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

Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.

Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.

Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.

Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.

Install, align, and lock specified punches, dies, cutting blades, or other fixtures in rams or beds of machines, using gauges, templates, feelers, shims, and hand tools.

Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.

Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.

Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.

Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.

Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools.

Clean and lubricate machines.

Mark identifying data on workpieces.

Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.

Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.

Clean work area.

Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.

Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.

Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.

Thread ends of metal coils from reels through slitters and secure ends on recoilers.

Operate forklifts to deliver materials.

Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.

Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.

Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.

Lubricate workpieces with oil.

Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.

Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.

Hand-form, cut, or finish workpieces, using tools such as table saws, hand sledges, or anvils.

Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.

Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.

Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.

Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.