Profession pottery and porcelain caster

Pottery and porcelain casters fill moulds with clay to cast pottery and porcelain wares. They pour excess slip out of the mould when needed, drain moulds, remove the cast from the mould, smooth the casting surfaces to remove marks and place the castings on boards to dry.

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Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Types of pottery material

    Types of clays and mud and their appearance, properties, reaction to fire, etc.

  • Materials used in stoneware manufacturing

    Characteristics and properties of the different materials used in the production of the vitreous ceramic made of stoneware clay, or in some cases of non-refractory fire-clay.

  • Materials in porcelain manufacturing

    Characteristics and properties of the different raw materials such as china clay, ball clay, alumina, flint and feldspar used for the production of household ware and decorative items.

Skills

  • Extract products from moulds

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

  • Conform with clay thickness

    Conform with the specified clay thickness by pouring the excess slip from moulds while watching the clay level through the mould opening.

  • Troubleshoot

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

  • 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.

  • Use personal protection equipment

    Make use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.

  • Inspect quality of products

    Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.

  • 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.

  • Tend pug mills

    Tend the pug mill by adjusting the controls in order to mix, extrude or deposit the clay charges according to specifications.

  • Tend jigger machines

    Tend the jigger machine in order to obtain the specified ceramic endproducts such as bowls, plates or cups.

Optional knowledge and skills

extract materials from furnace tend clay extrusion machine check quality of raw materials polish clay products paint decorative designs monitor stock level operate a ceramics kiln load materials into furnace operate drying blowers perform green machining construct moulds operate forklift work ergonomically ceramics glazes alumina ceramic keep records of work progress casting processes report defective manufacturing materials fill moulds prepare production prototypes apply glaze coating ceramic ware tend tumbling machine monitor end-product drying process monitor conveyor belt manage different pottery materials form moulding mixture record production data for quality control perform machine maintenance pack fragile items for transportation

Source: Sisyphus ODB