Profession plastic furniture machine operator

Plastic furniture machine operators tend plastic processing machines that produce pieces such as plastic chairs and tables. They inspect each resulting product, detect abnormalities and remove inadequate pieces. In some cases, they may assemble different plastic parts to obtain the final product.

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Personality Type

  • Realistic / Conventional
  • Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

  • Injection moulding machine parts

    Parts of the machine that melts and injects molten plastic into moulds such as the hopper, the reciprocating screw, the injection barrel and the injection cylinder.

  • Types of plastic

    Types of plastic materials and their chemical composition, physical properties, possible issues and usage cases.

  • 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.

Skills

  • 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.

  • Fill moulds

    Fill up moulds with appropriate materials and ingredient mixes.

  • Tend injection moulding machine

    Operate and monitor a machine that contains a reciprocating screw that forces the raw material forwards while inducing melting, and injects the molten plastic into a mould.

  • Operate plastic machinery

    Operate machines and equipment used for creating plastic parts and products such as injection, extrusion, compression or blow moulding machines.

  • Conform to health and safety regulations

    Carry out all work in accordance with relevant environmental and health and safety legislation, risk assessment requirements and company policies. Take the necessary health and safety precautions during work including posture the body well, safely operate tools and machinery, and wear the right clothes and protection for the climate.

  • 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.

  • Manipulate plastic

    Manipulate the properties, shape and size of plastic.

  • Use moulding techniques

    Apply moulding techniques.

  • Extract products from moulds

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

  • Maintain plastic machinery

    Maintain machinery and equipment for making plastic goods, to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order. Perform routine maintenance on equipment and adjust when necessary, using hand and power tools.

  • Finish plastic products

    Finish the product by sanding, branding and polishing the plastic surface.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Apply a protective layer

    Apply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.

  • Maintain mould parts

    Carry out minor repair tasks and maintenance of moulds and mould parts.

  • Assemble plastic parts

    Align and arrange plastic parts in order to assemble complete products, using the appropriate hand tools.

Optional knowledge and skills

record production data for quality control perform physical stress tests on models repair plastic machinery write stress analysis reports inspect quality of products apply spraying techniques replace machines analyse stress resistance of products operate lacquer spray gun design prototypes perform test run repair mould defects technical drawings construct moulds paint with a paint gun perform product testing

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