Metal and Plastic Patternmakers
On the Job
Metal and Plastic Patternmakers lay out, fit, and put together castings and parts of metal or plastic foundry patterns, core boxes, or match plates.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Operate grinding equipment.
- Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
- Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.
- Select production input materials.
- Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
- Design templates or patterns.
- Program equipment to perform production tasks.
- Clean workpieces or finished products.
- Repair templates, patterns, or molds.
- Apply protective or decorative finishes to workpieces or products.
Typical Working Conditions
- Having face-to-face discussions.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Exposure to contaminants (like gases or odors).
- Working with a group or team.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Exposure to hazardous equipment.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Close physical proximity with other people.
- Responsibility for outcomes and results.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.