Profession deburring machine operator

Deburring machine operators set up and tend mechanical deburring machines designed to strip metal workpieces of their rough edges, or burrs, by hammering over their surfaces in order to smoothen them or to roll over their edges in case of uneven slits or sheers in order to flatten them into the surface.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Quality standards

  The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.

• Quality and cycle time optimisation

  The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine's processes.

• Deburring processes

  The various types of processes removing burrs from fabricated workpieces, such as grinding, media blasting, sanding, mass-finishing, spindle finishing, electrochemical deburring, abrasive flow machining, manual deburring, and others.

• Deburring machine parts

  The various parts of a machine designed for removing remaining edges on a workpiece after processing and smoothening, such as an abrasaive or deburring brush, deburring drum, dust extraction hood, powerful magnet, and others.

• Types of deburring brush

  Types of abrasive brushes used in the deburring process, their qualities and applications, such as a twisted-in-wire brush, tube brush, power brush, wheel brush, cup brush and mandrel mounted brush.

• Types of metal

  Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.

Skills

• Set up the controller of a machine

  Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.

• Supply machine with appropriate tools

  Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose.

• Tend deburring machine

  Tend a metalworking machine designed to remove excessive edges from a workpiece by applying deburring, abrasive machine processes, monitor and operate it according to regulations.

• Monitor moving workpiece in a machine

  Monitor the processing of a workpiece in motion, such as a piece of metal or wood moved linearly over a static manufacturing machine.

• Smooth burred surfaces

  Inspect and smooth burred surfaces of steel and metal parts.

• Monitor conveyor belt

  Monitor the flow of the work pieces on the conveyor belt as they are processed by the machine to ensure optimal productivity.

• Troubleshoot

  Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.

• Ensure equipment availability

  Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.

• Remove inadequate workpieces

  Evaluate which deficient processed workpieces do not meet the set-up standard and should be removed and sort the waste according to regulations.

• Perform test run

  Perform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, and adjust settings accordingly.

• Dispose of cutting waste material

  Dispose of possibly hazardous waste material created in the cutting process, such as swarf, scrap and slugs, sort according to regulations, and clean up workplace.

• Remove processed workpiece

  Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.

• Monitor automated machines

  Continuously check up on the automated machine's set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.

• Supply machine

  Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB