LATHE AND TURNING MACHINE TOOL SETTER, OPERATOR AND TENDER, METAL AND PLASTIC

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Mount attachments, such as relieving or tracing attachments, to perform operations such as duplicating contours of templates or trimming workpieces.
• 2) Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
• 3) Adjust machine controls and change tool settings in order to keep dimensions within specified tolerances.
• 4) Crank machines through cycles, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls to ensure specified timing, clearances, and tolerances.
• 5) Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators.
• 6) Install holding fixtures, cams, gears, and stops to control stock and tool movement, using hand tools, power tools, and measuring instruments.
• 7) Lift metal stock or workpieces manually or using hoists, and position and secure them in machines, using fasteners and hand tools.
• 8) Move controls to set cutting speeds and depths and feed rates, and to position tools in relation to workpieces.
• 9) Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.
• 10) Position, secure, and align cutting tools in toolholders on machines, using hand tools, and verify their positions with measuring instruments.
• 11) Select cutting tools and tooling instructions, according to written specifications or knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
• 12) Start lath or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met.
• 13) Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences.
• 14) Turn valve handles to direct the flow of coolant onto work areas or to coat disks with spinning compounds.
• 15) Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.

Activities:

• 1) Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• 2) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 3) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 4) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 5) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

Abilities:

• 1) Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• 2) Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 3) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 4) Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
• 5) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Knowledge

• Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.