Also called: Plasma Spray Operator, Coatings Technician
Sprays molten metal or ceramic onto jet engine parts, pumps and turbines to protect them from heat and wear.
You load a turbine blade into a booth and program a robot to sweep a plasma torch hotter than the sun's surface across it, spraying melted ceramic powder. Afterward you cut a sample to check coating thickness under a microscope. Aerospace parts need perfect records.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. High school plus on-the-job or vendor training; aerospace shops add certifications.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Manufacturing Technology, Welding Technology.
Growing about average. Growing with aerospace and power generation work.
Medium risk for 10 years. Robots already do most spraying; techs program, mask and inspect, so roles shift rather than vanish.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at coating shops serving aerospace and pumps or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4199.
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.