Profession metal planer operator

Metal planer operators set up and operate a planer, which is a metalworking machine designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece using linear relative motion between the planer's cutting tool and the workpiece in order to create a linear toolpath and cut.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Quality and cycle time optimisation

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

• 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 planing cutters

  Types of cutters used in the planing process of a workpiece, such as carbide tipped cutters, hydro planing cutters and others.

• 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.

Skills

• Measure flatness of a surface

  Measure the evenness of a workpiece's surface after it has been processed by checking for deviations from the desired perpendicular state.

• 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.

• 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.

• Tend metal planer

  Tend a planer machine designed to cut excess material from a workpiece in order to create a flat surface, monitor and operate it according to regulations.

• 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.

• Ensure equipment availability

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

• 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.

• 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.

• Operate metal sheet shaker

  Operate shaker by opening up an air valve allowing for slugs, the parts of the workpiece punched out, to fall into the shaker and be mixed and shaken before they're either recycled and reused or discarded, depending on the material.

• Supply machine with appropriate tools

  Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose.

• 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.

• 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 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.

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB