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

National median pay (2025): $46,570
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

National median pay (2025): $48,750
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 9.5% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic brief

How the national numbers differ

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at 5,400 annual openings, compared with 1,100 annual openings for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at -0.9% projected growth, compared with -9.5% projected growth for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is at $48,750, compared with $46,570 for Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

40.9/ 100

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

28.8/ 100

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Dimension	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay (2025)	$46,570	$48,750
Pay percentile	22.2 percentile	29.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-0.9%	-9.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,400	1,100
2025 employment	45,900	14,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief Read Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic brief

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

How the national numbers differ

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

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Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Pourers and Casters, Metal

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers