Machinist | Tool Sharpener Job El Paso area,Texas USA,Manufacturing / Production

Job Summary:

Maintain rotary cutting dies in optimal dimensional, mechanical, and functional condition to ensure safe, reliable, and consistent production performance. This position is responsible for precision sharpening and cutting-edge recovery, controlled machining of support (bearer) rings, dimensional inspection, preventive maintenance, and technical release of tooling in accordance with approved drawings, specifications, tolerances, and procedures. Responsibilities:

1. Cutting-Edge Recovery and Sharpening:Restore and maintain cutting performance through specialized manual sharpening while preserving the original knife geometry, cutting-edge continuity, and functional profile.

Ensure recovered cutting edges meet defined acceptance criteria and application requirements.
Assess tooling condition and determine whether it can be repaired internally, requires specialized external repair, or should be removed from service.
Protect tool life by preventing excessive material removal or unauthorized geometry changes.
Maintain consistent cutting-edge quality to support reliable production performance.

2. Support Ring (Bearer Ring) Machining.Restore the functional relationship between support rings and knife height through precision manual lathe operations performed within approved specifications and engineering limits.

Machine support rings while maintaining dimensional accuracy, concentricity, parallelism, and specified surface finish requirements.
Evaluate the impact of dimensional adjustments on cutting pressure, ring contact, and overall tool stability.
Ensure modifications do not compromise tool integrity, safety, interchangeability, or service life.

3. Metrology and Tool Release.Verify the dimensional and mechanical condition of tooling before and after maintenance activities using calibrated measuring equipment and established acceptance criteria.

Measure and verify dimensions including diameters, knife height, runout, concentricity, parallelism, surface finish, and knife-to-support-ring relationships.
Interpret engineering drawings, GD&T requirements, specifications, and inspection results to support release decisions.
Determine whether tooling should be released, placed on hold, or escalated for further review based on compliance and risk assessment.

4. Rotary Tool Maintenance and Preservation.Maintain the reliability, cleanliness, protection, and availability of rotary cutting dies through preventive and corrective maintenance activities within the authorized scope of responsibility.

Inspect tooling for wear, corrosion, damage, looseness, contamination, or other conditions that may impact cutting performance, quality, or production reliability.
Maintain and protect critical components, including cutting edges, support rings, bearings, gears, fastening hardware, and other functional surfaces in accordance with engineering specifications.
Coordinate external repairs, component replacements, or Engineering support when tooling conditions exceed internal repair capabilities.

5. Process Reliability and Continuous Improvement.Support manufacturing reliability by reducing downtime, recurring failures, and premature tool wear through technical analysis, standardized maintenance practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Analyze wear patterns and identify potential root causes related to alignment, pressure, material characteristics, assembly methods, or tool condition.
Recommend improvements to maintenance procedures, acceptance criteria, inspection methods, maintenance intervals, and process controls.
Support validation trials and verify stable tool performance before release to production.

6. Safety and Compliance.Perform all activities in accordance with company safety policies, regulatory requirements, and established procedures for operating machinery, handling sharp tooling, managing hazardous energy, and using lifting equipment.

Adhere to machine guarding, lockout/tagout (LOTO), personal protective equipment (PPE), lifting, and waste-disposal requirements.
Immediately report and upscale unsafe conditions, missing specifications, or situations that could result in injury, equipment damage, or product nonconformance.
Maintain a safe, clean, organized, and inspection-ready work environment.

7. Traceability and Documentation Control.Maintain accurate and complete records of tooling condition, maintenance activities, dimensional inspections, and service history to support Production, Quality, and Engineering decision-making.

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