Plastics Process Technician - Tasks and specialisations
Kaihangarau Mahi Kirihou
Tasks & duties
Plastics process technicians may do some or all of the following:
- develop standard procedures for all areas of plastics production, such as start-up heats and pressures for the machines, and the number of products that should be produced per hour
- analyse why output of plastics products is higher or lower than the required rate
- liaise with suppliers of raw material
- minimise the scrap rate (the number of products in a production run that are below standard)
- ensure the process is efficient
- conduct trials on raw materials to determine the right mixture, heat and pressure needed to manufacture a plastic product to strength and colour specifications
- write reports, operating manuals and problem-solving flow-charts
- train staff in new processes and procedures.
Andrew McLeod checking a machine is working correctly
Computer screens display information on the performance of the machine
Updated
September 2009
