Also called: Anodize & Plating Technician, Metal Finishing Technician
Dips aircraft parts in chemical baths to protect them from corrosion.
You hang parts on racks, run them through cleaning, anodizing and sealing tanks, and test bath chemistry. Safety gear and careful chemical handling are part of every shift.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years). Plating machine operators overall.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated dip lines and robots move parts through tanks, cutting jobs; checking baths and handling odd parts remain.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to aerospace plating and finishing shops; they train you on the tanks
Classes: Chemistry, Shop class, Algebra, Health.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4193.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.