skillfactor-pipeline/skills/laminating-machine-operator/references/tasks.md

Tasks & work activities — laminating machine operator

Source: O*NET 30.3, occupation 51-2051.00 (Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators).

Task statements

• [Core] Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers.
• [Core] Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments.
• [Core] Select precut fiberglass mats, cloth, and wood-bracing materials as required by projects being assembled.
• [Core] Pat or press layers of saturated mat or cloth into place on molds, using brushes or hands, and smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles with hands or squeegees.
• [Core] Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes.
• [Core] Bond wood reinforcing strips to decks and cabin structures of watercraft, using resin-saturated fiberglass.
• [Core] Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots.
• [Core] Trim excess materials from molds, using hand shears or trimming knives.
• [Supplemental] Repair or modify damaged or defective glass-fiber parts, checking thicknesses, densities, and contours to ensure a close fit after repair.
• [Supplemental] Cure materials by letting them set at room temperature, placing them under heat lamps, or baking them in ovens.
• [Supplemental] Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled.
• [Supplemental] Mask off mold areas not to be laminated, using cellophane, wax paper, masking tape, or special sprays containing mold-release substances.
• [Supplemental] Apply lacquers and waxes to mold surfaces to facilitate assembly and removal of laminated parts.
• [Supplemental] Check all dies, templates, and cutout patterns to be used in the manufacturing process to ensure that they conform to dimensional data, photographs, blueprints, samples, or customer specifications.
• [Supplemental] Inspect, clean, and assemble molds before beginning work.
• [Supplemental] Trim cured materials by sawing them with diamond-impregnated cutoff wheels.

Detailed work activities

• Apply adhesives to construction materials.
• Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.
• Apply water or solutions to fabrics or apparel.
• Build production molds.
• Clean production equipment.
• Inspect production equipment.
• Load items into ovens or furnaces.
• Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
• Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
• Place materials into molds.
• Repair parts or assemblies.
• Select production input materials.
• Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment.
• Trim excess material from workpieces.