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

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$47,450	1300	-9.5%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$47,450

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

1300

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

-9.5%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

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 plastic objects.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months

On-the-Job Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months

Detailed Work Activities

Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
Record operational or production data.
Operate heating or drying equipment.
Determine metal or plastic production methods.
Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
Position raw materials on processing or production equipment.
Instruct workers to use equipment or perform technical procedures.
Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Determine metal or plastic production methods.
Load items into ovens or furnaces.
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Signal others to coordinate work activities.
Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
Maintain production or processing equipment.
Replace worn equipment components.
Repair production equipment or tools.
Load items into ovens or furnaces.
Signal others to coordinate work activities.
Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
Clean production equipment.
Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
Operate heating or drying equipment.
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times.
Adjust controls to maintain temperatures and heating times, using thermal instruments and charts, dials and gauges of furnaces, and color of stock in furnaces to make setting determinations.
Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them.
Set up and operate or tend machines, such as furnaces, baths, flame-hardening machines, and electronic induction machines, that harden, anneal, and heat-treat metal.
Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths.
Move controls to light gas burners and to adjust gas and water flow and flame temperature.
Instruct new workers in machine operation.
Determine flame temperatures, current frequencies, heating cycles, and induction heating coils needed, based on degree of hardness required and properties of stock to be treated.
Determine types and temperatures of baths and quenching media needed to attain specified part hardness, toughness, and ductility, using heat-treating charts and knowledge of methods, equipment, and metals.
Examine parts to ensure metal shades and colors conform to specifications, using knowledge of metal heat-treating.
Set and adjust speeds of reels and conveyors for prescribed time cycles to pass parts through continuous furnaces.
Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces.
Test parts for hardness, using hardness testing equipment, or by examining and feeling samples.
Signal forklift operators to deposit or extract containers of parts into and from furnaces and quenching rinse tanks.
Mount workpieces in fixtures, on arbors, or between centers of machines.
Reduce heat when processing is complete to allow parts to cool in furnaces or machinery.
Mount fixtures and industrial coils on machines, using hand tools.
Heat billets, bars, plates, rods, and other stock to specified temperatures preparatory to forging, rolling, or processing, using oil, gas, or electrical furnaces.
Position stock in furnaces, using tongs, chain hoists, or pry bars.
Repair, replace, and maintain furnace equipment as needed, using hand tools.
Clean oxides and scales from parts or fittings, using steam sprays or chemical and water baths.
Stamp heat-treatment identification marks on parts, using hammers and punches.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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