Career Details :: Photographic Processing Machine Operators
Description
Operate photographic processing machines, such as photographic printing machines, film developing machines, and mounting presses.
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a drywall installer might benefit from experience installing drywall, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be an installer with little difficulty.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.
Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.
Tasks
- Starts and operates machines to prepare circuit boards and expose, develop, etch, fix, wash, dry, and print film or plates.
- Measures and mixes chemicals according to formula to prepare solutions for processing.
- Cleans and maintains photo-processing equipment, using cleaning and rinsing solutions and ultrasonic equipment.
- Removes completed work from equipment and examines circuit boards, plates, film, and prints for conformance to quality standards.
- Reads work orders and examines negatives and film to determine machine settings and processing requirements.
- Maintains records, such as number and types of processing completed, rate of materials usage, and customer charges.
- Loads circuit boards, racks or rolls of film, negatives, or printing paper into processing or printing machines.
- Sets and adjusts machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, and material requirements.
- Fills tanks of processing machines with solutions, such as developer, dyes, stop-baths, fixers, bleaches, and washes.
- Places film in labeled containers or numbers film for identification, using numbering machine or by hand.
- Monitors equipment operation to detect malfunctions.
- Discards or cleans and repairs defective film or circuit patterns on photographic plates, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.
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Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, Material
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Degree of Automation
- Using Hands on Objects, Tools, Controls
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Consequence of Error
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Electronic Publishing/Imaging |  [ add ] |
| Graphic Arts Technology | [ add ] |
| Graphic Communications Management | [ add ] |
| Graphic Communications Technology | [ add ] |
| Graphics Technology | [ add ] |
| Imaging Science | [ add ] |
| Imaging Systems Management | [ add ] |
| Imaging/Photographic Technology | [ add ] |
| Printing | [ add ] |
| Printing Management | [ add ] |
| Printing Technology | [ add ] |
| Printing/Applied Computer Science | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.