Also called: Plating Technician, Anodizer
Coats metal parts with thin layers of chrome, nickel, zinc or color using electricity and chemical baths.
You hang parts on racks and lower them into a row of tanks, each a different chemical bath. Electricity bonds a mirror-bright chrome layer onto them. You test the bath chemistry and adjust it so the finish stays perfect.
BLS plating machine setters, operators and tenders; approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training; chemistry helps.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. Automated plating lines handle repeat parts; chemistry control, racking and quality checks still need people.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at plating and finishing shops or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Shop class.
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.