Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-4191.00
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.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.17–0.26· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 8121Metal Processing Plant Operators0.26
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators0.17
Task-level exposure
Show 22 hidden tasks26 rated tasks · 4 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (15.4%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 3 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.O*NET Task ID 12087 | 1.0 |
Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times.O*NET Task ID 12088 | 1.0 |
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.O*NET Task ID 12090 | 1.0 |
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.O*NET Task ID 12095 | 1.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (23)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated. | Core |
| Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times. | Core |
| 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. | Core |
| Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths. | Core |
| Instruct new workers in machine operation. | Core |
| 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. | Core |
| Move controls to light gas burners and to adjust gas and water flow and flame temperature. | Core |
| Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them. | Core |
| 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. | Supplemental |
| Position stock in furnaces, using tongs, chain hoists, or pry bars. | Supplemental |
| 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. | Supplemental |
| Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces. | Supplemental |
| Mount workpieces in fixtures, on arbors, or between centers of machines. | Supplemental |
| Reduce heat when processing is complete to allow parts to cool in furnaces or machinery. | Supplemental |
| Signal forklift operators to deposit or extract containers of parts into and from furnaces and quenching rinse tanks. | Supplemental |
| Test parts for hardness, using hardness testing equipment, or by examining and feeling samples. | Supplemental |
| Examine parts to ensure metal shades and colors conform to specifications, using knowledge of metal heat-treating. | Supplemental |
| Repair, replace, and maintain furnace equipment as needed, using hand tools. | Supplemental |
| Heat billets, bars, plates, rods, and other stock to specified temperatures preparatory to forging, rolling, or processing, using oil, gas, or electrical furnaces. | Supplemental |
| Clean oxides and scales from parts or fittings, using steam sprays or chemical and water baths. | Supplemental |
| Stamp heat-treatment identification marks on parts, using hammers and punches. | Supplemental |
| Set and adjust speeds of reels and conveyors for prescribed time cycles to pass parts through continuous furnaces. | Supplemental |
| Mount fixtures and industrial coils on machines, using hand tools. | Supplemental |
0.84/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| 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. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| 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. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Move controls to light gas burners and to adjust gas and water flow and flame temperature. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Position stock in furnaces, using tongs, chain hoists, or pry bars. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Mount workpieces in fixtures, on arbors, or between centers of machines. | E2 structured facilities |
| Reduce heat when processing is complete to allow parts to cool in furnaces or machinery. | E2 structured facilities |
| Test parts for hardness, using hardness testing equipment, or by examining and feeling samples. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Examine parts to ensure metal shades and colors conform to specifications, using knowledge of metal heat-treating. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Repair, replace, and maintain furnace equipment as needed, using hand tools. | E0 none |
| Heat billets, bars, plates, rods, and other stock to specified temperatures preparatory to forging, rolling, or processing, using oil, gas, or electrical furnaces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean oxides and scales from parts or fittings, using steam sprays or chemical and water baths. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Stamp heat-treatment identification marks on parts, using hammers and punches. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Set and adjust speeds of reels and conveyors for prescribed time cycles to pass parts through continuous furnaces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Mount fixtures and industrial coils on machines, using hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 14K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 13K
- Change (2025–35)
- -9.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $48,750
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84155 | 금속 열처리로 조작원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 84159 | 그 외 금속가공 기계 조작원 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8121Metal Processing Plant Operators
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- heat treatment furnace operatorESCO 7223.9This occupation is broader
Heat treatment furnace operators monitor the process of heat treatment of castings. They control the treatment furnaces and direct all activities of furnace operation, including the interpretation of computer data, temperature measurement and adjustment, and loading vessels. They control the chemicothermal treatment of castings in order to reach the standards.
- metal furnace operatorESCO 3135.1This occupation is broader
Metal furnace operators monitor the process of making metal before it is cast into forms. They control metal making furnaces and direct all activities of furnace operation, including the interpretation of computer data, temperature measurement and adjustment, loading vessels, and adding iron, oxygen, and other additives to be melted into the desired metal composition. They control the chemicothermal treatment of the metal in order to reach the standards. In case of observed faults in the metal, they notify the authorised personnel and participate in the removal of the fault.
- plastic heat treatment equipment operatorESCO 8142.10This occupation is broader
Plastic heat treatment equipment operators manipulate plastic products using machinery such as furnaces or flame-hardening machines in order to temper, anneal or heat-treat. They set up the machinery and read the production instructions to determine the furnace temperature. Plastic heat treatment equipment operators remove products from machines, let them cool down, examine and test products to see if they conform to specifications.
- metal annealerESCO 8121.3Overlapping, not the same
Metal annealers operate electric or gas kilns to soften metal so it can be cut and shaped more easily. They heat the metal to a specific temperature and / or colour and then slowly cool it, both according to specifications. Metal annealers inspect the metals through the entire process to observe any flaws.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H3403 | Opérateur / Opératrice de traitement thermique | Same scope |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8121 | Operadores en instalaciones para la obtención y transformación de metales | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 3135 | Técnicos en control de procesos de producción de metales | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 24302 | Berufe in der Metalloberflächenbehandlung (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 24301 | Berufe in der Metalloberflächenbehandlung (ohne Spezialisierung) - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 529 | その他の製品製造・加工処理従事者（金属製品） | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 499 | その他の生産設備制御・監視従事者（金属製品） | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources