Profession filing machine operator

Filing machine operators set up and tend filing machines such as band files, reciprocating files and bench filing machines in order to smoothen metal, wood or plastic surfaces by precisely cutting and removing small amounts of excess material.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Filing machine parts

  The various parts, their characteristics and applications, of a machine designed to file and finish metal, wood or plastic workpieces, such as a cone point file, set screw, centre plate, adapter, file band, upper guide, post, back-up support, and others.

• Quality and cycle time optimisation

  The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine's processes.

• Type of file

  Types of files used for filing metal, wood or plastic workpieces, such as mill files, barrette files, checkering files, coin pointed files, joint round edge files 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.

Skills

• 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.

• 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.

• Smooth burred surfaces

  Inspect and smooth burred surfaces of steel and metal parts.

• Tend filing machine

  Tend a filing machine designed to smoothen a metal, wood or plastic surface and remove rough edges by applying filing, abrasive machine processes, monitor and operate it according to regulations.

• Ensure equipment availability

  Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Wear appropriate protective gear

  Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.

• 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.

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB