A professional who controls heat-treating furnaces, baths and quenching equipment to alter physical and chemical properties of metal objects, using specifications and methods of controlled heating and cooling, such as hardening, tempering, annealing, case-hardening, and normalizing. Respnsibilities include:

• Determines temperature and time of heating cycle, and type and temperature of baths and quenching medium to attain specified hardness, toughness, and ductility of parts, using standard heat-treating charts, and utilizing knowledge of heat-treating methods, equipment, and properties of metals.
• Adjusts furnace controls and observes pyrometer to bring furnace to prescribed temperature.
• Loads parts into furnace.
• Removes parts after prescribed time and quenches parts in water, oil, brine, or other bath, or allows parts to cool in air.
• May test hardness of parts.
• May set up and operate die-quenching machine to prevent parts from warping.
• May set up and operate electronic induction equipment to heat objects.
• May align warped fuel elements, containing radioactive uranium, using hydraulic ram straightener.