Model Makers, Metal and Plastic

Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects.

Sector: Skilled Trades
Preparation: Zone 3 — medium preparation needed
O*NET code: 51-4061.00

What you'll actually do

The activities O*NET rates highest for this occupation, most important first. Numbers are out of 100.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

central to the job — rated 86/100 for importance.
Controlling Machines and Processes

a major part of the work — rated 78/100 for importance.
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People

a major part of the work — rated 72/100 for importance.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

a major part of the work — rated 72/100 for importance.
Getting Information

a major part of the work — rated 71/100 for importance.
Thinking Creatively

a major part of the work — rated 70/100 for importance.

Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects. Includes template makers.

What it takes

Two numbers per line: the level the work expects, and how important it is to doing the job well. Both are O*NET ratings, already on a 0–100 scale.

Skills

Operation and Control

Needed at a solid working level (50/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.
Operations Monitoring

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 63/100 for importance.
Quality Control Analysis

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 56/100 for importance.
Critical Thinking

Needed at a solid working level (46/100), and rated 56/100 for importance.
Monitoring

Needed at a basic working level (43/100), and rated 53/100 for importance.

Knowledge

Mechanical

Needed at a high level (66/100), and rated 84/100 for importance.
Mathematics

Needed at a solid working level (56/100), and rated 76/100 for importance.
Production and Processing

Needed at a solid working level (51/100), and rated 73/100 for importance.
Design

Needed at a solid working level (52/100), and rated 72/100 for importance.

Abilities

Near Vision

Needed at a solid working level (57/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Visualization

Needed at a solid working level (55/100), and rated 69/100 for importance.
Control Precision

Needed at a solid working level (54/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.
Arm-Hand Steadiness

Needed at a solid working level (50/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.

How people get in

O*NET places this occupation in Zone 3 — medium preparation needed. That is a statement about what employers typically require, not a rule about you.

Education

Vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent on-the-job experience.

Experience

One to two years of related experience is typical.

Training

Employers expect you to arrive with the core skill already.

How the work tends to run

Each line below is read off a single O*NET activity rating for this occupation — named, so you can disagree with it.

You run equipment, and running it well is a skill in itself.From “Controlling Machines and Processes”

How FlightWay scores your fit against this

No black box. Here is the whole method, factor by factor.

1. You answer a short quiz: Your answers build a profile across the same 161 O*NET dimensions this page is describing — skills, knowledge, abilities and work activities. Same axes, so the comparison is like-for-like.
2. We correlate the two profiles: Fit is a mean-centered cosine — a correlation between the SHAPE of your profile and the shape of Model Makers, Metal and Plastic. Centering matters: raw similarity between any two occupations sits at 0.70–0.85 because all work shares a common profile, so without it every career would look like a match.
3. The number you see is personality fit only: "Would I want this work" and "am I ready for this work" are different questions, and averaging them answers neither. So readiness — what your résumé, coursework and projects prove — is scored separately and shown next to fit, never blended into it.
4. Every factor is visible: You can open any match and see which dimensions pushed it up and which pulled it down. If you disagree with the number, you can see exactly where it came from.

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Occupational data on this page comes from the O*NET 30.3 Database, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET is a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. FlightWay is not endorsed by, and USDOL/ETA is not responsible for, anything built on that data — see our terms. What is ours is the comparison, the score and the plan.