What should someone working in “Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” do about AI?

Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 90% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.

US dataswitch to UK

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

immersing workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times, determining sizes and compositions of objects, suspending sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes and adjusting controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: setting up is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 0%
changing shape: 10%
staying human: 90%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 7 out of 100 (5–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 33 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.

What shifts is maintaining production records: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.

Your week, as this page understands it

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. The job title says “plating machine setters”, “operators”, “tenders”, “metal” or “plastic”: officially one job, several names. The real job is the part underneath: setting up. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is not one task. It is 33 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is setting up, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 0%
changing shape: 10%
staying human: 90%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

How we know this

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

5 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Shifting to AI

0 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.

Changing shape

3 tasks

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

Maintaining production records
The software now makes the first pass at production records, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Maintain production records.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (52–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Production records are plain data entry and summarizing, which software does reliably.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reading production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines
The software now makes the first pass at production schedules, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Read production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Software can read a schedule and suggest setups, but much of the machine knowledge is specific to the shop.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Determining sizes and compositions of objects
The software now makes the first pass at sizes, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Determine sizes and compositions of objects to be plated, and amounts of electrical current and time required.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Working out plating current and time from part size and material is a documented calculation software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

30 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

Setting up
This work happens in the physical world: up, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting up and running a plating line is physical machine work on the shop floor.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Observing gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly
This work happens in the physical world: gauges, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping machines when problems occur.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reading gauges is information, but the stopping and adjusting happens with hands on the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Inspecting coated or plated areas
This work happens in the physical world: coated, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Inspect coated or plated areas for defects, such as air bubbles or uneven coverage.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Spotting bubbles and thin coverage means viewing the panel from several angles and feeling the surface.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Immersing workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times
This work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Immerse workpieces in coating solutions or liquid metal or plastic for specified times.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Lowering parts into a plating tank for a set time is hands-on line work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Adjusting dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes
This work happens in the physical world: dials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Adjust dials to regulate flow of current and voltage supplied to terminals to control plating processes.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Turning the dials that control current and voltage means standing at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Removing objects from solutions at periodic intervals and observing objects to verify conformance to specifications
This work happens in the physical world: objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Remove objects from solutions at periodic intervals and observe objects to verify conformance to specifications.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Lifting parts out of solution at intervals and looking them over is physical line work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Removing excess materials or impurities from objects
This work happens in the physical world: excess materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning up parts with air lines or grinders is hands-on work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

Show the other 23 tasks

Testing machinery to ensure that it is operating properly
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: machinery, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Test machinery to ensure that it is operating properly.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Testing that machinery runs properly means being at the machine, even though the verdict is information.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Monitoring and measuring thicknesses of electroplating on component parts to verify conformance
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: thicknesses, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Monitor and measure thicknesses of electroplating on component parts to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Checking plating thickness with a micrometer needs the part and the tool in hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Examining completed objects to determine thicknesses of metal deposits
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: completed objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Examine completed objects to determine thicknesses of metal deposits, or measure thicknesses by using instruments such as micrometers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Measuring deposit thickness needs a micrometer in hand on the actual part.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Measuring or weighing materials, using rulers, calculators and scales
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Measure or weigh materials, using rulers, calculators, and scales.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Weighing and measuring materials requires hands on scales and rulers in the plating shop.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Immersing objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Immerse objects to be coated or plated into cleaning solutions, or spray objects with conductive solutions to prepare them for plating.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Dipping or spraying parts to prepare them for plating is physical handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Positioning and feeding materials into processing machines
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Position and feed materials into processing machines, by hand or by using automated equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Feeding materials into the machine is manual loading work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Operating hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: hoists, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Operate hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Operating a hoist to load workpieces is physical equipment handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Adjusting controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: controls, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Adjust controls to set temperatures of coating substances and speeds of machines and equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting temperature and speed controls means being at the machine’s panel.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Positioning containers to receive parts
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: containers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Position containers to receive parts, and load or unload materials in containers, using dollies or handtrucks.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Loading containers and moving them on carts is physical materials handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Performing equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: equipment maintenance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning tanks and greasing conveyors is hands-on maintenance work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Cleaning and maintaining equipment, using water hoses and scrapers
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Clean and maintain equipment, using water hoses and scrapers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Hosing down and scraping equipment is physical cleaning on the shop floor.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Suspending sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: sticks, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Suspend sticks or pieces of plating metal from anodes, or positive terminals, and immerse metal in plating solutions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Hanging plating metal on the anodes is physical handling at the tank.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Rinsing coated objects in cleansing liquids and dry them with cloths
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: coated objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Rinse coated objects in cleansing liquids and dry them with cloths, centrifugal driers, or by tumbling in sawdust-filled barrels.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Rinsing and drying plated parts is physical handling at the line.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Suspending objects
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Suspend objects, such as parts or molds from cathode rods, or negative terminals, and immerse objects in plating solutions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Hanging parts on cathode rods and lowering them in is manual work at the tank.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Measuring, marking and mask areas to be excluded from plating
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: mask areas, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Measure, mark, and mask areas to be excluded from plating.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Measuring, marking and masking a part is done by hand on the part.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Mixing and testing solutions and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: solutions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Mix and test solutions, and turn valves to fill tanks with solutions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Mixing solutions and opening valves to fill tanks is chemical handling in person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Placing plated or coated materials on racks and transferring them to ovens to dry for specified periods of time
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: plated, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Place plated or coated materials on racks and transfer them to ovens to dry for specified periods of time.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Racking parts and wheeling them to the ovens is manual movement of goods.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Positioning objects to be plated in frames
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Position objects to be plated in frames, or suspend them from positive or negative terminals of power supplies.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Fixing parts into frames or onto terminals is hand work at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Measuring and setting stops, rolls, brushes and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules and hand tools
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: stops, rolls, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Measure and set stops, rolls, brushes, and guides on automatic feeders and conveying equipment or coating machines, using micrometers, rules, and hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting stops, rolls and guides with hand tools is adjustment made at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Preheating workpieces in ovens
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Preheat workpieces in ovens.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Putting workpieces into an oven to preheat is manual loading.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Replacing worn parts and adjusting equipment components
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: worn parts, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Replace worn parts and adjust equipment components, using hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Swapping worn parts with hand tools is physical maintenance on the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Cleaning workpieces, using wire brushes
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Clean workpieces, using wire brushes.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Wire-brushing workpieces is manual cleaning of each part.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Operating sandblasting equipment to roughen and cleaning surfaces of workpieces
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Operate sandblasting equipment to roughen and clean surfaces of workpieces.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Sandblasting is physical surface work done with equipment in a booth.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay: $43,960a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
People doing this job: 32,410in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: production records in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: maintaining production records. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where up gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Start with what does not change: setting up is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 0% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 10% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 90% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 33 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Maintaining production records is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.

This week: one thing

Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to production records, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.

What you end up holding: a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
How long it takes: ten minutes

If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether up is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.

Over the next 90 days

Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near maintaining production records. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.

Over the next 12 months

On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them

I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.

I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing: only about 7% of its durable work is work you already do. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 7/100 here, with only 0% of the task list in the top band, and “set up, operate, or tend plating or coating machines to coat metal…” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.

How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already maintain production records, and their equivalent is to clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas. Across both published task lists that is about 7% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 7% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping…, and their equivalent is to monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems…. Across both published task lists that is about 6% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 6% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. And it is a narrow door: about 5,600 of those jobs against 32,410 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 17% as many seats.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already observe gauges to ensure that machines are operating properly, making adjustments or stopping…, and their equivalent is to correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices. Across both published task lists that is about 5% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 5% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 0% of its task weight, across 33 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like setting up arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

You are reading the United States figures

The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Plastics process operatives is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match

In UK official statistics this job is counted as Plastics process operatives. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
American Job Center locator
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
- CareerOneStop local help hub
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop
Free

Why there is no community here

Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for plating machine setters / operators / tenders / metal / plastic launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for plating machine setters / operators / tenders / metal / plastic yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for plating machine setters / operators / tenders / metal / plastic existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

Your email

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for plating machine setters / operators / tenders / metal / plastic launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?: Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 33 official task statements scored for Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (United States, SOC 51-4193), 0% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 7 out of 100 (range 5–12, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” can AI already do?: The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Maintain production records” (56/100, partial); “Determine sizes and compositions of objects to be plated, and amounts of electrical current and time required” (56/100, partial); “Read production schedules to determine setups of equipment and machines” (43/100, partial). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” stay human?: About 90% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Operate sandblasting equipment to roughen and clean surfaces of workpieces” (0/100, minimal); “Clean workpieces, using wire brushes” (0/100, minimal); “Remove excess materials or impurities from objects, using air hoses or grinding machines” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” do about AI?: Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 90% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic calculated?: Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 33 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

Worth knowing about these figures

The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
5 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Task statements: onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights: onet-db (im-rt)
Scores: Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
Pay and employment: bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

How we score a job Download this release Look up another job

Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.