Forge Shop Workers Job Description: Career Information, Training and Required Knowledge, Employment Outlook and Salary Expectations
Submitted by: Cheska Davenport
Job Overview: Forge shop workers are persons who work by shaping and conditioning metal by means of pressing, pounding or squeezing. They may or may not use heat, and they do such operations by operating machines and equipment in which the hot metal is to be shaped and formed into something useful.
Education, Knowledge and Training Required: A high school diploma is usually required in order to be hired for the job, but these days more employers now look for applicants who have undergone electronics training or quality control systems training. These courses are offered mostly in technical or vocational schools and community colleges. Persons who have finished a two-year technical program in these fields may also find studying metallurgy, engineering, machinery and computers handy for this type of job.
Skills and Abilities: Those who choose to work in forge shops need to have strong mechanical skills, mathematical aptitude and reading comprehension. They should also pay close attention to detail and follow instructions properly and accordingly. They should also be knowledgeable in operating complex machinery and quality control systems. They must as well understand complex blueprints, quality standards and accuracy of operations. They should also be physically fit for the job and capable of handling objects that weigh as much as 50 pounds.
Tasks: Forgers do a variety of metallurgical tasks, including making automobile and aircraft parts, hand tools and drill bits. Their first task is to study the form and makeup of a given object for production, thus they study blueprints and sketches on how they are to be formed and assembled. Then they select the metals to be used for production, and soon after they are to cast the said raw metals at the appropriate machinery and equipment in order to form shapes of desired design and makeup. It is important that they form the right details, as these will be essential during assembly and installation of parts in order to form a finished product.
They also smoothen, polish and finish these metal products once they are produced by the machines. Hence they should be knowledgeable in the use of selection of hammers, dies, presses, up-setters, nails, bolts, screws and furnaces in order to furnish a given project. They are also in charge of making sure that the products finished would pass quality control systems, which include the operation of electronic sensors and statistical process controls.
Earnings and Job Outlook: Forge shop workers are usually employed in forging plants, and they earn an average annual salary of $28,970. More seasoned workers are paid $44,890 per year, and full-time employees also get benefits such as life and medical insurance, vacation leaves and retirement plans. The demand for forge shop workers has a continuous yet minimal increase, as apprentices take a few years in order to become full-time employees, while employment opportunities usually take place when workers begin to retire from their posts.
Cheska Davenport is a career search strategist who focuses on creating power resumes and providing job search advice that aim to help individuals achieve their target goals in the job market.
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Word Count: 502 Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2010 Time: 4:47 AM
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