How To Become A Punch Press Setter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a punch press setter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a punch press setter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.03 an hour? That's $35,423 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePunch Press SetterUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,423

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 21.38%

male 78.62%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a punch press setter

Explore punch press setter education requirements

Most common punch press setter degrees

High School Diploma

51.0 %

Diploma

22.4 %

Certificate

14.3 %

Start to develop specific punch press setter skills

Skills	Percentages
Punch Press Machine	27.66%
Calipers	21.59%
Grinders	15.36%
RAN	8.99%
SPC	7.80%

Complete relevant punch press setter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New punch press setters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a punch press setter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real punch press setter resumes.

Research punch press setter duties and responsibilities

Operate punch press, counter sink parts, run tapping machines, and riveting machines.
Machine operators and tenders monitor the machinery during operation.
Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools.

Prepare your punch press setter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your punch press setter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a punch press setter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable punch press setter resume templates

Build a professional punch press setter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your punch press setter resume.