Details for Pourers and Casters, Metal
Description
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.
Tasks
- Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis.
- Pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds and forms to produce ingots or other castings, using ladles or hand-controlled mechanisms.
- Read temperature gauges and observe color changes, adjusting furnace flames, torches, or electrical heating units as necessary to melt metal to specifications.
- Examine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated.
- Position equipment such as ladles, grinding wheels, pouring nozzles, or crucibles, or signal other workers to position equipment.
- Skim slag or remove excess metal from ingots or equipment, using hand tools, strainers, rakes, or burners, collecting scrap for recycling.
- Turn valves to circulate water through cores, or spray water on filled molds to cool and solidify metal.
- Add metal to molds to compensate for shrinkage.
- Pull levers to lift ladle stoppers and to allow molten steel to flow into ingot molds to specified heights.
- Load specified amounts of metal and flux into furnaces or clay crucibles.
- Remove solidified steel or slag from pouring nozzles, using long bars or oxygen burners.
- Assemble and embed cores in casting frames, using hand tools and equipment.
- Remove metal ingots or cores from molds, using hand tools, cranes, and chain hoists.
- Transport metal ingots to storage areas, using forklifts.
- Stencil identifying information on ingots and pigs, using special hand tools.
- Repair and maintain metal forms and equipment, using hand tools, sledges, and bars.
Interests
- Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Education, training, experience
- Education - These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
- Training - Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
- Experience - Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Knowledge
None found.
Skills
None found.
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