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What does a caster do?

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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Caster responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real caster resumes:

  • Drive plant safety improvement by taking a leadership role to support daily safety efforts and assist in managing the EHS activities.
  • Operate POS system numerous times per shift.
  • Operate, control, and maintain aluminum melting furnaces.
  • Gain valuable experience in BEx and other lean continuous improvement programs.
  • Bond urethane to various media (steel, aluminum, neoprene).
  • Cut steel billets with the use of auto torches and monitor everything on the control panel.
  • Remove metal ingots and cores from molds, using hand tools, cranes and chain hoists.
  • Preheat die sections with torch, change shoot rod, fix hose if needed.Operate ladle and lock out, tag out.
  • Repair extrusion machine hydraulics and electrical systems.
  • Preheat die sections with torch, change shoot rod, fix hose if needed.Operate ladle and lock out, tag out.

Caster skills and personality traits

We calculated that 27% of Casters are proficient in Safety Procedures, Foundry, and Skim. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Dexterity, and Mechanical skills.

We break down the percentage of Casters that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Safety Procedures, 27%

    Follow all safety procedures involved with the handling and production process with molten metal.

  • Foundry, 20%

    Melt nickel for US mint foundry as well as brass and other copper alloys.

  • Skim, 15%

    Skim dross off the surface of molten aluminum before cast.

  • Safety Regulations, 14%

    Maintained safety regulations to prevent injury.

  • Torches, 5%

    Melt metal pieces, using torches, and cast products, such as inlays and crowns, using centrifugal casting machines.

  • Brass, 4%

    Mixed molted metals according to specific formulations to create copper, brass, and nickel alloys.

Most casters use their skills in "safety procedures," "foundry," and "skim" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential caster responsibilities here:

Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for a caster to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what casters do because "metal and plastic machine workers must be able to use programmable devices, computers, and robots on the factory floor." Additionally, a caster resume shows how casters use computer skills: "operated ups and fedex computer systems. "

Mechanical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of casters is mechanical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday caster duties, as "these workers must be comfortable with machines and have a good understanding of how all the parts work." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "operate an assortment of mechanical lifts"

Most common caster skills

The three companies that hire the most casters are:

Compare different casters

Caster vs. Lead caster

If we compare the average caster annual salary with that of a lead caster, we find that lead casters typically earn a $5,870 lower salary than casters make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both caster and lead caster positions are skilled in safety procedures, torches, and hoists.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a caster are more likely to require skills like "foundry," "skim," "safety regulations," and "ran." On the other hand, a job as a lead caster requires skills like "kpis," "lean manufacturing," "imagination," and "aluminum." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that lead casters earn slightly differ from casters. In particular, lead casters are 4.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a caster. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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