Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
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.
14,000 people do this job in the US. $48,750 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 20%
- 0%
- 80%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 19%. Today's estimate: 20%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 16% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Instruct new workers in machine operation.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 33 min13 min to 1.1 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Heat billets, bars, plates, rods, and other stock to specified temperatures preparatory to forging, rolling, or processing, using oil, gas, or electrical furnaces.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine parts to ensure metal shades and colors conform to specifications, using knowledge of metal heat-treating.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Reduce heat when processing is complete to allow parts to cool in furnaces or machinery.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Test parts for hardness, using hardness testing equipment, or by examining and feeling samples.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders8% now, 8% by 2028
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders10% now, 10% by 2028
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6% now, 6% by 2028
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders6% now, 6% by 2028
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders11% now, 11% by 2028
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6% now, 6% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities3,220 people
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)2,480 people
- Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)1,070 people
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing940 people
- Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing630 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).