How to become a Metal Stamping Press Operator
Factory work can be a thankless job most of the time without much of an opportunity for advancement, but the ability to become a metal stamping press operator can lead to bigger and better things. In the metal stamping industry every employee looks for a more lucrative position in terms of pay, and to become a metal stamping press operator can provide an excellent learning opportunity that can result in promotion to a supervisory position or one that is at least less physically demanding. As far as the labor force in a factory goes tool and die makers usually make the most money, and many have started their careers as a metal stamping press operator.To become a metal stamping press operator an unskilled person usually accepts a position as a laborer in a metal stamping plant. After a period of "paying your dues" an individual may be offered as position as a press tender, which encompasses any tasks that are necessary to keep a stamping press functioning at full capacity. These tasks may include bringing new steel to a metal stamping press operator or taking away the finished product. After a period as a tender, the next step to become a metal stamping press operator is to assume the position of a "catcher" - the person that catches the pieces as they come from the stamping press and has the responsibility to check that there are no quality issues. The reason that time must be spent in each of these positions before an individual can become a metal stamping press operator is so that they can absorb the nuances of the job by watching and learning a skilled metal stamping press operator in action.Eventually an individual will be promoted to become a metal stamping press operator and will initially be assigned a more simple stamping job on a press with a force of smaller size and tonnage. Over time and with hundreds of thousands of repetitions, a metal stamping press operator will learn and rise in the factory hierarchy until they are considered competent enough to be assigned stamping jobs on 300 to 1,500 ton presses with a subsequent increase in salary based on experience and production.A responsible employer will only allow an employee to become a metal stamping press operator after significant training has been completed. To become a metal stamping press operator is not a tremendously difficult task, but when the job is performed incorrectly it can be an extremely dangerous situation for the metal stamping press operator as well as any other employee in the immediate vicinity.
