Profession metal sawing machine operator

Metal sawing machine operators set up and operate metal sawing machines designed to cut excess metal from a metal workpiece by the use of a (or several) large toothed-edges blade(s). They also trim clean finished shapes out of metal using tin snips, metal shears or wire cutters.  They also smoothen and trim sharp or rough edges using various tools.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Manufacturing processes

  The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.

• Statistical process control

  Method of quality control that uses statistics to monitor processes.

• Quality and cycle time optimisation

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

• 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.

• 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.

• Types of sawing blades

  Types of cutting blades used in the sawing process, such as band saw blades, crosscut blades, plytooth blades and others, made from tool steel, carbide, diamond or other materials.

Skills

• Ensure equipment availability

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

• Operate precision measuring equipment

  Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.

• Use CAM software

  Use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.

• Supply machine with appropriate tools

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

• 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.

• Use automatic programming

  Utilise specialised software tools to generate computer code from specifications, such as diagrams, structured informations or other means of describing functionality.

• Wear appropriate protective gear

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

• 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.

• Program a CNC controller

  Set up the desired product design in the CNC controller of the CNC machine for product manufacturing.

• Tend metal sawing machine

  Tend sawing machine designed for metal cutting processes, monitor and operate it, according to regulations.

• 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 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.

• Troubleshoot

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

• 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.

• Read standard blueprints

  Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB