Description
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
- • Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices, such as rulers, micrometers, or scales.
- • Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
- • Stack and sort cut material for packaging, further processing, or shipping, according to types and sizes of material.
- • Review work orders, blueprints, specifications, or job samples to determine components, settings, and adjustments for cutting and slicing machines.
- • Type instructions on computer keyboards, push buttons to activate computer programs, or manually set cutting guides, clamps, and knives.
- • Remove defective or substandard materials from machines, and readjust machine components so that products meet standards.
- • Press buttons, pull levers, or depress pedals to start and operate cutting and slicing machines.
- • Adjust machine controls to alter position, alignment, speed, or pressure.
- • Maintain production records, such as quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
- • Monitor operation of cutting or slicing machines to detect malfunctions or to determine whether supplies need replenishment.
- • Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments.
- • Remove completed materials or products from cutting or slicing machines, and stack or store them for additional processing.
- • Select and install machine components, such as cutting blades, rollers, and templates, according to specifications, using hand tools.
- • Move stock or scrap to and from machines manually, or by using carts, handtrucks, or lift trucks.
- • Clean and lubricate cutting machines, conveyors, blades, saws, or knives, using steam hoses, scrapers, brushes, or oil cans.
- • Feed stock into cutting machines, onto conveyors, or under cutting blades, by threading, guiding, pushing, or turning handwheels.
- • Position stock along cutting lines, or against stops on beds of scoring or cutting machines.
- • Change or replace saw blades, cables, cutter heads, and grinding wheels, using hand tools.
- • Mark cutting lines or identifying information on stock, using marking pencils, rulers, or scribes.
- • Turn cranks or press buttons to activate winches that move cars under sawing cables or saw frames.
- • Position width gauge blocks between blades, and level blades and insert wedges into frames to secure blades to frames.
- • Direct workers on cutting teams.
- • Tighten pulleys or add abrasives to maintain cutting speeds.
- • Cut stock manually to prepare for machine cutting, using tools such as knives, cleavers, handsaws, or hammers and chisels.
- • Sharpen cutting blades, knives, or saws, using files, bench grinders, or honing stones.
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Advanced Manufacturing
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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
