Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.
What you’d do
- Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances.
- Move controls to set cutting speeds and depths and feed rates, and to position tools in relation to workpieces.
- Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences.
- Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators.
- Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
- Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.
- Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
- Crank machines through cycles, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls to ensure specified timing, clearances, and tolerances.
Skills that matter
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Equipment Maintenance
- Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
How to get there
Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one
Also called
- CNC Lathe Operator (Computer Numerical Control Lathe Operator)
- Lathe Operator
- Machine Operator
- Setup Operator
- CNC Setup Operator (Computer Numerical Control Setup Operator)
- Numerical Control Operator (NC Operator)
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