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.
What it pays
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $21.14/hr — about $44,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $16.25/hr; the top 10% earn $29.02/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $21.14/hr — about $44,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $16.25/hr; the top 10% earn $29.02/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Immerse workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times.
- Adjust dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes.
- Inspect coated or plated areas for defects, such as air bubbles or uneven coverage.
- 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.
- Observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping machines when problems occur.
- Remove objects from solutions at periodic intervals and observe objects to verify conformance to specifications.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the day is spent working solo; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 1% of plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
- The median pay is $21.14 per hour — roughly $44,000 a year, with the real range running from about $16.25/hr (10th percentile) to $29.02/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic actually do all day?
- Immerse workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times. Adjust dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes. Inspect coated or plated areas for defects, such as air bubbles or uneven coverage.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.