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How exposed to AI is a Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

Of the 38 tasks O*NET lists for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 35 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
AnodizerAnodizing Line OperatorChrome PlaterCoater AssociateCoater OperatorElectro PlaterGalvanizerLine OperatorMachine OperatorPlater
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
38
tasks rated for this occupation
3%
hold a degree, from a survey of 23
32k
people do this job in the US
71 of 107
least protected in production

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

3
  • Maintain production records
  • Determine sizes and compositions of objects to be plated, and amounts of electrical current and time required
  • Read production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines

Cannot be sped up

35
  • 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
  • Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines
  • Examine completed objects to determine thicknesses of metal deposits, or measure thicknesses by using instruments such as micrometers
  • Rinse coated objects in cleansing liquids and dry them with cloths, centrifugal driers, or by tumbling in sawdust-filled barrels
  • Test machinery to ensure that it is operating properly
  • Measure or weigh materials, using rulers, calculators, and scales
  • Measure, mark, and mask areas to be excluded from plating
  • Immerse objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions, or spray objects with conductive solutions to prepare them for plating
  • Suspend objects, such as parts or molds from cathode rods, or negative terminals, and immerse objects in plating solutions
  • Suspend sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes, or positive terminals, and immerse metal in plating solutions
  • Adjust controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment
  • Monitor and measure thicknesses of electroplating on component parts to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers
  • Operate hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles
  • Position and feed materials into processing machines, by hand or by using automated equipment
  • Position objects to be plated in frames, or suspend them from positive or negative terminals of power supplies
  • Operate sandblasting equipment to roughen and clean surfaces of workpieces
  • Spray coating in specified patterns according to instructions
  • Clean and maintain equipment, using water hoses and scrapers
  • Plate small objects, such as nuts or bolts, using motor-driven barrels
  • Clean workpieces, using wire brushes
  • Mix and test solutions, and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions
  • Replace worn parts and adjust equipment components, using hand tools
  • Place plated or coated materials on racks and transfer them to ovens to dry for specified periods of time
  • Measure and set stops, rolls, brushes, and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules, and hand tools
  • Position containers to receive parts, and load or unload materials in containers, using dollies or handtrucks
  • Attach nozzles, position guns, connect hoses, and thread wire to set up metal-spraying machines
  • Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors
  • Install gears and holding devices on conveyor equipment
  • Preheat workpieces in ovens
  • Cut metal or other materials, using shears or band saws
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.