Job description

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.

• Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
• 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.
• Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times.
• 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.

Salary

Heat Treating Equipment Operators with little to no experience tend to make between $25580 and $30260 while the more experienced ones can earn over $46750 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Heat Treating Equipment Setter, Operator and Tender, Metal and Plastic is to move to a higher paying state like WA. Right now, the highest paying states for Heat Treating Equipment Operators are WA, OR, MA, NC and VT.

However, a higher pay at WA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at WA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Heat Treating Equipment Setter, Operator and Tender, Metal and Plastic is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Heat Treating Equipment Operators what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by less than a High School Diploma.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Heat Treating Equipment Setter, Operator and Tender, Metal and Plastic.

What is the job like

59% of Heat Treating Equipment Operators said they were satisfied with their job and 38% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

Explore other careers