Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements.
• Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices.
• Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
• Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed.
• Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation.
• Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples.
• Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation.
• Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
• Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools.
• Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns.
• Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced.
• Adjust cutting techniques to types of fabrics and styles of garments.
• Notify supervisors of mechanical malfunctions.
• Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed.
• Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices.
• Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
• Record information about work completed and machine settings.
• Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements.
• Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples.
• Operate machines to cut multiple layers of fabric into parts for articles such as canvas goods, house furnishings, garments, hats, or stuffed toys.
• Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines.
• Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools.
• Program electronic equipment.
• Confer with coworkers to obtain information about orders, processes, or problems.
• Adjust machine controls, such as heating mechanisms, tensions, or speeds, to produce specified products.
• Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation.
• Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns.

Skills

• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.

Abilities

• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

Knowledge

• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

40120/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

19.29/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

70

Yearly Projected Openings

10

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cautiousness
• Dependability
• Attention to Detail

Tools

• Cutting or pinking machines
• Drilling machines
• Fabric or cloth folding machines
• Forklifts
• Grease guns
• Laser cutting machine
• Oil can
• Rulers
• Sewing machines
• Shears
• Tape measures

Technology

• Computer aided design CAD software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Industrial control software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software