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

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

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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Production and Processingimportance 3.9/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 2.9/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 2.8/5
• Chemistryimportance 2.7/5
• Mechanicalimportance 2.6/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.6/5
• Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.8/5
• Time Pressure4.6/5
• Spend Time Standing4.5/5
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
• Exposed to Contaminants4.4/5
• Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.3/5

Related Careers

• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
• Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
• Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders97% skill match
• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders96% skill match
• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood96% skill match
• Helpers--Production Workers95% skill match
• Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders94% skill match
• Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders94% skill match
• Chemical Plant and System Operators94% skill match
• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
• Operation and Controlimportance 3.8/5
• Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
• Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
• Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
• Instructingimportance 2.9/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Attention to Detail
• Stress Tolerance
• Integrity
• Achievement Orientation
• Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• SocialLow
• ArtisticLow
• EnterprisingLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Columbus, IN39.89× national avg
2. 2Reading, PA12.16× national avg
3. 3Canton-Massillon, OH11.57× national avg
4. 4Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI11.08× national avg
5. 5Rockford, IL9.34× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and TendersLateral Move
• Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersLateral Move
• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersLateral Move
• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass FibersLateral Move

See the full career path from Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.