Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits and ovens, using refractory materials.
U.S. Workers
1,100
Median Salary
$58,540
10-Year Growth
-16.9%
Annual Openings
100
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
16 of 16 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Measure furnace walls to determine dimensions and cut required number of sheets from plastic block, using saws.
AI: Fully automatable - Full — 3D/laser scanning combined with CNC/robotic saws can measure complex interiors and cut plastic-block sheets to required dimensions automatically.
Fasten stopper heads to rods with metal pins to assemble refractory stoppers used to plug pouring nozzles of steel ladles.
AI: Fully automatable - Full — repetitive pinning and fastening operations for assembling stoppers can be handled by existing industrial automation and robotic assembly systems.
Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovels or mixing machines.
AI: Fully automatable - Full — batching and mixing of specified material proportions is routinely automated with industrial mixers, dosing systems, and control logic.
Dump and tamp clay in molds, using tamping tools.
AI: Fully automatable - Dumping and tamping clay in molds are repetitive, structured manufacturing motions that current industrial automation and robots can fully perform.
Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
AI: Partial - Partial — robotic applicators can place refractory materials in some cases, but trowel-based, highly dexterous relining in extreme-heat, irregular geometries remains largely manual.
Tighten locknuts holding refractory stopper assemblies together, spread mortar on jackets to seal sleeve joints, and dry mortar in ovens.
AI: Partial - Partial — torquing fasteners and oven drying are automatable, but delicate mortar spreading and in-situ adjustments of stopper assemblies remain primarily manual.
Dry and bake new linings by placing inverted linings over burners, building fires in ladles, or by using blowtorches.
AI: Partial - Partial — industrial burner-based drying and automated bake cycles can be automated, but manual actions like building fires or torching and placement in confined spaces are still often done by humans.
Remove worn or damaged plastic block refractory linings of furnaces, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Partial — robotic demolition tools can aid removal, but manual removal of worn plastic-block linings in variable furnace geometries with hand tools remains common.
Chip slag from linings of ladles or remove linings when beyond repair, using hammers and chisels.
AI: Partial - Partial — mechanized breakers and automated tools can assist, but the irregular, high-temperature chipping and removal with hand tools typically require human judgment and dexterity.
Climb scaffolding, carrying hoses, and spray surfaces of cupolas with refractory mixtures, using spray equipment.
AI: Partial - Robotic sprayers and remote tools can perform spraying, but reliably climbing variable scaffolding, managing hoses, and operating in hot, confined cupolas remains only partially automatable by 2025.
Drill holes in furnace walls, bolt overlapping layers of plastic to walls, and hammer surfaces to compress layers into solid sheets.
AI: Partial - Drilling and fastening are amenable to robotic tooling in structured settings, but the high-temperature, irregular furnace environment and tasks like hammering to compress layers limit full automation today.
Spread mortar on stopper heads and rods, using trowels, and slide brick sleeves over rods to form refractory jackets.
AI: Partial - Automated mortar dispensing and basic sleeve placement can be assisted by machines, but the fine manual manipulation and variability of on-site refractory jacket formation prevent full automation by 2025.
Disassemble molds, and cut, chip, and smooth clay structures such as floaters, drawbars, and L-blocks.
AI: Partial - Disassembling molds and machine cutting/smoothing can be automated in some settings, but variable hand-finishing tasks like chipping and delicate smoothing remain only partially automatable.
Transfer clay structures to curing ovens, melting tanks, and drawing kilns, using forklifts.
AI: Partial - Autonomous forklifts and material-handling systems can move clay structures, but precise placement into furnaces/kilns in hazardous, high-temperature environments still often requires human supervision or intervention.
Install preformed metal scaffolding in interiors of cupolas, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Scaffolding erection is partially automatable with assistive equipment, but installing preformed metal scaffolding inside irregular cupolas using hand tools requires complex, adaptive manipulation that is not fully automated yet.
Install clay structures in melting tanks and drawing kilns to control the flow and temperature of molten glass, using hoists and hand tools.
AI: Partial - Hoists and robotic manipulators can position components, but the precise, adaptive installation of clay structures to control molten glass flow and temperature in dynamic, hazardous conditions remains only partially automatable.