Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 8 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Handling and Moving Objects (4.A.3.a.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 8 occupations that perform it.
- Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled.
- Turn valves to circulate water through cores, or spray water on filled molds to cool and solidify metal.
- Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Spray, smoke, or coat molds with compounds to lubricate or insulate molds, using acetylene torches or sprayers.
- Swab molds with solutions to prevent products from sticking.
- Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
- Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
- Spray or swab molds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass.
- Apply lacquers and waxes to mold surfaces to facilitate assembly and removal of laminated parts.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
8 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Dental Laboratory Technicians
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers
- Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Pourers and Casters, Metal
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Remove workpieces from production equipment”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
| Activity | Jobs |
|---|---|
| Remove products or workpieces from production equipment | 30 |
| Remove workpieces from molds | 6 |
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.