Pottery and porcelain caster jobs in Finland
Pottery and porcelain casters fill moulds with clay to cast pottery and porcelain wares. They pour excess slip out of the mould when needed, drain moulds, remove the cast from the mould, smooth the casting surfaces to remove marks and place the castings on boards to dry.
Pottery and porcelain caster - Which skills are essential?
Characteristics and properties of the different raw materials such as china clay, ball clay, alumina, flint and feldspar used for the production of household ware and decorative items.
Characteristics and properties of the different materials used in the production of the vitreous ceramic made of stoneware clay, or in some cases of non-refractory fire-clay.
Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.
Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
Tend the jigger machine in order to obtain the specified ceramic endproducts such as bowls, plates or cups.
Tend the pug mill by adjusting the controls in order to mix, extrude or deposit the clay charges according to specifications.
Conform with the specified clay thickness by pouring the excess slip from moulds while watching the clay level through the mould opening.
Make use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.
Continuously check up on the automated machine's set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.
Remove finished products from moulds and examine them in detail for anomalies.
Types of clays and mud and their appearance, properties, reaction to fire, etc.
Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.
Pottery and porcelain caster - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Manage different recipes of clay and mud according to the genre (such as china) or the expected strength, look, colour, tradition or innovation in the creative process.
Construct moulds for the casting of objects in plaster, clay, glass, plastic or metal. Use casting machines and materials such as rubber, plaster or fibreglass.
Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
Keep records of the machine's faults, interventions and irregularities for quality control.
Operate a forklift, a vehicle with a pronged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads.
The production process and characteristics of various types of ceramic ware such as pottery, whiteware, stoneware, chinaware, porcelain or earthenware.
Evaluate how much stock is used and determine what should be ordered.
Remove materials from the furnace using a crane, a conveyor, by tilting the furnace, or using other methods.
Finish the shaping process of ceramics after forming by performing several green machining operations such as grinding, blanking and punching.
Fill up moulds with appropriate materials and ingredient mixes.
Load materials in furnace with correct positioning, fastening and levelling when needed.
Monitor the flow of the work pieces on the conveyor belt as they are processed by the machine to ensure optimal productivity.
Apply designs in paint, using paint sprayers, paintbrushes or spray cans.
Perform regular maintenance, possibly including corrections and alterations, on a machine or machine tool to ensure it remains in a proper productive state.
Operate the portable air and heat blowers by placing them in the drying aisles in order to dry specific products.
The characteristics, compounds and application of different glaze type such as raw or frit glazes.
Set up and monitor machine which mix, heat or melt clay, and pull or push the material through a shaped die to form it into a continuous profile with a preset cross section such as tubes, pipes and sheeting.
Form the moulding mixture adding specified amounts of materials, such as sand, clay, silica mud or plastic pellets, according to a fixed recipe, set up the controller of the melting tanks and monitor the melting process.
Maintain required company records and forms in order to report any defective materials or questionable conditions of manufacturing machinery and equipment.
Dip the products into a specific glaze coating that will make them waterproof and fix the decorative patterns and colours after the firing process.
Check the quality of basic materials used for the production of semi-finished and finished goods by assessing some of its characteristics and, if needed, select samples to be analysed.
Use abrasives to smoothen the surface of clay products such as sculptures, dolls and models working with sanding papers, manual or power tools.
Let the end-products to cool and dry during the correct amount of time. If necessary, hasten the drying process using kilns or delay it by allowing water to humidify the products.
Manage the temperature of a kiln to achieve the expected results according to the type of clay such as biscuit stoneware or porcelain. Manage sintering and enamels colours.
Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
Pack fragile items such as glass panes or glass objects using the appropriate boxes and cushioning materials such as air-encapsulated plastic or customised foam enclosures to make sure the content will not move during transportation.
The various practices used in the casting of metal, plastics and other cast materials, including mould filling, solidification, cooling, and others, all relating to varying approaches in case of different types of material.
Prepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.
Tend a machine designed to smoothen metal or stone surfaces by having the different pieces rub against each other inside a tumbling barrel, monitor and operate it according to regulations.
Aluminium oxide, also called alumina, is a ceramic material made of oxygen and aluminium which has many properties suitable for insulation purposes such as hardness, low electrical conductivity and insolubility in water.