Also called: Gas Atomizer Operator, Metal Powder Production Technician
Runs towers that melt metal and blast it with gas into a fine powder, the "ink" used by metal 3D printers.
You load bars of titanium alloy into a furnace at the top of a tower several stories tall. The molten stream is hit with jets of argon gas and freezes into millions of tiny balls as it falls. You sieve the powder, test a sample for size and oxygen, and seal it in drums for printers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school; trained on the job. Technical classes in metals help.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Manufacturing Technology, Materials Science Technology.
Growing faster than average. Metal 3D printing needs more and better powder every year.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Control software runs more of the melt, but handling, testing and safety around reactive powder stay human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at metal powder and alloy plants or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Shop class, Algebra.
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.