Description
Use hand cutters, snips, strippers, and bench-mounted tools to cut, strip, and trim wire and cable to specified lengths and finishes for manufacturing or installation.
- • Inspect, mark, or discard wire with defects such as kinks, corrosion, nicks, insulation damage, or bends.
- • Trim and deburr wire ends; remove frayed strands and apply end caps as required.
- • Cut, strip, and trim wire, cable, and wire rope using hand cutters, snips, shears, and bench-mounted tools.
- • Sort wire by gauge, length, alloy, strand count, insulation type, color, or condition.
- • Label cut wire with part numbers, lot codes, lengths, and job identifiers.
- • Read work orders or cut lists to determine gauges, lengths, cut locations, and quantities.
- • Count, coil, weigh, and bundle cut lengths or spooled output.
- • Mark cut points or set stops per layout using rulers, tapes, templates, and markers.
- • Unspool wire from reels, straighten, and feed to cutting fixtures or machines.
- • Coil or rack cut pieces and place them on reels, trays, or conveyors.
- • Form loops, bends, or pre-shapes before or after cutting when specified.
- • Clean, deburr, or tin wire ends and apply protective coatings when required.
- • Position stops and measure to maximize yield and minimize scrap from reels or coils.
- • Route cut wire to crimping, soldering, harnessing, or assembly operations.
- • Replace or sharpen cutter blades and dies; maintain strippers and shears.
- • Operate hand and bench cutters to shear wire to specified lengths.
- • Adjust guides, feeds, stops, and strip-length settings for precise cuts and insulation removal.
- • Move reels and finished bundles to work or storage areas using carts or lifts.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
