According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients. | 91% |
| Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment. | 90% |
| Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales. | 90% |
| Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels. | 89% |
| Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions. | 89% |
| Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards. | 87% |
| Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products. | 87% |
| Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. | 87% |
| Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices. | 87% |
| Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. | 87% |
| Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow. | 86% |
| Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses. | 86% |
| Send product samples to laboratories for analysis. | 86% |
| Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes. | 83% |
| Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products. | 82% |
| Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines. | 81% |
| Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing. | 80% |
| Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing. | 80% |
| Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor. | 80% |
| Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets. | 79% |
| Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks. | 79% |
| Thread extruded strips through water tanks and hold-down bars, or attach strands to wires and draw them through tubes. | 79% |
| Complete work tickets, and place them with products. | 78% |
| Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters. | 77% |
| Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete. | 77% |
| Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking. | 77% |
| Ignite burners to preheat products, or use torches to apply heat. | 69% |
| Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes. | 64% |
