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Date: 06/30/2025

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend plating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, or other metal to protect or decorate surfaces. Typically, the product being coated is immersed in molten metal or an electrolytic solution.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors.
    • Clean and maintain equipment, using water hoses and scrapers.
    • Immerse workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times.
    • Position objects to be plated in frames, or suspend them from positive or negative terminals of power supplies.
    • Read production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines.
    • Observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping machines when problems occur.
    • Clean and maintain equipment, using water hoses and scrapers.
    • Position containers to receive parts, and load or unload materials in containers, using dollies or handtrucks.
    • Preheat workpieces in ovens.
    • Immerse objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions, or spray objects with conductive solutions to prepare them for plating.
    • Operate sandblasting equipment to roughen and clean surfaces of workpieces.
    • Inspect coated or plated areas for defects, such as air bubbles or uneven coverage.
    • Position containers to receive parts, and load or unload materials in containers, using dollies or handtrucks.
    • Set up, operate, or tend plating or coating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, or other metal to protect or decorate surfaces.
    • Rinse coated objects in cleansing liquids and dry them with cloths, centrifugal driers, or by tumbling in sawdust-filled barrels.
    • Clean workpieces, using wire brushes.
    • Test machinery to ensure that it is operating properly.
    • Position and feed materials into processing machines, by hand or by using automated equipment.
    • Measure, mark, and mask areas to be excluded from plating.
    • Determine sizes and compositions of objects to be plated, and amounts of electrical current and time required.
    • Replace worn parts and adjust equipment components, using hand tools.
    • Operate hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles.
    • Suspend objects, such as parts or molds from cathode rods, or negative terminals, and immerse objects in plating solutions.
    • Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors.
    • Place plated or coated materials on racks and transfer them to ovens to dry for specified periods of time.
    • Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines.
    • Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines.
    • Immerse objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions, or spray objects with conductive solutions to prepare them for plating.
    • Adjust controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment.
    • Examine completed objects to determine thicknesses of metal deposits, or measure thicknesses by using instruments such as micrometers.
    • Adjust dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes.
    • Measure or weigh materials, using rulers, calculators, and scales.
    • Mix and test solutions, and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions.
    • Measure and set stops, rolls, brushes, and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules, and hand tools.
    • Observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping machines when problems occur.
    • Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors.
    • Maintain production records.
    • Remove objects from solutions at periodic intervals and observe objects to verify conformance to specifications.
    • Suspend sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes, or positive terminals, and immerse metal in plating solutions.
    • Mix and test solutions, and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions.
    • Monitor and measure thicknesses of electroplating on component parts to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers.

    Skills

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Active Listening

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

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Critical Thinking

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

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Systems Evaluation

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

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Coordination

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

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Equipment Selection

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

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Operations Monitoring

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

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Monitoring

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

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Analysis

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

    • Judgment and Decision Making

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

    • Learning Strategies

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

    • Complex Problem Solving

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

    • Troubleshooting

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

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Systems Analysis

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

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

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

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Auditory Attention

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

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Perceptual Speed

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

    • Reaction Time

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

    • Gross Body Coordination

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

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

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

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Multilimb Coordination

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

    • Response Orientation

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

    • Extent Flexibility

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

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Visualization

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

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Rate Control

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

    • Inductive Reasoning

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

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Depth Perception

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

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Glare Sensitivity

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

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Control Precision

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

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing

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

    • Fine Arts

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

    • Sales and Marketing

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

    • Customer and Personal Service

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

    • Personnel and Human Resources

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

    • Medicine and Dentistry

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

    • Building and Construction

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

    • Engineering and Technology

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

    • Law and Government

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

    • History and Archeology

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

    • Mathematics

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

    • Transportation

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

    • Biology

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

    • Education and Training

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

    • Foreign Language

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

    • Physics

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

    • Chemistry

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

    • English Language

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

    • Mechanical

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

    • Administrative

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

    • Food Production

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

    • Communications and Media

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

    • Geography

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

    • Psychology

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

    • Computers and Electronics

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

    • Sociology and Anthropology

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

    • Economics and Accounting

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

    • Therapy and Counseling

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

    • Design

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

    • Administration and Management

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

    • Telecommunications

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

    • Philosophy and Theology

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

    • Public Safety and Security

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

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 41800/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 20.1/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 2,070
    • Yearly Projected Openings 190

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Integrity
    • Self Control

    Tools

    • Air dryers
    • Ammeters
    • Calipers
    • Conveyor system
    • Forklifts
    • Galvanometers
    • Heat treating age hardening furnace
    • Hoists
    • Jacks
    • Levels
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Micrometers
    • Pallet trucks
    • Processing tanks
    • Sand blasting machine
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Compliance software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Procurement software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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

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