Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

People in this career often have these skills:

• Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

• Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
• Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading.
• Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
• Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.
• Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.

• Operate cutting equipment.
• Record operational or production data.
• Inspect production equipment.
• Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
• Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
• Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
• Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
• Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
• Load materials into production equipment.
• Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
• Clean production equipment.
• Lubricate production equipment.
• Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
• Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
• Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
• Clean work areas.
• Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.
• Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
• Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
• Operate forklifts or other loaders.
• Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
• Operate grinding equipment.
• Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
• Remove accessories, tools, or other parts from equipment.
• Apply lubricants or coolants to workpieces.
• Replace worn equipment components.
• Select production equipment according to product specifications.
• Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
• Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
• Sharpen cutting or grinding tools.

• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

• Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

• Print Binding and Finishing Workers

• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

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

• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing