Plastic Molding and Casting Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend plastic molding machines, such as compression or injection molding machines, to mold, form, or cast thermoplastic materials to specified shape.

Job Task

• Starts machine that automatically liquefies plastic material in heating chamber, injects liquefied material into mold, and ejects molded product.
• Observes meters and gauges to verify specified temperatures, pressures, and press-cycle times.
• Turns valves and dials of machines to regulate pressure and temperature, to set press-cycle time, and to close press.
• Observes continuous operation of automatic machine and width and alignment of plastic sheeting to ensure side flanges.
• Weighs prescribed amounts of material for molded part and finished product to ensure specifications are maintained.
• Removes product from mold or conveyor, and cleans and reloads mold.
• Positions mold frame to correct alignment and tubs containing mixture on top of mold to facilitate loading of molds.
• Fills tubs, molds, or cavities of machine with plastic material in solid or liquid form prior to activating machine.
• Mixes and pours liquid plastic into rotating drum of machine that spreads, hardens, and shapes mixture.
• Pulls level and toggle latches to fill mold and regulate tension on sheeting and to release mold covers.
• Dumps plastic powder, preformed plastic pellets, or preformed rubber slugs into hopper of molding machine.
• Heats plastic material prior to forming product or cools product after processing to prevent distortion.
• Breaks seals that hold plastic product in molds, using hand tool, and removes product from mold.
• Examines molded product for surface defects, such as dents, bubbles, thin areas, and cracks.
• Feels stiffness and consistency of molded sheeting to detect machinery malfunction.
• Reports defect in molds to supervisor.
• Signals coworker to synchronize feed of materials into molding process.
• Trims flashing from product.
• Throws flash and rejected parts into grinder machine to be recycled.
• Stacks molded parts in boxes or on conveyor for subsequent processing or leaves parts in mold to cool.

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