Index
Intro
Operators in this unit group operate machines to process yarn or thread into woven, non-woven and knitted products such as cloth, lace, carpets, rope, industrial fabric, hosiery and knitted garments or to quilt and embroider fabric. This unit group also includes workers who perform activities such as reproducing patterns, drawing-in and tying warps and setting up looms. They are employed by textile companies and by garment and mattress manufacturing companies.
Mobility among employers may be limited by differences in machines and products.
Progression to textile machinery mechanics and repairers or to supervisory positions is possible with experience and training.
Main Duties
Operators in this unit group perform some or all of the following duties:
- Set up looms or other processing machines
- Read loom patterns and prepare loom pattern mechanisms for processing
- Operate looms to weave yarn or thread into textile fabrics or products
- Operate machines that produce twine, ropes or nets
- Operate batteries of knitting machines to produce knitted fabric, hosiery, garments or other products
- Operate carpet tufting machines, felt making needle-punch machines and other machines to produce textile products
- Operate large automatic multi-needle machines to embroider material or to sew lengths of several layers of material to make yard goods, quilts or mattress coverings
- Patrol machines and check fabrics or products for defects and to verify efficient operation
- Investigate machine stoppages
- Repair minor mechanical problems such as broken or defective needles
- Notify supervisor or repairers of mechanical malfunctions.
Employment Requirements
- On-the-job training is provided for periods up to several months, depending on the complexity of the product, whether equipment set-up and maintenance is done by the operator, and the number of machines operated.
- Previous experience as a labourer in the same company may be required for some operators in this group.
All Titles
- automatic embroidery machine tender
- automatic stocking loom tender
- Axminster carpet weaver
- ball fringe machine tender
- ball fringe maker, machine
- band-knitting machine operator
- beam changer – textiles
- blanket weaver
- braid maker – textiles
- braid weaver – textiles
- braider – textiles
- braiding machine tender – textiles
- card lacer – textiles
- carpet weaver
- carpet-tufting machine operator
- carpet-weaving machine operator
- chain builder – textileschainman – textiles, chainwoman – textiles
- chainman/woman – textiles
- circular knitter
- circular knitting machine knitter
- cloth ribber
- cloth weaver
- crochet machine operator
- crocheting machine operator
- dobby loom drawer-in
- dobby loom weaver
- drawer, warps – textiles
- drawer-in – textilesdrawer-in
- drawer-in helper – textiles
- drawer-in, dobby loom
- drawer-in, loom
- drawing-in machine operator
- drawing-in machine operator – textiles
- drop-pinning machine operator – textiles
- embroidery machine operator
- embroidery machine tender
- entering machine operator – textiles
- felt press tender – textiles
- felting machine tender
- felt-making machine operator
- flat knitter
- flat knitting machine knitter
- garment looper
- glass-fibre-bonding machine tender
- glove knitter
- harness preparer – textiles
- harness tier – textiles
- heddles tier, jacquard loom
- helper, drawer-in – textiles
- helper, loom drawer-in
- helper, loom threader
- helper, warp drawer-in – textiles
- hosiery knitter
- hosiery looper – textiles
- hosiery seamer – textiles
- hosiery-knitting machine tender
- jacquard card cutter – textiles
- jacquard card lacer – textiles
- jacquard card-cutting machine operator – textiles
- jacquard card-lacing machine operator – textiles
- jacquard loom heddles tier
- jacquard loom knitter
- jacquard loom pattern changer
- jacquard loom weaver
- jacquard machine knitter
- jacquard machine operator
- jersey knitter
- knitter – textiles
- knitter, gloves
- knitter, hosiery
- knitter, jersey
- knitter, link machine
- knitter, ribs – textiles
- knitter, samples
- knitter, seamless hosiery
- knitter, sock feet
- knitter, socks – textiles
- knitter, surgical pads
- knitting area patroller – textiles
- knitting machine operator
- knitting machine tender
- knitting mender, machine
- knotting machine operator – textiles
- lace weaver
- lease worker – textiles
- leaser – textiles
- leasing machine tender – textiles
- link machine knitter
- loom drawer-in
- loom drawer-in helper
- loom drawer-in, machine
- loom operator
- loom threader
- loom threader helper
- loom threader, machine
- loom weaver
- looper – textiles
- looper, garments
- looper, hosiery – textiles
- looper, socks
- machine ball fringe maker
- machine knitting mender
- machine loom drawer-in
- machine loom threader
- machine mender, knitting
- machine tassel maker
- machine tier-in, warps – textiles
- machine warp tier-in – textiles
- mattress sewing machine operator
- needle loom operator
- needle loom weaver
- net maker, machine – textiles
- net weaver – textiles
- net-knitting machine operator – textiles
- netting-making machine operator – textiles
- operator, carpet-tufting machine
- operator, drawer-in machine – textiles
- operator, drop-pinning machine – textiles
- operator, embroidery machine
- operator, entering machine – textiles
- operator, felt-making machine
- operator, jacquard card-cutting machine – textiles
- operator, jacquard card-lacing machine – textiles
- operator, jacquard machine
- operator, knitting machine
- operator, knotting machine – textiles
- operator, loom
- operator, mattress-sewing machine
- operator, needle loom
- operator, net-knitting machine – textiles
- operator, netting-making machine – textiles
- operator, pad mangle – textiles
- operator, padding machine – textiles
- operator, pinning machine – textiles
- operator, quilting machine
- operator, ribbing machine – textiles
- operator, scroll-quilting machine
- operator, tufting machine – textiles
- pad mangle operator – textiles
- padding machine operator – textiles
- patroller, knitting area – textiles
- pattern card preparer – textiles
- pattern changer, jacquard looms
- pattern puncher – textiles
- pattern weaver – textiles
- pinning machine operator
- pinning machine operator – textiles
- power loom weaver
- preparer, harnesses – textiles
- press tender, felt – textiles
- quilting machine operator
- rib knitter – textiles
- ribbing machine operator – textiles
- rope maker – textiles
- rope twister
- rope-coiling machine tender – textiles
- rope-twisting machine tender
- rug weaver
- sample knitter
- sample weaver
- scroll-quilting machine operator
- seamless hosiery knitter
- sock foot knitter
- sock knitter – textiles
- sock looper
- surgical pad knitter
- tassel machine tender – textiles
- tassel maker, machine
- tender, automatic embroidery machine
- tender, embroidery machine
- tender, felt press – textiles
- tender, felting machine
- tender, glass-fibre-bonding machine
- tender, hosiery-knitting machine
- tender, knitting machine
- tender, leasing machine – textiles
- tender, rope-coiling machine – textiles
- tender, rope-twisting machine
- tender, tassel machine – textiles
- tender, warp tying machine – textiles
- textile weaver
- threader – textiles
- threader, loom
- tier-in, warps – textiles
- top knitter
- topper – textiles
- transfer knitter
- tufting machine operator – textiles
- tufting machine operator, carpets
- tufting operator
- warp drawer – textiles
- warp drawer-in helper – textiles
- warp knitting machine tender
- warp placer – textiles
- warp tier-in
- warp tier-in – textiles
- warp tier-in, machine – textiles
- warp tying machine tender – textiles
- weaver – textiles
- weaver, blankets
- weaver, carpet
- weaver, cloth
- weaver, jacquard loom
- weaver, loom
- weaver, needle loom
- weaver, nets – textiles
- weaver, patterns – textiles
- weaver, power loom
- weaver, rugs
- weaver, samples
Exclusions
- Craft weavers and knitters (See 5244 Artisans and craftspersons)
- Industrial sewing machine operators (9446)
- Supervisors, textile, fabric, fur and leather products processing and manufacturing (9217)
- Textile machinery mechanics (See 7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics)