About This Career

Molds, shapes, forms, casts, or carves products such as food products, figurines, tile, pipes, and candles consisting of clay, glass, plaster, concrete, stone, or combinations of materials.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

• Reads work orders or examines parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
• Trims or removes excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.
• Engraves or stamps identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
• Brushes or sprays mold surfaces with parting agents or inserts paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
• Cleans, finishes, and lubricates molds and mold parts.
• Assembles, inserts, and adjusts wires, tubes, cores, fittings, rods, or patterns into molds, using hand tools and depth gauges.
• Separates models or patterns from molds and examines products for accuracy.
• Sets the proper operating temperature for each casting.
• Loads or stacks filled molds in ovens, dryers, or curing boxes, or on storage racks or carts.
• Aligns and assembles parts to produce completed products, using gauges and hand tools.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work