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Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Set up, operate, or tend plating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, or other metal to protect or decorate surfaces. Typically, the product being coated is immersed in molten metal or an electrolytic solution.

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This source lists 33 tasks, including 10 marked Core and 23 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 07/2016.

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33 tasks shown

Core · Task 10311 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Immerse workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times.

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Core · Task 10326 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Adjust dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes.

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Core · Task 10309 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Inspect coated or plated areas for defects, such as air bubbles or uneven coverage.

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Core · Task 10312 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

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.

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Core · Task 10319 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping machines when problems occur.

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Core · Task 10318 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Remove objects from solutions at periodic intervals and observe objects to verify conformance to specifications.

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Core · Task 10316 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Maintain production records.

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Core · Task 10342 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines.

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Core · Task 10328 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Examine completed objects to determine thicknesses of metal deposits, or measure thicknesses by using instruments such as micrometers.

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Core · Task 10327 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Rinse coated objects in cleansing liquids and dry them with cloths, centrifugal driers, or by tumbling in sawdust-filled barrels.

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Supplemental · Task 10323 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Determine sizes and compositions of objects to be plated, and amounts of electrical current and time required.

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Supplemental · Task 10314 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Test machinery to ensure that it is operating properly.

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Supplemental · Task 10329 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Measure or weigh materials, using rulers, calculators, and scales.

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Supplemental · Task 10331 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Measure, mark, and mask areas to be excluded from plating.

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Supplemental · Task 10310 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Immerse objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions, or spray objects with conductive solutions to prepare them for plating.

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Supplemental · Task 10335 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Read production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines.

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Supplemental · Task 10330 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Suspend objects, such as parts or molds from cathode rods, or negative terminals, and immerse objects in plating solutions.

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Supplemental · Task 10324 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Suspend sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes, or positive terminals, and immerse metal in plating solutions.

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Supplemental · Task 10317 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Adjust controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment.

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Supplemental · Task 10325 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Monitor and measure thicknesses of electroplating on component parts to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers.

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Supplemental · Task 10315 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Operate hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles.

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Supplemental · Task 10313 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Position and feed materials into processing machines, by hand or by using automated equipment.

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Supplemental · Task 10337 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Position objects to be plated in frames, or suspend them from positive or negative terminals of power supplies.

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Supplemental · Task 10345 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Operate sandblasting equipment to roughen and clean surfaces of workpieces.

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Supplemental · Task 10322 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Clean and maintain equipment, using water hoses and scrapers.

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Supplemental · Task 10343 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Clean workpieces, using wire brushes.

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Supplemental · Task 10332 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Mix and test solutions, and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions.

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Supplemental · Task 10340 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Replace worn parts and adjust equipment components, using hand tools.

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Supplemental · Task 10333 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Place plated or coated materials on racks and transfer them to ovens to dry for specified periods of time.

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Supplemental · Task 10338 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Measure and set stops, rolls, brushes, and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules, and hand tools.

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Supplemental · Task 10320 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Position containers to receive parts, and load or unload materials in containers, using dollies or handtrucks.

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Supplemental · Task 10321 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors.

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Supplemental · Task 10339 · 07/2016 · Incumbent

Preheat workpieces in ovens.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.