Automated assembly line operator

Automated assembly line operators operate, maintain and clean production machines. They are responsible for the assembly of a whole product or a part of a product. Automated assembly line operators perform all tasks in a production process via a rotation system.

The main duties of an automated assembly line operator include, but are not limited to:

• Building products on the assembly line according to drawings, instructions, or schematics.
• Following established safety and efficiency procedures to ensure that operations run smoothly.
• Inspecting assembled products for any faults or defects.
• Loading product pieces slated for assembly onto the line and packing assembled products into boxes for storage.
• Stopping the assembly line and halting production if machinery fails or a major defect is detected.
• Maintaining a record of mechanical repairs and adjustments.
• Reporting incidents, faulty operations, or product imperfections on the assembly line to management.

The following job titles also refer to automated assembly line operator:

production line maintenance worker
automated assembly line team member
automated assembly line operative
production line worker
production line maintenance operative
automated assembly line worker
production line operative

A high school diploma or equivalent is generally the minimum required to work as an automated assembly line operator.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Automated assembly line operator is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to automated assembly line operator.

pulp control operator
industrial robot controller
plastic and rubber products manufacturing supervisor
metal production supervisor
desalination technician

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of automated assembly line operator. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of automated assembly line operator with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

integrated circuit design engineer
maintenance and repair engineer
mask maker
container equipment design engineer
welding engineer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of automated assembly line operator.

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

These skills are necessary for the role of automated assembly line operator.

• Apply assembly techniques: Apply correct and up-to-date assembly methods in the production development process.
• 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.
• Monitor moving workpiece in a machine: Monitor the processing of a workpiece in motion, such as a piece of metal or wood moved linearly over a static manufacturing machine.
• Maintain equipment: Regularly inspect and perform all required activities to maintain the equipment in functional order prior or after its use.
• Monitor conveyor belt: Monitor the flow of the work pieces on the conveyor belt as they are processed by the machine to ensure optimal productivity.
• Work in assembly line teams: Manufacture products on a moving assembly line. Work in a team where everyone has an assigned task.
• 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.
• Perform machine maintenance: Perform regular maintenance, possibly including corrections and alterations, on a machine or machine tool to ensure it remains in a proper productive state.
• Set up machine controls: Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.
• Adjust manufacturing equipment: Regulate and monitor the manufacturing equipment settings and process parameters, such as its temperature and power level. Review the manufacturing process and equipment and suggest improvements.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of automated assembly line operator. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Quality and cycle time optimisation: The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine’s processes.
• Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of automated assembly line operator. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Work ergonomically: Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
• 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.
• Record production data for quality control: Keep records of the machine’s faults, interventions and irregularities for quality control.
• Perform test run: Perform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, and adjust settings accordingly.
• Use personal protection equipment: Make use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.
• Verify product specifications: Check heights, colour and other attributes of finished product against specifications.
• 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.
• Consult technical resources: Read and interpret such technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.
• Report defective manufacturing materials: Maintain required company records and forms in order to report any defective materials or questionable conditions of manufacturing machinery and equipment.
• Send faulty equipment back to assembly line: Send equipment that didn’t pass inspection back to the assembly line for re-assembly.
• Perform loading and unloading operations: Load and unload materials from containers, manually or using appropriate tools. Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using tools such as forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Develop assembly instructions: Develop a code of letters and numbers to label diagrams for assembly instructions.

3139 – Process control technicians not elsewhere classified

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References

1. Automated assembly line operator – ESCO
2. Assembly Operator Job Description – Betterteam
3. Featured image: By Clark, Joe, photographer, Photographer (NARA record: 8463821) – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain