Occupation: Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.

51-9041.00 | 26 tasks | 6 job titles
Reported Job Titles (6)
  • Extruder Operator
  • Extrusion Operator
  • Glass Forming Crew Member
  • Machine Operator
  • Press Operator
  • Tuber Operator
Core Tasks (12)
  • Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
  • Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
  • Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
  • Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
  • Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
  • Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards.
  • Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
  • Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.
  • Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow.
  • Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses.
  • Synchronize speeds of sections of machines when producing products involving several steps or processes.
  • Move materials, supplies, components, and finished products between storage and work areas, using work aids such as racks, hoists, and handtrucks.
Supplemental Tasks (14)
  • Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels.
  • Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.
  • Send product samples to laboratories for analysis.
  • Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products.
  • Pour, scoop, or dump specified ingredients, metal assemblies, or mixtures into sections of machine prior to starting machines.
  • Measure, mix, cut, shape, soften, and join materials and ingredients, such as powder, cornmeal, or rubber to prepare them for machine processing.
  • Remove materials or products from molds or from extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines, and stack or store them for additional processing.
  • Feed products into machines by hand or conveyor.
  • Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets.
  • Complete work tickets, and place them with products.
  • Disassemble equipment to repair it or to replace parts, such as nozzles, punches, and filters.
  • Remove molds, mold components, and feeder tubes from machinery after production is complete.
  • Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking.
  • Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes.