Manufacturing of tools

Description

The manufacture of knives and cutting blades for machines or for mechanical appliances, hand tools such as pliers, screwdrivers etc. The manufacture of non-power-driven agricultural hand tools, saws and saw blades, including circular saw blades and chainsaw blades. The manufacture of interchangeable tools for hand tools, whether or not power-operated, or for machine tools: drills, punches, milling cutters etc. The manufacture of press tools, moulding boxes and moulds (except ingot moulds), vices and clamps, and blacksmiths’ tools: forges, anvils etc.

Alternative labels

production of mechanical appliances, apparatus and specialised tools
building of mechanical appliances, apparatus and specialised tools
assembly of mechanical appliances, apparatus and specialised tools
assembly of tools
production of tools
construction of mechanical appliances, apparatus and specialised tools
construction of tools
building of tools

Skill type

knowledge

Skill reusability level

sector-specific

Relationships with occupations

Essential knowledge

Manufacturing of tools is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

Optional knowledge

Manufacturing of tools is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Coating machine operator: Coating machine operators set up and tend coating machines that coat metal products with a thin layer of covering of materials such as lacquer, enamel, copper, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium or other metal layering in order to protect or decorate the metal products’ surfaces. They run all coating machine stations on multiple coaters.
Boring machine operator: Boring machine operators prepare, operate, and maintain single or multiple spindle machines using a boring bar with a hardened, rotary, multipointed cutting tool in order to enlarge an existing hole in a fabricated workpiece. 
Solderer: Solderers operate various equipment and machinery such as gas torches, soldering irons, welding machines, or electric-ultrasonic equipment in order to solder together two or more items (usually metals), by melting and forming a metal filler in between the joints, the filler metal has a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. 
Spark erosion machine operator: Spark erosion machine operators set up and tend spark erosion machines designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece by the use of electrical discharges, or sparks, caused by electric voltage and separated by a dielectric liquid, which removes pieces of metal from the electrodes These applications can involve transmission and optical microscopy.
Grinding machine operator: Grinding machine operators set up, program and control grinding machines, designed to apply abrasive processes in order to remove small amounts of excess material and smoothen metal workpieces by using an abrasive wheel with diamond teeth as a cutting device for very precise and light cuts. They read grinding machine blueprints and tooling instructions, perform regular machine maintenance, and make adjustments to the grinding controls, such as the depth of cuts and the rotation speed.
Metal sawing machine operator: Metal sawing machine operators set up and operate metal sawing machines designed to cut excess metal from a metal workpiece by the use of a (or several) large toothed-edges blade(s). They also trim clean finished shapes out of metal using tin snips, metal shears or wire cutters.  They also smoothen and trim sharp or rough edges using various tools.
Surface grinding machine operator: Surface grinding machine operators set up and tend surface grinding machines designed to apply abrasive processes in order to remove small amounts of excess material and smoothen metal workpieces by an abrasive grinding wheel, or wash grinder, rotating on a horizontal or vertical axis.
Computer numerical control machine operator: Computer numerical control machine operators set-up, maintain and control a computer numerical control machine in order to execute the product orders. They are responsible for programming the machines, ensuring the required parameters and measurements are met while maintaining the quality and safety standards.
Lathe and turning machine operator: Lathe and turning machine operators set up, program and tend lathe and turning machines designed to cut excess metal from a metal workpiece using a hardened cutting tool moved by computer-controlled motors. They read lathe and turning machine blueprints and tooling instructions, perform regular machine maintenance, and make adjustments to the lathe controls, such as the depth of cuts and the rotation speed.
Brazier: Braziers operate various equipment and machinery such as torches, soldering irons, fluxes and welding machines in order to join two metal pieces together, by heating, melting and forming a metal filler inbetween them, often brass or copper. Brazing can join metals such as aluminum, silver, copper, gold, and nickel. Brazing is a similar process to soldering but requires higher temperatures. 

 
Welder:
Welders operate welding equipment in order to join metal workpieces together. They can use fusion welding processes based on different techniques and materials. They also perform simple visual inspection of welds.
Tool grinder: Tool grinder perform precision grinding processes on metal objects and tools. They grind, sharpen or smoothen metal surfaces using the appropriate tools and instruments. Tool grinders follow tooling instructions and assure the processed workpiece meets the necessary specifications.
Deburring machine operator: Deburring machine operators set up and tend mechanical deburring machines designed to strip metal workpieces of their rough edges, or burrs, by hammering over their surfaces in order to smoothen them or to roll over their edges in case of uneven slits or sheers in order to flatten them into the surface.
Drop forging hammer worker: Drop forging hammer workers utilise forging machinery and equipment, specifically machined hammers, in order to form ferrous and non-ferrous metal workpieces to their desired shape. They tend the forging hammers that are dropped onto the workpiece in order to reshape it after the form of the die, which can be closed or open, fully enclosing the workpiece or not.
Spot welder: Spot welders set up and tend spot welding machines designed to press and join metal workpieces together. The metal resistance to the passage of electrical current and the subsequent heat created in the process allows for the local melting and joining of the parts.  
Extrusion machine operator: Extrusion machine operators set up, monitor and maintain machines which heat or melt raw materials, and pull or push the heated material through a shaped die to form it into a continuous profile with a preset cross section such as tubes, pipes and sheeting. They may also clean and maintain the equipment.
Straightening machine operator: Straightening machine operators set up and tend straightening machines designed to form metal workpieces into their desired shape using pressing practices. They adjust the angle and the height of the straightening rolls and select the settings for the pressing force required to straighten the workpiece, taking into account the end product’s yield strenght and size, without excess work hardening.
Drill press operator: Drill press operators set up and operate drill presses designed to cut excess material from or enlarge a hole in a fabricated workpiece using a hardened, rotary, multipointed cutting tool that inserts the drill into the workpiece axially.
Rustproofer: Rustproofers use the proper equipment and machinery to provide metal workpieces with a hard, durable finishing coat, composed of specific chemical formulas, that prevents or delays iron and steel pieces from rusting and protects against corrosion.
Dip tank operator: Dip tank operators set up and tend dip tanks, which are coating machines, designed to provide otherwise finished work pieces with durable coating by dipping them in a tank of a specific sort of paint, preservative or molten zinc.
Swaging machine operator: Swaging machine operators set up and tend rotary swaging machines, designed to alter round ferrous and non-ferrous metal workpieces into their desired shape by first hammering them into a smaller diameter through the compressive force of two or more dies and then tagging them using a rotary swager, a process through which no excess material is lost.
Drilling machine operator: Drilling machine operators set up, program and control drilling machines, designed to drill holes in workpieces using a computer-controlled, rotary-cutting, multipointed cutting tool, inserted into the workpiece axially. They read drilling machine blueprints and tooling instructions, perform regular machine maintenance, and make adjustments to the drilling controls, such as the depth of drills or the rotation speed.
Tool and die maker: Tool and die makers operate a variety of equipment and machinery designed to create metal tools and dies, which are both needed in several areas of manufacturing, and produce these tools in all steps of the production process. They design the tools and dies, then cut and shape them to size and finish them by manually operated machine tools, power tools, hand tools, or programming and tending CNC tool and die making machines.
Blacksmith: Blacksmiths heat metal, usually steel, in a forge and shape it with a hammer, chisel, and an anvil. Contemporarily, they predominantly create artisanal metal products, including ornamental work, as well as horse shoes, one of the sole metal fabricating processes that has not been industrialised.

 


 

References

  1. Manufacturing of tools – ESCO

 

Last updated on September 20, 2022