Metal furniture machine operator

Description

Metal furniture machine operators use machines and power tools to cut, shape and join metal pieces in order to produce metal furniture ranging from office furnishings to outdoors fittings. They use different types of metal such as aluminium, iron and stainless steel, and different types of processes such as metal forming and casting. They polish, apply protective layers and, in some cases, decorative finishes to the metal pieces. They assemble and join the elements to obtain the final product.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to metal furniture machine operator:

metal furniture assembly worker
metal furniture machine operative
metal furniture assembler
metal furniture assembly craftsman
metal furniture machine setter
metal furniture finisher
metal furniture assembly operative
metal furniture maker
metal furniture machine worker
metal furniture machine tender

Minimum qualifications

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a metal furniture machine operator.

ISCO skill level

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.

Metal furniture machine operator is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Metal furniture machine operator career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to metal furniture machine operator.

plastic furniture machine operator
wooden furniture machine operator
nailing machine operator
router operator
edge bander operator

Long term prospects

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

automated assembly line operator
industrial robot controller
pulp control operator
product development engineering technician
automation engineering technician

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of metal furniture machine operator.

  • Metalworking: The process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large-scale structures.
  • Types of metal: Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.
  • Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
  • Metal smoothing technologies: The various technologies used for the smoothening, polishing and buffing of fabricated metal workpieces.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of metal furniture machine operator.

  • Supply machine with appropriate tools: Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose.
  • Assemble metal parts: Align and arrange steel and metal parts in order to assemble complete products; use the appropriate hand tools and gauges.
  • Operate furniture machinery: Operate machines and equipment used for making furniture parts and the assembling of furniture.
  • Join metals: Join together pieces of metal using soldering and welding materials.
  • Use welding equipment: Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.
  • 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.
  • Maintain furniture machinery: Maintain machinery and equipment in order to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order. Perform routine maintenance on equipment and adjust when necessary, using hand and power tools.
  • Remove processed workpiece: Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.
  • 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.
  • Apply a protective layer: Apply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.
  • 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.
  • Cut metal products: Operate cutting and measuring instruments in order to cut/shape pieces of metal into given dimensions.
  • Heat metals: Heat steel and metals in fire; adjust and regulate heat controls to reach appropriate pouring temperature.
  • Fabricate metal parts: Fabricate metal parts, using equipment such as drill presses and engine lathes.
  • 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

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

  • Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
  • CAD software: The computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.

Optional skills and competences

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

  • 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 product testing: Test processed workpieces or products for basic faults.
  • Perform physical stress tests on models: Perform tests on products’ models to analyse the ability of products to endure temperature, loads, motion, vibration and other factors.
  • 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.
  • Paint with a paint gun: Use a paint gun to coat or paint surfaces of items which are stationary or moving on a conveyor belt. Load the equipment with the suitable type of paint and spray the paint onto the surface in an even and controlled manner to prevent paint from dripping or splashing.
  • Dispose of cutting waste material: Dispose of possibly hazardous waste material created in the cutting process, such as swarf, scrap and slugs, sort according to regulations, and clean up workplace.
  • Apply spraying techniques: Apply the most optimal spraying techniques, such as a perpendicular spraying angle, maintenance at a consistent distance, trigger the spray gun gradually, overlap surface spots, and others.
  • Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
  • Analyse stress resistance of products: Analyse the ability of products to endure stress imposed by temperature, loads, motion, vibration and other factors, by using mathematical formulas and computer simulations.
  • Mark processed workpiece: Inspect and mark parts of the workpiece to indicate how they will fit into the finished product.
  • Operate lacquer spray gun: Operate a semi-automatic or handheld spray gun designed to provide the surface of a workpiece with a hard, durable finishing coat, safely and according to regulations.
  • Write stress analysis reports: Write down a report with all your findings encountered during the stress analysis. Write down performances, failures and other conclusions.
  • Design prototypes: Design prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.
  • Repair furniture machinery: Repair broken components or systems of machinery and equipment used for making furniture, using hand and power tools.
  • Replace machines: Evaluate when to invest in replacing machines or machine tools and take the necessary actions.

ISCO group and title

8219 – Assemblers not elsewhere classified


References
  1. Metal furniture machine operator – ESCO
Last updated on August 18, 2022

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