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Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Production · SOC 51-4191
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$48,750
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
1,700
Proj. Annual Openings
14,000
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-5.4%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-4191 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 52/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $48,750
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 1,700
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -12.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 1,927 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlActive ListeningSpeakingMonitoring
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
18.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI17.6%
AI ability · AIOE37.6%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne91%
AI could do ~17.6% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Active Listening
4.Speaking
5.Monitoring
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Batch Heat Treat Operator, Burner, Coating Line Worker, Furnace Operator, Heat Treat Furnace Operator, Heat Treat Operator
Representative Tasks
- •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.
- •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.
- •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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
- •Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
- •Determine metal or plastic production methods.
- •Record operational or production data.
- •Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Word · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotSAP software · hot
Related Occupations
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and TendersFurnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and TendersMolding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticSeparating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersWelding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-4191: 2019 — employment: 19,560, median wage: $38,250; 2020 — employment: 16,550, median wage: $39,530; 2021 — employment: 14,540, median wage: $38,450; 2022 — employment: 15,600, median wage: $40,900; 2023 — employment: 14,950, median wage: $44,240; 2025 — employment: 14,000, median wage: $48,750.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $48,750 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |