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Date: 04/09/2026

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

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

    Skills

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 49460/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 23.78/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,450
    • Yearly Projected Openings 130

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Air exhausters
    • Blast freezers
    • Bridge cranes
    • Carburization and nitrification electric furnace
    • Claw hammer
    • Conductivity meters
    • Facial shields
    • Forklifts
    • Fume hoods or cupboards
    • Gas generators
    • Grease guns
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hardness testers
    • Heat resistant clothing
    • Heat treating age hardening furnace
    • High frequency induction vacuum melting furnace
    • Hoists
    • Jib crane
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Magnifiers
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Open end wrenches
    • Pallet trucks
    • Personal computers
    • Power grinders
    • Protective gloves
    • Pry bars
    • Quench machine
    • Salt bath furnace
    • Sand blasting machine
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shot peening machine
    • Stackers
    • Thermocouples
    • Tongs
    • Vacuum pumps

    Technology

    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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