Plastic furniture machine operator

Plastic furniture machine operators tend plastic processing machines that produce pieces such as plastic chairs and tables. They inspect each resulting product, detect abnormalities and remove inadequate pieces. In some cases, they may assemble different plastic parts to obtain the final product.

Plastic workers often operate powerful, high-speed machines that can be dangerous and must observe safety rules. Operators usually wear protective equipment, such as safety glasses, earplugs, and steel-toed boots, to guard against flying particles of plastic, machine noise, and heavy objects, respectively.

Other required safety equipment varies by work setting and machine. For example, respirators are common for those in the plastics industry who work near materials that emit dangerous fumes or dust.

Most plastic machine workers are employed full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week. Because many manufacturers run their machinery for extended periods, evening and weekend work is also common.

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

plastic furniture assembly worker
plastic furniture machine tender
plastic furniture machine operative
plastic furniture production process worker
plastic furniture manufacturer
plastic furniture maker
plastic furniture production operative
plastic furniture machine worker
plastic furniture machine setter
plastic furniture assembler

A high school diploma is generally the minimum required to work as a plastic furniture machine 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.

Plastic furniture machine operator is a Skill level 2 occupation.

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

metal furniture machine operator
nailing machine operator
router operator
edge bander operator
optical disc moulding machine operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of plastic 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 plastic furniture machine operator with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

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

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

• Injection moulding machine parts: Parts of the machine that melts and injects molten plastic into moulds such as the hopper, the reciprocating screw, the injection barrel and the injection cylinder.
• 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.
• Types of plastic: Types of plastic materials and their chemical composition, physical properties, possible issues and usage cases.

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

• Finish plastic products: Finish the product by sanding, branding and polishing the plastic surface.
• Manipulate plastic: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of plastic.
• Maintain plastic machinery: Maintain machinery and equipment for making plastic goods, 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.
• Fill moulds: Fill up moulds with appropriate materials and ingredient mixes.
• Use moulding techniques: Use moulding techniques, such as rotational moulding, injection moulding, blow moulding, compression moulding, extrusion moulding and thermo-forming to shape liquid raw materials, such as plastic, ceramic, glass and metal.
• 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.
• Maintain mould parts: Carry out minor repair tasks and maintenance of moulds and mould parts.
• Tend injection moulding machine: Operate and monitor a machine that contains a reciprocating screw that forces the raw material forwards while inducing melting, and injects the molten plastic into a mould.
• Extract products from moulds: Remove finished products from moulds and examine them in detail for anomalies.
• 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.
• Operate plastic machinery: Operate machines and equipment used for creating plastic parts and products such as injection, extrusion, compression or blow moulding machines.
• 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.
• Assemble plastic parts: Align and arrange plastic parts in order to assemble complete products, using the appropriate hand tools.
• 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.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of plastic 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.

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

• Construct moulds: Construct moulds for the casting of objects in plaster, clay, glass, plastic or metal. Use casting machines and materials such as rubber, plaster or fibreglass.
• 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.
• Repair plastic machinery: Repair broken components or systems of machinery and equipment used for making plastic products or parts, using hand and power tools.
• 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.
• 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.
• Repair mould defects: Repair mould malfunctions and damage, e.g. cracks or broken edges; use hand tools, mould boxes and patterns.
• 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.
• Replace machines: Evaluate when to invest in replacing machines or machine tools and take the necessary actions.

8142 – Plastic products machine operators

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References

1. Plastic furniture machine operator – ESCO
2. Metal and Plastic Machine Workers – Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Featured image: Photo by Volodymyr Tokar on Unsplash