Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Work setting and environment | Indoors, not environmentally controlled 67% every day and 18% never (O*NET work context percentage response scope; the same below) Protection and exposure | Wearing common protective or safety equipment 90% every day; exposure to contaminants 67% every day and 22% once a week or more; exposure to distracting or uncomfortable noise levels 62% every day and 22% once a week or more Temperature and burns | Exposure to extremely hot or cold temperatures 63% once a week or more and 22% every day; exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings 36% every day and 27% once a month or more Physical effort and posture | Standing 57% continually or almost continually and 42% more than half the time; using hands to handle or control or feel objects 60% continually or almost continually and 28% more than half the time Time and pace | Time pressure 60% every day and 40% once a week or more; typical work week length 56% more than 40 hours and 44% 40 hours; pace determined by speed of equipment 51% extremely important and 13% very important Precision and repetition | Importance of being exact or accurate 63% extremely important and 13% very important; importance of repeating the same tasks 63% extremely important and 12% very important Communication and collaboration | Face-to-face discussions 61% every day and 28% once a month or more; work activity importance of communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates 69; work with a work group or team 37% extremely important and 28% very important Decisions and responsibility | Frequency of decision making 36% every day, 29% once a week or more, and 23% never; consequence of error 20% very serious, 23% serious, and 37% fairly serious; responsibility for others' health and safety 31% extremely high, 44% high, and 25% moderate Automation and shifts | Degree of automation 41% not at all automated, 32% moderately automated, and 27% slightly automated; work schedule 86% regular (established fixed schedule) and 14% irregular; electronic mail 70% never and 13% every day

Recording and collaboration note | Starting from the production schedule and work orders and material grades and drawing technical requirements, first verify the workpieces and material and quantity, target hardness and mechanical properties, furnace type and loading method and fixtures, heating temperature and soaking time and heating rate, quench or anneal or temper medium and temperature, permissible distortion and oxidation and decarburization control, and inspection sampling and hardness test locations, and then carry out loading and heating and cooling and inspection and hand over by shift. Matters involving changes to critical process parameters, process qualification, rework and concession use, and energy isolation and equipment maintenance must be carried out according to position authorization and policy, and traceable furnace load and inspection records must be retained.

BLS wage scope as presented by O*NET | This page corresponds to O*NET/SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). It must be stated faithfully: the 2025 U.S. wage presented by O*NET on the 51-4191.00 page is a median hourly wage of $23.44 / median annual wage of $48,750 (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope); in the distribution, the 10th percentile is an hourly wage of $16.92 and an annual wage of $35,180, the 25th percentile an hourly wage of $19.55 and an annual wage of $40,660, the 75th percentile an hourly wage of $28.08 and an annual wage of $58,400, and the 90th percentile an hourly wage of $31.90 and an annual wage of $66,350, all taken from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS 2025, as presented by O*NET); the page does not mark the data as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation, so they are presented under this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope; benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses are excluded while production incentive bonuses are included, and the median is not the entry-level starting wage. Mainland China has not established a national occupational wage distribution precisely corresponding to this occupation, and this page registers the gap according to the evidence policy without filling it in.

Reading production schedules and work orders → material preparation and furnace loading → heating and soaking and temperature control → cooling and quenching or annealing or tempering → hardness and appearance inspection → recording and exception handling and handover

Mainland China scope and gaps | In mainland China, there are positions in metal heat treating that are similar to Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (such as heat treatment operators, heat treatment furnace operators, quench and temper operators, induction heat treating operators, and vacuum heat treating operators), and their work and equipment and safety and occupational health and energy consumption and records are governed by the Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and related regulations and standards on special equipment, work safety, occupational health, environmental protection, and metrology. However, the National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of urban unit employees by industry category without distinguishing occupations, and public occupational statistics have not established a national occupational wage distribution precisely corresponding to O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic); this page retains the search scope and the gap and does not infer starting salaries, take-home income, or personal quotes from industry averages, job posting offers, or U.S. data.

Safety and compliance note | Organize work according to work safety and special equipment and occupational health and environmental protection and record requirements: heating and cooling and medium and equipment operations must be consistent with process documents and equipment procedures and current standards and must state their sources and limitations, and must not replace process qualification or special equipment inspection or work accident determinations; operations involving high heat and open flame and furnace gases and lifting and energy isolation must follow the prescribed work permits and personal protective equipment requirements; and the collection and use and external provision of client drawings and process parameters and inspection data must have a lawful basis, be limited to the minimum necessary scope, and follow institutional approval and documentation requirements.

BLS employment projection scope as presented by O*NET | The employment and growth and openings presented by O*NET on the 51-4191.00 page are taken from the BLS employment projections (2025—2035), and the page does not mark them as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation: 2025 employment is 14,400, and the 2025—2035 projected growth is labeled Decline (precise change -9.5%), with about 1,100 average annual job openings expected during the period (including growth and replacements); this scope is a projection rather than actual hiring and consists mainly of replacement needs; this occupation is mainly distributed in manufacturing.

Material preparation and verification → furnace loading and soaking → heating and soaking → quenching or annealing or tempering and cooling → hardness and appearance inspection → recording and exception handling and equipment inspection and handover

Standards and quality boundaries | This page involves three types of requirements: first, process and quality, meaning heating and cooling and medium parameters must be carried out in accordance with materials and drawings and process documents and equipment procedures, with process and inspection and equipment inspection records kept; second, safety and occupational health, meaning high heat and open flame and furnace gases and lifting and energy isolation and personal protective equipment must meet work safety and special equipment and occupational health requirements; third, environment and energy consumption, meaning the handling of waste gas and waste liquid and noise and energy consumption and solid waste must meet environmental protection and energy conservation requirements; all three are governed by the currently effective versions and the competent authority's and institution's requirements.

Recording and collaboration | Record, in accordance with enterprise process and quality and equipment management policies, the production schedules and work orders, material preparation and furnace loading, heating and temperature control, cooling and quenching or tempering, hardness and appearance inspection, equipment inspection and maintenance and exception handling and rework and concessions and shift handover and original records and revision audit trails, and verify pending and completed batches with process engineering and quality control and maintenance and upstream and downstream positions; exceptions and non-conforming items must be promptly isolated and reported.

Boundary conclusion | This page corresponds to O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic), and the core difference from adjacent positions lies in "subject matter, output, and authorization level": this occupation takes the heating and cooling and heat treating of metal and plastic workpieces as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces completed according to process requirements and traceable process and inspection records; drawing on materials and heat treating knowledge and equipment operation capability, it completes operations and judgments within the scope of position authorization, being responsible for workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety; adjacent forming and finishing positions take forming or surface machining as their subject matter, with different responsibility and authorization levels.

Core concept of adjacent positions | Positions in the same group and adjacent positions mostly aim to "process workpieces or materials to the specified state within equipment and safety and quality requirements and leave an audit trail," with differences in subject matter and output and authorization level: some take metal heating and cooling and microstructure and properties as their subject matter, and some take forming or rolling or extrusion or grinding or plating as theirs, with different responsibility and process parameter space.

Core purpose of this occupation | Taking metal and plastic workpieces and materials and drawing requirements and equipment as its subject matter, complete the work within safety and quality and authorization: material preparation and furnace loading, heating and soaking and temperature control, cooling and quenching or annealing or tempering, hardness and appearance inspection, equipment inspection and maintenance, and recording and exception handling and handover, producing heat treated workpieces that meet requirements and traceable records.

Main subject matter and basis of adjacent positions | Refractory Materials Repairers rely on furnace and kiln masonry and refractory procedures; Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on extrusion and drawing process procedures; Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on forging process procedures; Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on rolling process procedures; Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on grinding and surface machining procedures; and Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders rely on smelting and melting process procedures. They are mostly forming or finishing or smelting steps and differ from this occupation's heating and cooling and microstructure and property control.

Main subject matter and basis of this occupation | The subject matter is workpiece materials and drawing technical requirements, production schedules and work orders, furnace types and fixtures, heating and soaking parameters, cooling and quench or temper media, hardness and mechanical property requirements, and equipment status and safety requirements, based on heat treating process documents and equipment operating procedures and work safety and special equipment and occupational health and quality requirements for carrying out operations and judgments.

Occupational profile | The Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic on this page is the exact occupation O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic), which in the heat treating shops of manufacturing enterprises in metal products and machinery and automotive and mold and bearing and cutting tool and fastener industries carries out heating and cooling and heat treating tasks; the work is mainly operating and tending heat treating furnaces and quenching and cooling equipment, accompanied by handling and lifting and equipment inspection and recording, and usually requires standing work in high heat and noise and contaminant environments, with production organized by shift and takt.

Core processes of adjacent positions | Refractory Materials Repairers focus on furnace and kiln demolition and masonry and casting and furnace drying; extrusion and drawing and forging and rolling positions focus on billet heating and forming and dimensional control; grinding and polishing and buffing positions focus on surface and dimensional finishing; metal-refining furnace positions focus on smelting and refining and casting; and this occupation focuses on heating and soaking and cooling and microstructure and property control.

Core processes of this occupation | Read production schedules and work orders, material preparation and furnace loading, heating and soaking and temperature control, cooling and quenching or annealing or tempering, hardness and appearance inspection, and recording and exception handling and handover; every step must be carried out in accordance with process documents and equipment procedures and safety requirements and must be reviewable by process engineering and quality control and superiors.

Main outputs of adjacent positions | Refractory Materials Repairers produce furnace and kiln masonry and furnace drying records; extrusion and drawing and forging and rolling positions produce formed parts and dimensional and process records; grinding and polishing and buffing positions produce finished parts and surface and dimensional records; metal-refining furnace positions produce smelting and casting records; these differ from this occupation's heat treated workpieces and microstructure and property records.

Main outputs of this occupation | Heat treated workpieces completed as required, heat treating process and measured parameter records, hardness and appearance inspection records, equipment inspection and maintenance records, exception and rework or repair and concession handling records, and traceable furnace load and batch and handover records.

Responsibility holder for adjacent positions | Responsibility for positions in the same group and adjacent positions is usually defined by the employing enterprise together with position specifications and safety and quality policies, and the objects of responsibility are mostly workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety and production continuity.

This occupation is responsible for the furnace loads it personally operates and the heating and cooling and inspection and equipment inspection and records of its own shift, and for the work completed according to process documents and equipment procedures and safety requirements; matters involving process qualification and major parameter changes, rework and concession use, special equipment inspection and maintenance and energy isolation, and work accident determinations must be referred to process engineering or quality control or equipment or superiors according to position authorization and policy.

Authority and approval for adjacent positions | The authority of positions in the same group and adjacent positions comes from enterprise authorization and position specifications and special equipment and safety requirements, and generally does not include the authority to decide on their own on process qualification and equipment maintenance and major handling beyond their own authorization or scope; matters involving process qualification and special equipment inspection and major safety matters should be referred to the corresponding position or institution.

Authority and approval for this occupation | Routine furnace loading and heating and temperature control and cooling and inspection and equipment inspection must be carried out within position authorization and process documents and equipment procedures; matters involving changes to critical process parameters, process qualification and approval, rework and concession use, and special equipment inspection and maintenance and energy isolation and work permits must be carried out according to policy and authorization; requirements involving licenses or special operations and safety qualifications are governed by the competent authority's and enterprise's requirements.

Boundaries of conclusions for adjacent positions | Conclusions of positions in the same group and adjacent positions are mostly limited to the level of their own process and their own duties, and generally do not constitute a determination of final product quality or safety or legal liability; the application of conclusions that cross processes or involve special equipment and safety and process qualification has its own scope limits.

Boundaries of conclusions for this occupation | Hardness and appearance and process conclusions state only verifiable furnace loads and parameters and measured and inspection results, and distinguish measured facts from judgment inferences and items pending verification; conclusions must not be issued in one's own name on matters beyond one's authorization (process qualification and major parameter changes, special equipment inspection conclusions, work accident determinations, final product release).

Pre-onboarding verification note | The following six items are for item-by-item verification before applying and onboarding, to avoid inferring actual duties and authorization from job titles or promotional language; verification results should be based on written recruitment information and the employment contract and the position description and process and safety policy documents, and should be continuously confirmed after onboarding. This page lists verification points only and does not constitute hiring or safety conclusions.

Notes on verification points | Positions with similar titles differ greatly in duties and authorization: some focus on operating semi-automatic or manual furnaces, some on induction or vacuum or continuous furnaces and automated lines, some also handle quenching and tempering and media and wastewater, and some also handle equipment inspection and repair; different enterprises and jurisdictions have different requirements for special equipment and special operations and safety qualifications and occupational health examinations and work permits, so they must be verified before judging fit.

01 Actual duties and equipment authority of the position | Verify whether the role genuinely involves independent furnace loading and heating and temperature control and cooling and inspection work, or is mainly handling and assistance and cleaning; verify the furnace types and quenching and cooling equipment and fixtures and instrument authority that may be operated, the authority to set and modify process parameters, and the interface relationships with process engineering and quality control and crane or forklift operators.

Notes on verification points | This occupation works mostly in high heat and open flame and furnace gas and lifting and noise and contaminant environments, and usually requires safety and equipment operation and occupational health training and compliance with personal protective equipment and work permit and energy isolation and emergency response requirements.

02 Safety and occupational health requirements | Verify whether the enterprise requires and provides: safety operating procedures and special equipment operations and occupational health training and examinations; personal protective equipment and high heat and furnace gas and lifting and energy isolation and work permit requirements; emergency response and drills; and the handling and reporting requirements for furnace gas and waste gas and waste liquid and noise and solid waste.

Notes on verification points | U.S. O*NET places 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic) in Job Zone 1-2 (little or no preparation needed to some preparation needed), with an SVP range of below 6.0 (SVP below 6.0); the education section shows 70% requiring a high school diploma or equivalent, 20% less than a high school diploma, and 10% postsecondary certificate; a sample registered apprenticeship is Heat Treater I; and this occupation is not marked Bright Outlook.

03 Education and training and apprenticeship requirements | Verify whether a high school diploma or equivalent and related training or on-the-job training are required (the education distribution on that page shows 70% requiring a high school diploma or equivalent, 20% less than a high school diploma, and 10% postsecondary certificate), whether a registered apprenticeship or mentor-led training is provided, whether special operations and special equipment and safety qualifications or in-house training and assessment are required, and whether the training and assessment cover furnace loading and temperature control and quenching and inspection and safety and emergency response.

Notes on verification points | This occupation focuses on equipment operation and tending and physical activity (Handling and Moving Objects 81, Controlling Machines and Processes 80, and Performing General Physical Activities 79 are the highest activities; standing 57% continually or almost continually, using hands 60% continually or almost continually, wearing protective equipment 90% every day, time pressure 60% every day), so real physical capacity and environmental tolerance and shift arrangements must be included in the verification.

04 Wages, working hours, and employment contract scope | Verify the composition of the offered compensation (base salary, shift and high-heat and night allowances, performance pay and piece rates and overtime, differences by enterprise type and region, and the five social insurance schemes, housing provident fund, occupational health, and labor protection arrangements), working hours and shift and overtime and rest arrangements, contract term and probation and termination conditions, and training and certification and promotion arrangements; the U.S. median and percentiles serve only as market reference and are not equal to the offer of any enterprise or region.

Notes on verification points | The interface relationships with process engineering and quality control and equipment maintenance and upstream and downstream processes and crane or forklift positions determine the boundaries of parameter setting and exception handling and responsibility and release, and must be clarified in advance.

05 Interface authority with process and quality and equipment departments | Verify the authority to set and modify furnace temperatures and process parameters, the application and approval arrangements for equipment inspection and maintenance and energy isolation and work permits, the paths for hardness and appearance inspection and acceptance and non-conforming product isolation and rework concessions, and the requirements for handling and externally providing client drawings and process secrets and inspection data.

Notes on verification points | The traceability and audit trail requirements for furnace loads and process parameters and inspection data and equipment inspection and maintenance and exception handling determine quality and the definition of responsibility, and the specifications for templates and time limits and modification and archiving and permissions and retention periods must be clarified in advance (materials involving client drawings and process secrets must also be managed according to confidentiality and minimum necessary requirements).

06 Process and inspection and record-keeping and audit trail requirements | Verify the production schedule and work order records, material preparation and furnace loading records, heating and temperature control and measured curve records, cooling and quenching or tempering records, hardness and appearance inspection records, equipment inspection and maintenance and repair records, exception and rework or repair and concession and non-conforming product isolation records, and the work permit and shift handover and original record and revision audit trail requirements.

Conclusion | The core difference between this page (O*NET 51-4191.00 Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic) and adjacent positions lies in "subject matter, output, and authorization level": this occupation takes the heating and cooling and heat treating of metal and plastic workpieces as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces completed according to process requirements and traceable process and inspection records; the adjacent positions take forming (forging, rolling, extrusion and drawing), surface and dimensional finishing (grinding and polishing), smelting (metal-refining furnaces), or furnace and kiln masonry and repair as their subject matter, with different output and process parameter space.

Evidence note | The comparison subjects in the table below come from the O*NET occupational classification and public materials, and are intended to help distinguish the work content of adjacent occupations and choose a fit; they do not constitute qualification, hiring, or compensation conclusions, nor do they constitute safety, special equipment, or legal advice. The wages and employment of each occupation must be verified under its own occupational code and statistical scope and cannot be applied to one another.

Preface | The following comparison is organized in four columns: "career direction—core work and output—key differences—who it suits better." Metal heat treating and forming and finishing and smelting and furnace and kiln positions are often connected within the same metalworking production chain, but connection does not mean they are interchangeable; each position differs in subject matter, equipment, process parameters, and qualification and responsibility boundaries, and must be verified separately.

Key differences: this occupation takes the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metal and plastic workpieces as its subject matter, and, drawing on materials and heat treating knowledge and equipment operation capability, completes furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection and recording within the scope of position authorization, being responsible for workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety; the adjacent positions take forming or surface finishing or smelting or furnace and kiln masonry as their subject matter, with different process parameters and bases for judgment.

Better suited to people who are willing to work with their hands over the long term in high heat and equipment and contaminant environments, can make temperature and time and cooling control solid, and are willing to take responsibility for workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety.

Core work and output: read production schedules and work orders, load furnaces and heat and soak and control temperature, cool and quench or anneal or temper, test hardness and inspect appearance, and inspect and maintain furnace equipment and record and handle exceptions; the output is heat treated workpieces that meet requirements and process and inspection and equipment records.

This occupation: Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (O*NET/SOC 51-4191.00, Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic)

Key differences: its subject matter is furnace and kiln masonry and refractory repair, and its output is furnace and kiln masonry and furnace drying records; this occupation takes workpiece heating and cooling and heat treating as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces and process and inspection records; both work at high temperatures but with different subject matter.

Better suited to people who are willing to work on furnace and kiln masonry and refractory repair and furnace drying; this occupation leans more toward workpiece heating and cooling and microstructure and property control and inspection.

Core work and output: the subject matter is the refractory demolition and masonry and casting and furnace drying of furnaces and kilns and high-temperature vessels, and the output is furnace and kiln masonry and furnace drying records.

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons (49-9044.00)

Key differences: its subject matter is extrusion and drawing forming and dimensional control, and its output is formed parts and dimensional and process records; this occupation takes heating and cooling and microstructure and property control as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces and inspection records.

Better suited to people who are willing to work on extrusion and drawing forming and dimensional control; this occupation leans more toward heating and cooling and microstructure and property control and inspection.

Core work and output: the subject matter is extruding or drawing billets to shape and controlling dimensions after heating, and the output is formed parts and dimensional and process records.

Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4023.00)

Key differences: its subject matter is forging and die forging forming and dimensional control, and its output is forgings and process records; this occupation takes heating and cooling and heat treating as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces and inspection records; the two often connect at the pre-forging heating step but with different objectives.

Better suited to people who are willing to work on forging and die forging forming; this occupation leans more toward heating and cooling and microstructure and property control and inspection.

Core work and output: the subject matter is forging and die forging billets to shape and controlling dimensions and microstructure after heating, and the output is forgings and process and dimensional records.

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4022.00)

Key differences: its subject matter is rolling forming and thickness and shape control, and its output is rolled parts and dimensional and process records; this occupation takes heating and cooling and microstructure and property control as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces and inspection records.

Better suited to people who are willing to work on rolling forming and dimensional and shape control; this occupation leans more toward heating and cooling and microstructure and property control and inspection.

Core work and output: the subject matter is rolling billets to shape and controlling thickness and shape after heating, and the output is rolled parts and dimensional and process records.

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4021.00)

Key differences: its subject matter is the surface and dimensional finishing of grinding and lapping and polishing and buffing, and its output is finished parts and surface and dimensional records; this occupation takes heating and cooling and microstructure and property control as its subject matter, and its output is heat treated workpieces and inspection records; the two are complementary in the quality chain but with different objectives.

Better suited to people who are willing to work on surface and dimensional finishing; this occupation leans more toward heating and cooling and microstructure and property control and inspection.

Core work and output: the subject matter is the surface and dimensional finishing and smoothness of workpieces, and the output is finished parts and surface and dimensional records.

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4033.00)

Transition | This page places adjacent positions side by side by "subject matter, output, and authorization level" to help you judge which kind of metalworking position you want to invest in long term. Whichever direction you choose, what really determines whether you can take the job is that direction's equipment operation and process and safety and inspection capabilities, and the target enterprise's and jurisdiction's requirements for training and qualifications and occupational health; wages and employment must be verified under each occupational code and statistical scope and cannot be applied to one another.

Entry and shadowing stage

Use digital tools in reversible supporting steps: organizing work orders and process cards, organizing equipment and fixture and medium ledgers, and entering inspection data; furnace temperature and cooling and release judgments are subject to mentoring and authorization.

Independent operation position

Use instruments and systems to record and trace temperature and time and medium data; furnace temperature setpoint judgments and cooling and quenching judgments and hardness release judgments remain the individual's responsibility according to process and authorization.

Skilled and specialty position

Use tools for multi-furnace-load data aggregation and process stability and equipment status and inspection trend organization; complex and controlled matters (process qualification and major parameter changes, special equipment inspection, exception and non-conforming handling) are confirmed by the individual together with process engineering or equipment or superiors.

Team and shop management position

Use tools for quality and equipment and energy and safety and output statistics and reports and knowledge management; major conclusions and process changes and furnace shutdown and maintenance and external disclosure must be manually approved and documented.

Editorial task judgment | Work orders, ledgers, and inspection summaries can be trialed for assistance in an approved environment; there is no evidence of generative AI adoption rate, measured efficiency gain, or employment causality for this occupation. Ordinary control instruments, MES/ERP, and generative AI are different. The O*NET automation context is 32% moderately automated, 27% slightly automated, and 41% not at all automated, which is a response distribution and cannot be turned into an AI exposure level. BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

O*NET 51-4191.00 detailed information (tasks and work activities)

Used to define the task scope and work context of this occupation (reading production schedules and work orders 96, determining flame temperatures and current frequencies and heating cycles and induction heating coils 93, recording the time parts are removed from the furnace 92, determining bath and quench medium types and temperatures 92, adjusting controls to maintain temperature and heating time 90, inspecting parts' color and hue against specifications 90; Handling and Moving Objects 81, Controlling Machines and Processes 80, Performing General Physical Activities 79, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events 77); this is a U.S. occupational classification scope and does not cover mainland China's special equipment and safety standards.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS 2025)

Used for point-in-time estimates of U.S. wages and percentiles; this page adopts this occupation's own scope as presented by O*NET on the 51-4191.00 page and does not describe it as values for adjacent occupations.

BLS employment projections (2025—2035)

BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

O*NET 51-4191.00 hot technologies (software skills)

Used to describe the tool situation in the reporting and documentation and work order management steps; the page lists 5 software skills (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, SAP, Microsoft Outlook), and a technology mention does not equate to capability or degree of automation.

ILO study on the occupational exposure index to generative AI and employment

Used to understand the mechanism by which technology affects data and document and information tasks; the study subjects are mainly broad occupational groups and do not predict changes in individual positions in this occupation.

NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0)

Used for general principles of governance and risk control; not a safety or special equipment or quality or legal standard.

O*NET 51-4191.00 work context (tasks and environment and safety)

Used to describe the environmental and safety characteristics of this occupation (wearing protective equipment 90% every day, exposure to contaminants 67% every day, noise 62% every day, hazardous equipment 54% every day, consequence of error 20% very serious and 23% serious, responsibility for others' health and safety 31% extremely high and 44% high).

Difference preface | The following compares adjacent positions by "what AI and automation mainly change / what remains the responsibility of people." The conclusion is consistent: what can be augmented by equipment and systems is work orders and process cards and inspection data organization and reporting; on-site furnace temperature and cooling judgments and hardness release judgments and equipment and personal safety responsibility always rest with personnel who have the corresponding knowledge and authorization. Technical feasibility, whether enterprises adopt it (which depends on safety and special equipment and quality and process qualification requirements), and job outcomes must be judged separately.

Furnace loading and temperature control and cooling parameter setting and record drafts can be handled by equipment and systems

On-site furnace temperature and cooling judgments and process parameter confirmation and exception handling responsibility

Multi-furnace-load and equipment and medium and inspection data aggregation and statistics can be accelerated by tools

Hardness failure and whole-batch quality determination and rework or concession decisions

Retrieval and drafts of process documents and safety procedures and equipment information can be generated by tools

Content evidence and safety and quality review and process qualification and release responsibility

Evidence preface | Citation rules: cite only sources that can support the claims on this page; state the jurisdiction, period, and statistical scope and whether they are this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope; general research centered on broad occupational groups must not be used to infer changes in individual positions in this occupation; a technology list does not mean it has been adopted; equipment and automation mentions do not mean responsibility has been transferred.

Occupational-level description, not an automation rate or risk rating

O*NET 51-4191.00 detailed information

The tasks and work context are occupational-level descriptions showing high physical effort and high equipment operation and high precision and high safety responsibility characteristics

O*NET lists tasks and work context; based on these clues, editorial recommendations for recording and aggregation and retrieval assistance are proposed and cannot prove AI efficiency gains, adoption, or resistance to replacement.

Does not apply to other jurisdictions; the median is not the same as a starting salary

BLS OEWS (2025, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

A point-in-time sample estimate of U.S. wages

The median hourly wage of $23.44 and median annual wage of $48,750 shown on this page follow this occupation's own scope, excluding benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses while including production incentive bonuses; they do not represent adjacent occupations or mainland China

A projection, not actual hiring numbers; the openings consist mainly of replacement needs

BLS employment projections (2025—2035, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

The projection includes growth and replacement needs

BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

Some item percentages are not given; a technology mention does not mean it has been adopted or indicate the degree of automation

O*NET 51-4191.00 hot technologies (software skills)

U.S. nationwide 2025 job posting mentions of 5 software items: Word7%, with Excel/Office/Outlook/SAP percentages not provided; these are not enterprise adoption rates.

Reporting and documentation and work order management use spreadsheet and document and ERP tools; furnace temperature and cooling and release judgments remain the responsibility of on-site personnel

Not a safety or special equipment or quality or legal standard

NIST AI RMF 1.0

A general AI risk governance framework

Adopting generative tools and automated data organization and digital records requires clarity on responsibility attribution and safety and quality review and result verification and rollback plans

Technical feasibility: a task may be technically reachable by equipment or systems; this is only a feasibility judgment and does not mean it is permitted to be used, nor that it has already been adopted by an enterprise.

Enterprise and regulatory adoption: whether it is introduced depends on safety and special equipment and quality and process qualification requirements as well as enterprise management and work permit policies; equipment and personal safety responsibility cannot be transferred by introducing a system.

BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

There is no causal evidence on generative AI employment effects for this occupation, so it cannot be guaranteed that the occupation as a whole will not be replaced; task responsibility and equipment status must still be verified. BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

O*NET tasks; not a substitution conclusion

The 2025 job postings list 5 software items, Word7%, with the remaining percentages not provided; these mentions cannot prove that programming is never a barrier, and should be verified against the specific furnace type and control position and hiring conditions.

2025 U.S. job posting skill mentions

Organizing and entering work orders and process cards and ledgers, statistics of equipment and medium and inspection data, and organizing report and document drafts; these steps can be shared by MES/ERP and data acquisition and reporting tools.

O*NET tasks; editorial assistance recommendation

BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

BLS2025—2035 projection

It cannot be assumed independently. Furnace temperature and time and cooling parameters and hardness release are the responsibility of personnel and enterprises with the corresponding knowledge and position authorization; systems can collect and record data as configured, but process setting definitions and cooling judgments and release decisions and safety judgments must be set and confirmed by people.

NIST general governance; process authorization must be verified separately

No evidence was obtained establishing the year a given position disappears; it cannot be asserted that it disappears in a certain year or will never be eliminated, and this should be verified against specific tasks and equipment and position changes.

BLS projection; no year of disappearance can be derived

Prioritize mastering the practical operations of furnace loading and temperature control and quenching and tempering and hardness testing, basic materials and heat treating knowledge, equipment inspection and safety and energy isolation and emergency response, and the ability to uphold process and evidence and records and exception reporting under safety and quality and takt pressure; digital tools only need to be usable.

O*NET tasks; editorial learning recommendation

Responsibility preface | Efficiency can be outsourced to equipment and systems, but furnace temperature and cooling judgments and hardness release and safety and process qualification responsibility cannot. The following five steps are the human responsibility points that must be preserved before and after adopting any digital tool or automated data and report generation.

Workpieces and boundaries: workpiece materials and drawings and process requirements and safety boundaries must be determined by personnel with the corresponding knowledge and authorization; equipment and systems do not replace process and professional judgments.

Data and methods: temperature and time and medium and inspection data and sources and validation must be checked and reviewed by the individual, and insufficient or biased data must be clearly explained; system output must not be used to conceal gaps.

Conclusions and determinations: furnace temperature and cooling and hardness and release conclusions must be made by the individual based on process documents and equipment procedures, and system output must not be used directly as the basis for release or rework or external publication.

Safety and compliance: safety and special equipment and work permits and energy isolation and personal protective equipment must follow safety and occupational health requirements and be carried out according to policy, and controlled materials must be managed according to confidentiality and retention periods.

Changes and disclosure: process parameters and equipment status and information disclosure and rework concession changes must be carried out within the scope of authorization and policy, and when process abnormalities or equipment safety issues or exceeding authorization are found, work must pause and be isolated and reported according to policy.

Using system-generated temperature or time or cooling recommendations directly for release or rework

Process and safety and quality responsibility must be verified and documented by the individual according to authorization and process documents

Controlled materials or materials involving client drawings and process secrets being misdirected or flowing into unauthorized channels

Limit purpose and retention period and access permissions; controlled materials must not be uploaded to external services or unauthorized environments

Missing model and template and parameter and output versions make batch records irreproducible, affecting review and responsibility attribution.

Record the tool version and input scope and parameters and output and human review; after a revision, validate against the actual process and do not replace position responsibility.

Entry and unit errors in temperature or time or hardness readings lead to misjudgment of process and inspection.

Verify units and batches and data against instruments and original inspection results, isolate and review exceptions according to process, and do not generate false original records.

Responsibility attribution becomes blurred: it is unclear who sets the process, who judges acceptance, and who approves handling and disclosure

Before adopting a system, first clarify the operation and application and approval path and responsible persons, and keep an audit trail

On-site verification of workpieces and materials and quantity and identification, and the responsibility for the loading method and fixture safety, rest with the individual (human control point)

Furnace loading and material preparation

Work orders and ledgers may be assisted; furnace loading and verification and safety judgments are the responsibility of people

Read production schedules and work orders and load workpieces into containers or fixtures or directly into the furnace as specified

On-site judgment of furnace temperature and time and heating rate and protective atmosphere and exception handling rest with the individual (human control point)

Heating and temperature control

Temperature and time data can be recorded; temperature control judgments are the responsibility of people

Adjust controls and maintain the specified heating temperature and soaking time

Cooling rate and medium condition and quenching and tempering judgments are the individual's responsibility according to process (human control point)

Cooling and quenching and tempering

Medium parameters can be recorded; cooling judgments are the responsibility of people

Remove workpieces at the specified time and cool them in water or oil or brine or other baths, and determine the medium type and temperature according to hardness and material requirements

Sampling and test locations and acceptance and non-conforming identification are the individual's responsibility according to standards (human control point)

Hardness and appearance inspection

Test data may be assisted; determinations and handling are the responsibility of people

Test hardness using hardness testing equipment or by inspection and touch and check whether color and hue meet specifications

Inspection and exception identification and repair or repair request and energy isolation are the individual's responsibility within authorization (human control point)

Equipment inspection and maintenance

Inspection records may be assisted; repair and isolation judgments are the responsibility of people

Inspect furnace and quenching and conveying equipment and carry out necessary repairs and replacements

Record truthfulness and traceability and revision audit trails are the individual's responsibility (human control point)

Process and inspection records

Recording and aggregation may be assisted; truthfulness responsibility rests with people

Record removal times and process parameters and inspection results and carry out shift handover

Exception identification and isolation and reporting and rework concession requests are completed by the individual within authorization (human control point)

Exception and non-conforming handling

Exception records may be assisted; determinations and handling responsibility rest with people

Identify furnace temperature or atmosphere or hardness abnormalities and isolate and report and support handling

Editorial recommendation | Ledger and record assistance must be trialed in an approved environment with verification of source data and output and review and actual effects; no efficiency evidence for this occupation was obtained, and equipment control systems and generative AI are judged separately.

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 50th percentile annual wage $48,750; hourly wage $23.44

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 75th percentile annual wage $58,400; hourly wage $28.08

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 90th percentile annual wage $66,350; hourly wage $31.90

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025 base-period employment about 14,400

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025—2035 change -9.5%

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025—2035 average annual openings about 1,100 including replacement

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

AI exposure | In this occupation, work orders and ledgers and inspection data and report drafts can be assisted by generative and statistical tools, and no research on generative AI exposure levels was obtained, so no level judgment is made; the direct impact of generative AI itself is concentrated in data and documents and ledger organization; this page does not score or predict its AI impact.

Occupational definition | The Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic on this page is the exact occupation O*NET 51-4191.00 (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 workpieces. In the United States this occupation falls under Job Zone 1-2 (little or no preparation needed to some preparation needed) (below 6.0 (SVP below 6.0)) and is not marked Bright Outlook.

A degree and training in materials and heat treating or mechanical fields

Most positions

Meets the entry-level knowledge starting point for materials and heat treating and equipment and safety; U.S. respondents' answers on that page about the education required of newly hired personnel show (not the education proportion of incumbents or a uniform threshold) 70% requiring a high school diploma or equivalent, 20% less than a high school diploma, and 10% postsecondary certificate

Furnace loading and temperature control and quenching and tempering and hardness testing and safe operation capabilities

All positions

Positions usually require the ability to load furnaces and control temperature and cool and test hardness and identify exceptions according to process, and to comply with safety and energy isolation and personal protective equipment requirements

Special operations and safety qualifications or enterprise training and assessment

Positions involving special equipment and special operations

Positions involving special equipment and open flame and lifting and energy isolation usually require safety training and assessment and compliance with work permit requirements; a sample O*NET registered apprenticeship is Heat Treater I

Occupational health and labor protection requirements

Positions involving high heat and dust and noise

For workers exposed to occupational disease hazards, the employer organizes health examinations and protection according to applicable occupational health regulations; rotation or position adjustment is based on actual hazards and health results and is not uniformly a fixed system for all positions.

Manufacturing

On the 51-4191.00 page, O*NET shows that the main industry for this occupation in the United States is manufacturing; the National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of urban unit employees by industry category, and the manufacturing category scope covers multiple occupations and cannot replace this occupation's wage.

Automotive and machinery and metal products (for reference)

Heat treating positions are mostly distributed in automotive parts, machinery, molds, bearings, cutting tools, and fasteners industries; that scope is an industry average and is not equal to this occupation's wage, and this page does not fill it in.

Metal smelting and rolling processing (for reference)

Some heat treating positions can be grouped under the metal smelting and rolling processing category; that scope is an industry average and is not equal to this occupation's wage, and this page does not fill it in.

National Bureau of Statistics: explanatory notes on the statistical scope of average wages of urban unit employees | https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/

Occupational title cross-reference | Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (O*NET/SOC 51-4191.00 Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic; commonly called heat treatment operator, heat treatment furnace operator, quench and temper operator, induction heat treating operator, and vacuum heat treating operator in job postings and the industry).

Mainland China section | Mainland China has positions in metal heat treating similar to Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, and their work and equipment and safety and occupational health and energy consumption and records are governed by the Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and related regulations and standards on special equipment and occupational health and environmental protection and metrology; however, public occupational statistics do not list a national wage distribution for this occupation separately.

Matching rationale | The heat treating of metal and plastic workpieces and the operation of production equipment match the manufacturing category; the category contains multiple occupations and levels and is not filled in for this occupation; a broad-scope reference is the 2025 average annual wage of 113,594/76,055 yuan for urban non-private/private units in manufacturing. The statistics cover various occupations and job levels in that industry and cannot be used to fill in this occupation's median, starting salary, or personal income. This round did not obtain a precise national wage distribution for this occupation, so the gap is retained.

National Bureau of Statistics: average annual wages of urban unit employees in 2025 | https://www.stats.gov.cn/zwfwck/sjfb/202605/t20260515_1963707.html

Compensation structure note | Income in the various positions of this occupation is usually related to region and industry and cost of living, shift and high-heat and night allowances, skill level and setup and multi-furnace capability, and whether it involves equipment inspection and lead duties; similar positions vary considerably across regions and industries (the U.S. distribution on that page spans an annual wage range of 35,180 to 66,350 USD from the 10th percentile to the 90th).

2025 Manufacturing / urban non-private units (industry reference)

Average annual wage 113,594 yuan/year; an average for all employed persons in the industry, not this occupation's wage.

2025 Manufacturing / urban private units (industry reference)

Average annual wage 76,055 yuan/year; an average for all employed persons in the industry, not this occupation's wage.

Precise national occupational wage for this occupation in mainland China

Evidence insufficient: public occupational statistics in mainland China have not established a national occupational wage distribution precisely corresponding to O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic); the National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of urban unit employees by industry category without distinguishing occupations, and this page does not fill in with industry averages, job posting offers, or U.S. data.

Classification cross-reference note | This page is the exact occupation O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic), which differs from adjacent occupations such as Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons (49-9044.00), Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4023.00), Forging and Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4022.00 / 51-4021.00), Grinding and Polishing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4033.00), and Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders (51-4051.00); wages and employment must be verified under each occupational code and statistical scope and cannot be applied to one another.

Notes on the statistical scope of U.S. BLS and O*NET | https://www.bls.gov/oes/

Growth Decline (precise change -9.5%) (2025—2035, BLS employment projections, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

Median hourly wage $23.44 / median annual wage $48,750 (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

May2025 25th percentile annual wage $40,660; hourly wage $19.55

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 50th percentile annual wage $48,750; hourly wage $23.44

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 75th percentile annual wage $58,400; hourly wage $28.08

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

May2025 90th percentile annual wage $66,350; hourly wage $31.90

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025 base-period employment about 14,400

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025—2035 change -9.5%

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

2025—2035 average annual openings about 1,100 including replacement

Scope | U.S. 51-4191 wages May2025, projection 2025—2035; boundaries | percentiles are not seniority or starting salary, and openings are not net additions or real-time hiring; OEWS includes production bonuses and excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses.

The five national wage percentiles have been verified; precise industry and regional wages were not obtained, and the four industries are the broad-scope background for the metal and plastic machine worker group. The projection includes self-employment and replacement and cannot be attributed to AI; shared old facts and protected modules are retained, which does not prove full-page consistency.

U.S. May2025 median annual wage $48,750 and hourly wage $23.44; the five wage percentiles have been verified and do not represent starting salary. BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

Different regions and industries (automotive parts and machinery and molds and bearings and cutting tools and fasteners) differ markedly in cost of living and needs, and region and industry tier affect income and stability.

Institution type and region

Whether one masters multiple furnace types and induction and vacuum heat treating and setup and hardness determination and equipment inspection capabilities, and whether one works high-heat and night shifts, markedly affects income.

Skills and experience and shifts

Positions that carry setup and multi-furnace and lead or equipment inspection duties have duties and pay structures different from positions focused on basic operation; the level of automation and equipment also changes the mix of manual work and duties.

Position duties and team leadership

Growth Decline (precise change -9.5%) (2025—2035, BLS employment projections, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

Machinery manufacturing / broad metal and plastic machine worker scope

$50,210/year (broad-scope background)

BLS OOH metal and plastic machine worker group May2025 median annual wage for this industry, covering multiple machine operator occupations; not the precise industry wage for 51-4191 or an all-industry average, and it is not used to fill in income for China.

Transportation equipment manufacturing / broad metal and plastic machine worker scope

$49,760/year (broad-scope background)

BLS OOH metal and plastic machine worker group May2025 median annual wage for this industry, covering multiple machine operator occupations; not the precise industry wage for 51-4191 or an all-industry average, and it is not used to fill in income for China.

Primary metal manufacturing / broad metal and plastic machine worker scope

$49,750/year (broad-scope background)

BLS OOH metal and plastic machine worker group May2025 median annual wage for this industry, covering multiple machine operator occupations; not the precise industry wage for 51-4191 or an all-industry average, and it is not used to fill in income for China.

Fabricated metal product manufacturing / broad metal and plastic machine worker scope

$47,770/year (broad-scope background)

BLS OOH metal and plastic machine worker group May2025 median annual wage for this industry, covering multiple machine operator occupations; not the precise industry wage for 51-4191 or an all-industry average, and it is not used to fill in income for China.

Distribution interpretation: the median is the midpoint of the distribution, not the starting point; for this occupation the annual wage range from the 10th percentile to the 90th percentile spans roughly from $35,180 to $66,350, and the differences mainly come from region and industry and skills and shifts and duties.

Scope interpretation: OEWS reports employer-reported wages, excluding benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses but including production incentive bonuses; the figures on this page are presented by O*NET on the 51-4191.00 page, which does not mark them as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation, so they are presented under this occupation's own scope and cannot be used to infer individual income for adjacent occupations.

The wages come from the May2025 OEWS as presented by the O*NET national page, and the projection is BLS2025—2035; the two differ in coverage and purpose. The 70/20/10 figures are new-hire education requirement answers, not a wage cause.

Usage advice: read the three sets of numbers—median, percentiles, and employment—together with the facts that they follow this occupation's own scope and do not represent adjacent occupations, and that the 2025—2035 projected growth is Decline (precise change -9.5%) with openings consisting mainly of replacement needs, and avoid treating the median as a starting salary or the projection as an individual outcome.

Median hourly wage $23.44 / median annual wage $48,750 (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation's (51-4191.00) own scope)

A national wage distribution position; experience, duties, or shifts cannot be inferred from percentiles; the causes of individual income must be verified separately.

The median represents the typical level at the midpoint of the distribution but does not represent entry-level starting pay; it rises with changes in region, industry, skills, shifts, and scope of responsibility; it follows this occupation's own scope and does not represent adjacent occupations.

A national wage distribution position; experience, duties, or shifts cannot be inferred from percentiles; the causes of individual income must be verified separately.

Holland (RIASEC) | Used to understand your relative position in preferences for Realistic and Conventional. This occupation's O*NET interest code is RC (Realistic—Conventional), corresponding to a willingness to work with equipment and materials by hand and work outdoors or in a shop (Realistic), and a willingness to organize information and data according to procedures and rules and maintain order (Conventional).

Evidence level | Moderate: the interest code comes from O*NET's results for practitioners and occupational analysis of this occupation, but individual scores and occupational codes are not in a one-to-one relationship.

If you find it hard to stand and work in high heat and noise and contaminant environments over the long term, hard to accept repetitive operations and a pace determined by equipment cycle time, or unwilling to take responsibility for workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety, a high score on the interest questionnaire cannot change this real cost; this occupation also requires confirming the enterprise's requirements for safety and occupational health and training and qualifications.

The editors recommend observing process verification and handover and exception reporting; easier adaptation to heat treating cannot be inferred from Big Five traits.

No validation research on this occupation's assessments for fit, performance, or learning effects was obtained; the following are editorial exploration suggestions only.

Do not use a personality assessment saying I am not suited as a reason to give up or not enter the field; the reference should be heat treating job shadowing or internships or simulated process and inspection tasks and mentoring evaluations and assessment results.

How to understand this interest code: RC means Realistic (working with equipment and materials by hand, working in a shop or outdoors, engaging in physical activity) and Conventional (organizing information and data according to procedures and rules and maintaining order); it is used to understand preference directions for this occupation, not as an ability or qualification determination.

MBTI | Typology is used for self-reflection on communication and work preferences; this occupation requires working with the team and process engineering and quality control and maintenance (work activity importance of communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates 69, work with a work group or team 37% extremely important and 28% very important), and preferences do not determine competence.

Interest experience: liking to take full responsibility for a batch of workpieces from furnace loading to temperature control to cooling to inspection, and gaining satisfaction from getting temperature and time and hardness and safety all right.

Evidence level | Lower: the MBTI is not an occupational qualification or ability assessment tool and cannot be used as a basis for employment.

RC

Realistic—Conventional

Treat the type merely as a reference for communication style; do not use it to infer whether you or others can do heat treating operation and judgment work well.

The Enneagram is for self-exploration only, observing how you verify the basis and explain scope and report; no comparison of the predictive validity of types and behavior.

No validation research on this occupation's assessments for fit, performance, or learning effects was obtained; the following are editorial exploration suggestions only.

Do not use type labels to explain quality or safety disputes; return instead to whether the process basis and operating process and records were in place.

The editors recommend observing reading work orders and parameters and instruments, identifying exceptions, and checking records; there is no evidence comparing the predictive validity of IQ and skills.

No validation research on this occupation's assessments for fit, performance, or learning effects was obtained; the following are editorial exploration suggestions only.

A high or low score cannot tell whether you can learn furnace loading and temperature control and quenching and tempering and hardness testing; this should be tested through heat treating job shadowing or internships or simulated tasks and mentoring evaluations.

The editors recommend observing communication under production pressure, explaining exceptions, and handover; safety or quality cannot be inferred from EQ scores.

No validation research on this occupation's assessments for fit, performance, or learning effects was obtained; the following are editorial exploration suggestions only.

Emotional abilities can be improved through actual work and mentoring and deliberate practice, so there is no need to limit yourself based on assessment scores.

Boundaries | The assessments and direction comparisons on this page are for self-questioning and exploration only and do not constitute hiring criteria, ability scoring, or qualification judgments; entry is based on education and training and safety and occupational health and qualifications and enterprise authorization. In particular, in the United States this occupation falls under O*NET Job Zone 1-2 (little or no preparation needed to some preparation needed) (below 6.0 (SVP below 6.0)) and is not marked Bright Outlook; positions involving special equipment and special operations must also meet the corresponding safety and work permit requirements.

Direct answer | Tools and assessments cannot predict whether you can pass safety and skills assessments, or whether you can steadily complete furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection under high heat and noise and takt and safety pressure, nor can they replace real heat treating practice. The most reliable way to judge is to use one real or simulated heat treating task to test, rather than looking only at interest or personality scores.

This occupation (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic) direction | The output is heat treated workpieces and process and inspection and equipment records completed according to process and safety requirements: read production schedules and work orders and load furnaces and heat and control temperature and cool and quench or temper and test hardness and inspect appearance and inspect equipment

Can independently complete furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection and records within position authorization and process documents and equipment procedures

Editorial comparison recommendation | If it is hard to stand and work in high temperature and contaminant environments over the long term, or hard to accept repetitive operations and takt pressure, the actual work experience needs to be verified.

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons direction | Refer to the core output of Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons: see the direction comparison table; it differs from this occupation in subject matter and process parameters and bases for judgment

Has the equipment operation and process and inspection capabilities of Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

Editorial comparison recommendation | If you prefer the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metals rather than that direction, you can compare the differences with this occupation.

Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders direction | Refer to the core output of Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: see the direction comparison table; it differs from this occupation in subject matter and process parameters and bases for judgment

Has the equipment operation and process and inspection capabilities of Metal Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Editorial comparison recommendation | If you prefer the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metals rather than that direction, you can compare the differences with this occupation.

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders direction | Refer to the core output of Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: see the direction comparison table; it differs from this occupation in subject matter and process parameters and bases for judgment

Has the equipment operation and process and inspection capabilities of Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Editorial comparison recommendation | If you prefer the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metals rather than that direction, you can compare the differences with this occupation.

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders direction | Refer to the core output of Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: see the direction comparison table; it differs from this occupation in subject matter and process parameters and bases for judgment

Has the equipment operation and process and inspection capabilities of Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Editorial comparison recommendation | If you prefer the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metals rather than that direction, you can compare the differences with this occupation.

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders direction | Refer to the core output of Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders: see the direction comparison table; it differs from this occupation in subject matter and process parameters and bases for judgment

Has the equipment operation and process and inspection capabilities of Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Editorial comparison recommendation | If you prefer the heating and cooling and microstructure and property control of metals rather than that direction, you can compare the differences with this occupation.

Personality type is not a validated occupational threshold here; process verification and handover and exception communication can be used to observe learning preparation, and the predictive validity of personality versus skills is not compared. Real practice follows safety and qualifications and position authorization.

Personality type is not a validated occupational threshold here; process verification and handover and exception communication can be used to observe learning preparation, and the predictive validity of personality versus skills is not compared. Real practice follows safety and qualifications and position authorization.

Personality type is not a validated occupational threshold here; process verification and handover and exception communication can be used to observe learning preparation, and the predictive validity of personality versus skills is not compared. Real practice follows safety and qualifications and position authorization.

Which MBTI type is most suitable for this occupation? No type has been proven most suitable. The MBTI is not an occupational qualification or ability assessment tool, and occupational fit depends mainly on skills and safety and process adherence.

Which Holland interest type is more suitable for this occupation? The O*NET interest code is RC: Realistic (working with equipment and materials by hand and working in a shop or outdoors) and Conventional (organizing information and data according to procedures and rules and maintaining order).

Personality type is not a validated occupational threshold here; process verification and handover and exception communication can be used to observe learning preparation, and the predictive validity of personality versus skills is not compared. Real practice follows safety and qualifications and position authorization.

Can someone who is not good at math do this occupation? Basic temperature and time and hardness and dimension and statistical reading abilities are needed; a quantitative foundation can be filled in through training and tool support, but a complete inability to adapt to instruments and data and process parameters would be clearly limiting.

Does this occupation require high emotional intelligence? It requires emotional stability and safety awareness and communication and conflict handling skills, but no specific assessment scores. Equipment failure and quality and production pressure require self-regulation and reporting according to procedure.

Can the Enneagram be used to judge whether I am suited? No. The Enneagram is a self-exploration tool and does not constitute a conclusion about occupational ability or fit; judging fit should look at whether you can complete furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection work under safety and process requirements.

How can I use deliverables to judge which direction suits me? Use one real or simulated heat treating task to test: whether you can complete a heat treating process plan and a process and inspection record note, or whether you can complete a retrospective review of handling one hardness failure or equipment abnormality; such evidence explains fit better than a questionnaire.

Fit signals: willing to take responsibility for workpieces and equipment and personal safety under safety and process and quality requirements, able to switch between furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection and equipment inspection while maintaining attention to the basis and records, able to uphold process and evidence and review under output and takt pressure, and to report and hand over according to policy in the event of equipment or quality or safety abnormalities or exceeding authorization.

Caution signals: finding it hard to stand and work in high heat and noise and contaminant environments over the long term, or hard to accept repetitive operations and a pace determined by equipment cycle time, or unwilling to take responsibility for workpiece quality and equipment and personal safety, or unwilling to report and hand over according to policy when exceeding authorization.

Verification advice: first use one simulated or real heat treating task to test reading work orders and furnace loading and temperature control and recording, and learn about the target enterprise's and jurisdiction's requirements for safety and occupational health and training and qualifications and special operations, before deciding whether to invest long term.

Used to check the task scope and work context of this occupation (U.S. occupational classification scope).

Used to check this occupation's tasks and work activities and detailed work activities.

Verify the listed tasks, work context, RC97/51, and the new-hire education and Job Zone; does not support conclusions about psychological assessment scores and performance.

Verify the listed tasks, work context, RC97/51, and the new-hire education and Job Zone; does not support conclusions about psychological assessment scores and performance.

Verify the listed tasks, work context, RC97/51, and the new-hire education and Job Zone; does not support conclusions about psychological assessment scores and performance.

Verify the listed tasks, work context, RC97/51, and the new-hire education and Job Zone; does not support conclusions about psychological assessment scores and performance.

Used to check the scope of the point-in-time estimate of U.S. wages (this occupation's own scope; that page does not mark it as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation; it does not represent adjacent occupations).

Used to check employment trends and the official period presentation (this occupation's own scope; projected growth for 2025—2035 is Decline (precise change -9.5%)).

Boundaries | This page lists the failure types and control points that are relatively common in this occupation's heating and cooling and equipment operation and inspection, to help identify and manage risks; it does not constitute any safety, special equipment, occupational health, or legal advice or conclusions about a case; all matters involving special equipment inspection, work accident determinations, occupational disease diagnosis, and legal liability must be handled by positions or institutions with the corresponding qualifications.

Direct answer | The core risk of this occupation is not whether workpieces can be heated, but four types of high-consequence failure: safety and personal failure (high heat and molten material and burns, lifting and rigging, energy isolation and out-of-bounds maintenance, furnace gas and ventilation); quality and batch failure (hardness failure and whole-batch rework and scrapping); equipment failure (furnace body and control system and medium system faults and furnace shutdown); and record and traceability failure (distorted process and inspection data making responsibility impossible to define).

O*NET supports contextual clues such as high heat and hazardous equipment and standing and protection; the six cards are editorial failure scenarios and do not represent incidence rates or severity ratings or legal determinations. Special operations and equipment certificates must be judged against the real catalog and equipment and behavior, and holding a certificate is not inferred merely from high temperature or having a furnace.

The individual and the team; process and safety management personnel; workpiece and equipment and personal safety

High-temperature furnace bodies and molten material and hot workpieces cause burns or scalds; quench medium splashing or oil mist ignition causes injury and fire

Use protective equipment and tools according to procedures and maintain safe distances and barriers; upon finding an abnormality, stop immediately and review and report

Scenario | The condition of hot workpieces or quench medium has not been verified, and under production pressure the operator is asked to approach the furnace mouth or remove parts first, with protective and isolation measures not yet in place.

The individual and equipment maintenance personnel; equipment and personal safety; maintenance and work permit boundaries

Failure to effectively isolate energy and apply lockout/tagout during maintenance or cleaning causes accidental startup or high-temperature scalds; out-of-bounds disassembly or modification of interlocks and safety devices

Before maintenance, isolate energy and cool down and apply lockout/tagout as required and review; matters involving special equipment and interlock changes require authorization and a work permit

Scenario | The maintenance window is tight and the operator is asked to clean or replace furnace internals first without fully isolating energy, with the formalities to be completed later.

The individual and crane or forklift operators; workpiece and equipment and personal safety

Lifting and rigging and handling workpieces or fixtures causes crushing or pinching or falling; overload or defective rigging or improper signaling

Work according to lifting and handling procedures and check rigging and workpiece securing; lifting equipment is operated by personnel with the corresponding qualifications and according to signaling instructions

Scenario | When staffing is short, the operator is asked to have non-certified personnel operate lifting equipment or untrained personnel temporarily take over lifting and handling.

The individual and safety and environmental management personnel; occupational health and work environment; environment and safety boundaries

Furnace gas or protective atmosphere or oil mist and flue gas cause poisoning or oxygen deficiency or discomfort when ventilation is insufficient; improper disposal of waste gas or waste liquid or solid waste causes environmental problems

Work according to ventilation and gas detection and personal protective equipment requirements and monitor the work environment; upon finding abnormal gas or ventilation, evacuate immediately and report and handle

Scenario | Ventilation or gas detection equipment alarms are ignored, and the operator is asked to finish the shift's output first and deal with environment and ventilation problems later.

The individual and process and quality control personnel; workpiece quality and delivery; batch quality boundaries

Deviations in temperature or time or cooling rate or medium condition cause hardness failure or whole-batch rework and scrapping; not following the process or substituting experience for parameters

Follow the process documents and verify parameters and medium condition and sampling and hardness testing; upon finding non-conformity, isolate immediately and report and support rework or concession handling

Scenario | Sampled hardness is marginally out of tolerance, and under schedule pressure the operator is asked to release first and re-inspect or retest later.

The individual and process and quality and equipment management personnel; quality traceability and the definition of responsibility; record truthfulness boundaries

Missing or distorted process and inspection and equipment and exception records make batches untraceable and responsibility undefinable; retrospective entries or signing on behalf of others or altering original records

Record truthfully according to policy and retain original records and revision audit trails; generating unverified content or fabricating records through retrospective entries is strictly prohibited

Scenario | A batch's process parameters or inspection data are found to be inconsistent with the records, and the operator is asked to issue a traceability conclusion based on the existing records first and revise later.

Used to check this occupation's tasks and work context and to help identify the failure types in the heating and cooling and equipment and inspection steps (U.S. scope).

A broad machine worker group factory and protection background, not card-by-card incidence rates or Chinese legal qualifications.

The tasks support recording and equipment clues and do not support all Chinese confidentiality or environmental protection or work permit laws.

Actual special operations training and certification and renewal within the catalog scope; not all heat treating or high-temperature furnaces are classified as special operations.

General AI governance, not furnace and kiln maintenance or special equipment or Chinese safety law.

Qualification boundary one | Job requirements, education, proof of training, safety and skills training, special operations and special equipment operation qualifications, occupational health examinations, position and work order authorization, and process parameter setting and release authority are different states: meeting hiring requirements does not equal obtaining the authority to independently operate critical equipment or change processes or release batches. In the United States, this occupation falls under Job Zone 1-2 (little or no preparation needed to some preparation needed) (below 6.0 (SVP below 6.0)); in mainland China, positions involving special equipment and hazardous operations often have safety and qualification and work permit requirements.

Qualification boundary two | In mainland China, matters involving special equipment and lifting and open flame and energy isolation and hazardous chemicals and waste gas and waste liquid disposal must meet work safety and special equipment and environmental protection and occupational health requirements; matters involving work accident determinations and occupational disease diagnosis must be handled by institutions and personnel with the corresponding qualifications. In the United States, entry to this occupation is usually based on on-the-job training and safety qualifications and skills and specialized training, with process and release authority defined by enterprise authorization and work order arrangements.

Qualification boundary three | The preparation items listed on this page do not equal authorization and do not automatically confer process qualification or major parameter changes or rework concessions or external disclosure authority; actual authority is governed by the enterprise's and competent authority's requirements.

Qualification boundary four | Verify the validity period and renewal and scope of application according to the actual certificate type; the Ministry of Emergency Management's special operations system No. 19 effective 2026-06-01 renews certificates upon expiry and does not apply the old uniform 3-year review; special equipment and other areas have separate provisions. Work must not be performed with an invalid or out-of-scope certificate.

Recruitment sample note | This page does not cite the volume or compensation figures of any specific job posting. Heat treating positions are mostly recruited through manufacturing enterprises and human resources channels, and are affected by region and industry and shifts and equipment level, so samples from public channels can hardly represent the overall market; recruitment requirements and authorization are governed by written recruitment information and the employment contract and the position description and safety policy documents.

This page lists verification points only and does not constitute hiring or compensation commitments.

Boundaries | The preparation path and capability ladder on this page are intended to help you plan learning and accumulate evidence and do not constitute hiring, promotion, or qualification determinations. Actual entry is based on safety and skills training and qualifications and enterprise authorization and assessment, and does not represent obtaining the authority to independently operate critical equipment or change processes or release batches.

Under mentoring, take on handling and furnace loading assistance and equipment and fixture organization and record assistance; do not independently operate critical furnace loads or change processes or release batches.

Job shadowing and assistant position

Can independently complete furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection and records within position authorization and process documents and equipment procedures, and report and isolate according to policy in the event of abnormalities or safety issues or exceeding authorization.

Independent operation position

Can take on multiple furnace types and induction and vacuum heat treating and setup and hardness determination and equipment inspection and mentoring and process optimization recommendations.

Skilled and multi-furnace position

Can take on team scheduling and quality and equipment and safety and energy implementation and evaluation and exception countersigning and multi-party coordination.

Team leader and process support position

Direct answer | The complete path into this occupation is usually: complete a high school diploma or equivalent and related training (U.S. respondents' answers on that page about the education required of newly hired personnel show (not the education proportion of incumbents or a uniform threshold) 70% requiring a high school diploma or equivalent, 20% less than a high school diploma, and 10% postsecondary certificate) → master furnace loading and temperature control and quenching and tempering and hardness testing and equipment inspection and safe operation → obtain safety and skills training and the necessary special operations and special equipment operation qualifications (registered apprenticeship example Heat Treater I) → obtain enterprise position and work order authorization → become familiar with multiple furnace types and materials under mentoring and rotation and operate independently within authorization → deepen in the process and quality or equipment and maintenance or safety and records direction. The scope of certificates and authorization at each step is governed by the enterprise's and competent authority's requirements.

Qualification boundaries | Receiving occupational training, completing job shadowing and practice, obtaining a degree or proof of training, passing safety and skills assessment and special operations and special equipment operation qualifications, entering occupational health management, and obtaining enterprise position and work order and process parameter setting authority are different states; the preparation items listed on this page do not equal authorization and do not automatically confer process qualification or release or external disclosure authority.

U.S. BLS51-4191 typical entry is a high school diploma or equivalent, no related work experience required, and medium-term on-the-job training; O*NET JobZone1-2, SVP<6, and the 70/20/10 new-hire education requirement are separate measurements. In China, first check the actual special operations catalog and special equipment catalog and the specific operation: a heat treating furnace or high temperature or open flame must not automatically be treated as a certificated trade. The Ministry of Emergency Management's No. 19 rule effective 2026-06-01 renews certificates upon expiry; special equipment and construction systems must be verified separately.

Summary | Understand the path as a cycle of learning—job shadowing and practice—safety and skills and qualifications—position and work order authorization—responsibility: first complete education and skills training, then become familiar with furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection and safety systems under mentoring, and after obtaining safety qualifications and position authorization, operate independently and deepen in a direction; matters involving special equipment and major process changes and work accidents are handled according to policy and the competent authority's requirements.

U.S. 51-4191 typical entry is a high school diploma or equivalent, no related work experience required, and medium-term on-the-job training; this does not replace Chinese qualifications.

Used to check this occupation's tasks and work activities and work environment, and to help plan learning priorities.

Used to check this occupation's national training and registered apprenticeship information (example Heat Treater I).

The current directory shows No certifications were found; the directory listing alone does not prove that no certification exists or that legal certificates can be waived.

Materials and heat treating fundamentals training records; basic process and quality management training.

Familiar with the key points of process documents and inspection standards and non-conforming handling.

Process and inspection assistance records and mentoring evaluations; able to restate the acceptance criteria and exception reporting points.

Under mentoring, become familiar with materials and drawings and process requirements and assist in recording process and inspection data, without independently judging acceptance or changing parameters.

Process and quality job shadowing position

Position authorization and safety and skills qualifications; experience operating the relevant furnace types.

Accumulate experience under different materials and furnace types, and practice process parameter and inspection determination methods.

Process and inspection and exception handling records and review comments.

Carry out furnace loading and temperature control and cooling and inspection according to process documents and record truthfully, and isolate and report exceptions according to policy.

Process and quality operation position

Corresponding position authorization and specialized training; process and quality experience.

Learn process development and quality analysis methods for complex materials and furnace types.

Critical furnace load process and quality and exception handling records.

Take on heat treating of critical furnace loads and complex materials and hardness determination and process stability analysis.

Process and quality backbone position

Corresponding management appointment or enterprise authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for process and quality and exceptions and traceability.

Coordinating conclusions; process and quality and traceability documents.

Coordinate process and quality and exceptions and rework concessions and external conclusions and countersigning and guide newcomers.

Process and quality supervisor position

Equipment and electrical fundamentals training records; safety and energy isolation training.

Familiar with the key points of furnace body and temperature control and medium and conveying equipment and inspection and lubrication.

Inspection and lubrication and fixture assistance records and review comments.

Under mentoring, take on equipment cleaning and inspection assistance and fixture organization, without independently determining repairs or defeating interlocks.

Equipment inspection assistance position

Position authorization and safety qualifications; equipment inspection and maintenance experience.

Accumulate experience under different equipment conditions, and practice fault diagnosis and maintenance and safe isolation methods.

Inspection and maintenance and repair and isolation records and review comments.

Inspect and maintain furnaces and quenching and conveying equipment according to procedures and record, and report or handle faults according to authorization.

Equipment inspection and maintenance position

Corresponding position authorization and specialized qualifications; repair and improvement records.

Learn repair and calibration and automation and energy efficiency improvement methods.

Repair and calibration and improvement and spare parts records.

Take on equipment repair and calibration and modification and process adaptation improvement and spare parts management.

Equipment repair and improvement position

Corresponding management appointment or enterprise authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for equipment and safety and special equipment and emergency plans.

Coordinating conclusions; equipment and safety and special equipment documents.

Coordinate equipment and safety and maintenance and special equipment and energy efficiency and teams and countersigning, handle complex and disputed matters, and guide newcomers.

Equipment and safety management position

Information and safety fundamentals training records; safety and confidentiality training.

Familiar with the key points of work order and process and inspection and equipment and safety and environmental record standards.

Record organization and verification and archiving assistance records and review comments.

Under mentoring, take on work order and process and inspection and equipment record organization and archiving assistance, without independently determining record definitions or external disclosure.

Safety and record assistance position

Position authorization and safety qualifications; recording and compliance experience.

Accumulate experience under different furnace loads and equipment conditions, and practice recording and traceability and safety and environmental methods.

Process and inspection and equipment and safety and environmental records and review comments.

Record process and inspection and equipment and exceptions truthfully according to policy and hand over by shift, and manage record versions and retention.

Safety and record position

Corresponding position authorization and specialized training; audit and correction records.

Learn safety and quality and environmental and data quality and audit methods.

Audit and correction and traceability and audit records.

Take on safety and quality and environmental auditing and data quality and traceability and implementation of corrections.

Safety and compliance audit position

Corresponding management appointment or enterprise authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for safety and compliance and records and traceability.

Coordinating conclusions; safety and compliance and traceability documents.

Coordinate safety and records and compliance and training and countersigning, handle complex and disputed matters, and guide newcomers.

Safety and compliance supervisor position

U.S. May2025 median annual wage for this occupation $48,750 and hourly wage $23.44. BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China. Occupational wages and employment for China were not obtained; the 2025 manufacturing industry annual average of 113594/76055 yuan serves only as background.

United States

2025

The median is the midpoint of the distribution, not the starting salary; differences come from region and industry and shifts and skills and duties; the figures follow this occupation's own scope and do not represent adjacent occupations.

OEWS excludes benefits and overtime and non-production bonuses but includes production incentive bonuses; this page presents them according to this occupation's scope as shown on that O*NET page, which does not mark them as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation; the figures come from 2025 data, and later updates should be based on a query for the current period.

Wages (median and percentiles, this occupation's own scope)

SOC 51-4191.00 (OEWS 2025, as presented by O*NET)

Median hourly wage $23.44 and median annual wage $48,750; 10th percentile hourly wage $16.92 and annual wage $35,180, 25th percentile hourly wage $19.55 and annual wage $40,660, 75th percentile hourly wage $28.08 and annual wage $58,400, 90th percentile hourly wage $31.90 and annual wage $66,350

United States

2025—2035

This scope is a projection and is affected by manufacturing investment and automation and outsourcing and capacity layout and skilled labor supply; the openings consist mainly of replacement needs; the figures follow this occupation's own scope and are not equal to individual job outcomes.

The U.S. projection includes self-employment, 2.6% in the base period, which differs from OEWS wage-and-salary data; openings including replacement are not equal to net additions or hiring or Chinese employment.

Employment size and growth and job openings (this occupation's own scope)

SOC 51-4191.00 (BLS employment projections, as presented by O*NET)

BLS51-4191 U.S. 2025—2035 projection: about 14,400→13,000, change -9.5%, about 1,100 average annual openings including replacements; base-period self-employment 2.6%. Projections are not real-time hiring and cannot be attributed to generative AI or applied to China.

Mainland China

2025

Mainland China has similar positions in metal heat treating, and their work and standards are defined by work safety and special equipment and occupational health and environmental protection systems, but public statistics do not list a national wage distribution for this occupation separately, and industry averages or job posting offers cannot be used for inference.

The legal environment and management systems and statistical scopes differ, and no combination or conversion is made; the China section of this page only registers the statistical scope and the visible gaps.

Occupational wages and employment (statistical scope and gaps)

National Bureau of Statistics average wages of urban unit employees (industry category scope) and bounded search

Evidence insufficient: public occupational statistics in mainland China have not established a national occupational wage distribution precisely corresponding to O*NET 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic); the National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of urban unit employees by industry category without distinguishing occupations, and this page does not fill in with industry averages, job posting offers, or U.S. data.

Used to check the U.S. wage scope (2025 OEWS) and percentiles; the figures on this page follow this occupation's own scope as presented by O*NET on the 51-4191.00 page, do not represent adjacent occupations, and do not constitute a compensation commitment for any institution or region.

Used to check the U.S. 2025—2035 employment growth and openings scope (this occupation's own scope); the projection is Decline (precise change -9.5%), and projections are not equal to actual hiring and differ in scope from the OEWS point-in-time employment estimate.

Used to check mainland China's statistical scope and gaps; U.S. data cannot be directly extrapolated to the same positions in mainland China; this page only registers the statistical scope and the visible gaps.

Used to check O*NET's presentation of this occupation's tasks and employment and industry (U.S. scope; wages and employment follow this occupation's own scope).

Needs to add smelting and refining and casting and molten metal handling capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

High-temperature metal and equipment operation experience

Moderate: moving from heat treating to smelting requires adding smelting and casting and safety skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add forging forming and dies and dimensional control capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Metal forming and equipment operation experience

Relatively close: moving from heat treating to forging requires adding forming and dimensional control skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add rolling forming and thickness and shape control capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Metal forming and equipment operation experience

Relatively close: moving from heat treating to rolling requires adding forming and dimensional control skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add extrusion and drawing forming and dimensional control capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Metal forming and equipment operation experience

Relatively close: moving from heat treating to extrusion and drawing requires adding forming and dimensional control skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add grinding and lapping and polishing and surface finishing capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Surface and dimensional finishing experience

Moderate: moving from heat treating to grinding and finishing requires adding surface and dimensional skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add plating and surface treatment and chemical and environmental capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Surface treatment and chemical management experience

Moderate: moving from heat treating to plating requires adding chemical and environmental and surface treatment skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add furnace and kiln and drying and thermal control and safety capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Thermal and furnace and kiln operation experience

Relatively close: moving from heat treating to furnaces and kilns and drying requires adding thermal and safety skills (editorial judgment)

Needs to add casting and coremaking and pouring and mold capabilities; verify the target's actual equipment and operation qualifications, as proximity does not guarantee a transfer.

Casting and pouring experience

Moderate: moving from heat treating to casting requires adding molding and pouring and safety skills (editorial judgment)

Source card | Research process: first verify the official scope and tasks and work activities and work context and interest code and Job Zone and certifications and training opportunities of U.S. O*NET/SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic), then take the BLS OEWS 2025 wages and the BLS employment projections 2025—2035 employment and growth and openings (all presented through the O*NET page, which does not mark them as taken from a parent or adjacent occupation, so they are presented under this occupation's own scope), and register scope and gaps for mainland China according to the National Bureau of Statistics and work safety and special equipment and occupational health and environmental protection systems.

Source card | Source register: the source register for this page lists O*NET 51-4191.00's detailed information and industry distribution and occupational profile and detailed tasks and work activities and work context and software skills and certification directory and detailed interests, as well as BLS OEWS and BLS employment projections and ILO and NIST and related adjacent occupation entries; sources are registered separately by occupational identity and tasks and wages and employment and qualifications and human-control use.

This round on 2026-10-11 verified O*NET51-4191 tasks 23 items 8Core/15Supp, activities, context, RC97/51, Zone1-2, new-hire education 70/20/10, apprenticeship Heat Treater I, the currently empty certification directory, and 2025 job posting 5 software items; May2025 quintiles, the BLS2025—2035 matrix and metal and plastic machine worker industry background; NBS2025 and the 2026 emergency management system.

Precise Chinese occupational wages and employment, precise U.S. industry and regional wages, AI adoption and efficiency gains and employment causality, and occupational validation of the assessments were not obtained. The four U.S. industries are background for the metal and plastic machine worker group, and the NBS manufacturing annual average is a different scope. Existing shared sources and facts and FAQ and other protected surfaces retain old values; a partial revision does not prove full-page synchronization.