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Plastics Engineer - Working conditions

Mataaro Pūrere Kirihou

Working Conditions

Plastics engineers work in offices, and factories and workshops, which are kept very clean to avoid contamination of the product.

Welding a frame

Peter O'Brien studying plans in the workshop

Equipment

Equipment plastics engineers use includes:

hand and power tools

plastics machinery

measuring tools such as a micrometer to measure the wall thickness of plastic pipes

cutting equipment

safety equipment such as gloves, masks and earmuffs.

Peter O' Brien drillling a part to be used in a machine

Plastics engineers use precision cutting equipment to adjust parts

Hours

Plastics engineers usually work eight-hour shifts, and they may have to work evenings and weekends if the factory they work for operates 24 hours a day.

Contact with people

Plastics engineers work in teams. They have contact with other people in the organisation such as machine operators, plastics process technicians and management.

"Learning to question plastics experts who know more than you is a big part of the learning curve in a job like this. I may not know how to do everything, but I know who to call to find out how to do it."

Peter O'Brien - Plastics Engineer

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Updated September 2009

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