How to become a heat treating equipment setter, 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.

Steps to get there

Most employers expect usually requires a high school diploma or ged, though some occupations may not..Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

What heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do

• 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.
• Instruct new workers in machine operation.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills that matter most

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Monitoring
• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing
• Mathematics
• Active Learning

Is heat treating equipment setter, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic a good career?

On the numbers, this job is close to the average across occupations. Median pay is 4% below the all-occupation median. Whether it fits you depends on the work itself, the schooling you are willing to do and where you want to live.

Where it pays most

• Washington $61,990
• Oregon $60,280
• Colorado $58,300
• West Virginia $56,880
• Virginia $55,070

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary by state and city

Sources: O*NET® 31.0 (CC BY 4.0, USDOL/ETA) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025.