Induction Hardening Setup Technician
Location: Valley City, Ohio
Shift: Full-Time | Shift to be determined (1st or 2nd)
Starting Pay: $27.00–$30.00 per hour
Job Type: Temp-to-Hire
Must be willing to submit to a Nationwide Background Check and Pre-Employment Drug Test.
Crucial Link is seeking an experienced Induction Hardening Setup Technician for a well-established heat-treating and metal-processing facility in Valley City, Ohio.
This is not an entry-level machine operator position. Candidates must have hands-on experience setting up induction hardening equipment or a strong background in forging, heat treatment, and metallurgy. The ideal candidate will understand how material composition, temperature, cycle time, quenching, and equipment settings affect hardness, case depth, distortion, and finished-part quality.
Responsibilities
- Set up, adjust, and operate induction hardening equipment.
- Select and install appropriate coils, fixtures, tooling, and quench components.
- Establish machine settings based on part specifications, material grade, and required hardness or case depth.
- Perform equipment changeovers and troubleshoot setup or processing issues.
- Read and interpret blueprints, work instructions, process sheets, and customer specifications.
- Monitor heating cycles, temperatures, power settings, dwell times, and quench conditions.
- Inspect completed parts using hardness-testing and dimensional-inspection equipment.
- Identify issues involving cracking, distortion, improper case depth, inconsistent hardness, or surface defects.
- Make process adjustments to maintain quality and production requirements.
- Document setup information, inspection results, and process changes.
- Work closely with production, quality, maintenance, and metallurgical personnel.
- Follow all safety procedures related to high-temperature equipment, electrical systems, quench media, and material handling.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work area.
Required Qualifications
- Previous induction hardening setup experience is strongly preferred.
- Forging, heat-treating, or similar metal-processing experience may be considered.
- Strong practical knowledge of metallurgy and heat-treatment principles.
- Understanding of steel grades, hardness requirements, case depth, tempering, quenching, and material behavior.
- Ability to independently complete machine setups and changeovers.
- Experience troubleshooting heat-treating or metal-processing equipment.
- Ability to read blueprints, specifications, and process documentation.
- Experience using hardness testers, micrometers, calipers, and other inspection equipment.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and attention to detail.
- Ability to work safely around high temperatures, industrial machinery, and heavy materials.
Preferred Experience
- Induction hardening of automotive, tooling, bearing, gear, shaft, or other precision metal components.
- Experience in a commercial heat-treating or forging environment.
- Familiarity with Rockwell hardness testing and case-depth requirements.
- Experience with process control, quality documentation, and corrective actions.
- Metallurgical coursework, certification, or equivalent hands-on experience.
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