National Application Center :: career details :: Heaters, Metal and Plastic
Career Details :: Heaters, Metal and Plastic
Description
Operate or tend heating equipment, such as soaking pits, reheating furnaces, and heating and vacuum equipment, to heat metal sheets, blooms, billets, bars, plate, and rods to a specified temperature for rolling or processing, or to heat and cure preformed plastic parts.
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a drywall installer might benefit from experience installing drywall, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be an installer with little difficulty.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.
Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.
Tasks
- Pushes cart to curing oven or places part in autoclave.
- Starts conveyors and opens furnace doors to load stock, or signals crane operator to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them.
- Adjusts controls to maintain temperature and heating time, using thermal instruments and charts, dials and gauges of furnace, and color of stock.
- Records time and production data.
- Signals coworker to charge steel into furnace.
- Places part on cart, connects vacuum line to tube, and smoothes bag around part to ensure vacuum.
- Sets oven controls or turns air-pressure valve or autoclave.
- Ignites furnace with torch, and turns valve to regulate flow of fuel and air to burners.
- Positions stock in furnace, using tongs, chain hoist, or pry bar.
- Positions plastic sheet and mold in plastic bag, heats material under lamps, and forces confrontation of sheet to mold by vacuum pressure.
- Removes material from furnace, using crane, or signals crane operator to transfer to next station.
- Removes stock from furnace, using cold rod, tongs, or chain hoist, and places stock on conveyor for transport to work area.
- Impregnates fabric with plastic resins and cuts fabric into strips.
- Assists workers in repairing, replacing, cleaning, lubricating, or adjusting furnace equipment, using hand tools.
- Adjusts controls to synchronize speed of feed and takeoff conveyors of furnace.
- Positions part in plastic bag and seals bag with iron.
- Removes part and cuts away plastic bag.
- Inserts vacuum tube into bag and seals bag around tube with tape.
Related Careers
- Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
- Electrolytic Plating and Coating Machine Setters and Set-Up Operators, Metal and Plastic
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
- Nonelectrolytic Plating and Coating Machine Operators and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Plastic Molding and Casting Machine Setters and Set-Up Operators
- Pourers and Casters, Metal
- Precision Mold and Pattern Casters, except Nonferrous Metals
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Repairing & Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Consequence of Error
- Indoors
- Using Hands on Objects, Tools, Controls
- Standing
- Degree of Automation
