Profession fibreglass machine operator

Fibreglass machine operators control and maintain the machine that sprays a mix of resin and glass fibers onto products such as bathtubs or boat hulls to obtain strong and lightweight composite end-products.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Coating substances

  Have knowledge of various types of coating, providing a workpiece with one or more finishing layers of resins, sugars, powders, inactive and insoluable fillers, waxes, gums, plasticisers, colouring materials, lacquer, and others.

• Fibreglass laminating

  Process of applying multiple layers of fiberglass, a strong lightweight plastic reinforced with glass fibre woven into mats, using various techniques such as applying pressure or adhesives, welding or heating in order to provide strength and stability to the composite material. The fibreglass can also be sprayed in liquid form onto products.

Skills

• Wear appropriate protective gear

  Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.

• Trim excess material

  Trim surplus material of fabric such as fiberglass mats, cloth, plastics or rubber.

• Monitor processing environment conditions

  Verify that the overall conditions of the room where the process will take place, such as temperature or air humidity, meet the requirements, and adjust if necessary.

• Tend fibreglass machine

  Tend the machine used to create fibreglass products such as lawn furniture or boat hulls by spraying molten glassfibre.

• Feed fibreglass machine

  Feed the machine with raw fibreglass according to specifications of the end-products to be developed.

• Extract products from moulds

  Remove finished products from moulds and examine them in detail for anomalies.

• Control glass fibres flow

  Control and adjust the parameters to maintain the appropriate pressure, temperature and flow rate of the molten fibreglass through the spray jets.

• Feed hoppers

  Feed hoppers with the required materials using various tools such as lifting equipment or shovels.

• Optimise production processes parameters

  Optimise and maintain the parameters of the production process such as flow, temperature or pressure.

• Consult technical resources

  Read and interpret such technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.

• 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.

• Remove air bubbles from fibreglass

  Use brushes and rollers to eliminate air bubbles that could weaken the fibreglass, to ensure perfect adherence of the resin to the product shell or to previous layers, and to avoid any structural defects.

• Troubleshoot

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

• Monitor gauge

  Oversee the data presented by a gauge concerning the measurement of pressure, temperature, thickness of a material, and others.

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB