How to become a metal finishing or plating or coating machine operator

Official title: Metal finishing/plating/coating machine operator

Also called: Anodiser, Casting finisher, Degreaser (metal), Dip-plater, Electroplater, Galvaniser, Hot-dip plater, Metal cleaner, Metal coating machine operator, Metal finishing machine operator, Metal plating machine operator, Metal sprayer

Metal finishing/plating/coating machine operator operates and monitors equipment which finishes, plates and coats metal articles or parts, in order to give them improved resistance to corrosion and abrasion, for decorative purposes, or to impart electrical or magnetic properties.

Main tasks

• Operating and monitoring equipment which cleans metal articles in preparation for electroplating, galvanising, enamelling or similar processes
• Operating and monitoring electroplating equipment
• Operating and monitoring hot-dip equipment used to coat iron and steel products
• Operating and monitoring machines which automatically coat wire with non-ferrous metal
• Operating and monitoring equipment used to spray molten metal or other substances on metal products to provide a protecting or decorative coating or to build up worn or damaged surfaces
• Operating and monitoring equipment used to impart a rust-resistant finish to metal articles by treating them with chemicals and heating them
• Checking proper thickness of plating using micrometers, callipers or other devices recording data and writing production logs
• Preparing and mixing metalising solutions according to formulas or specifications

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Metal melter/caster/rolling mill operator
• Metal heat treating plant operator
• Metal drawer/extruder
• Metalworking machine setter-operator
• Precision grinding machine setter-operator

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Questions people ask

Will AI change the work of a metal finishing or plating or coating machine operator?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026