A professional who sets up and operates one or more gear hobbing machines to machine splines or gear teeth on metal blanks according to specifications, machining instructions, and knowledge of gear hobbing procedures. Respnsibilities include:

• Reads machining instructions or blueprints to determine machine settings, fixtures and hobs to use, and gear specifications, such as dimensions and tolerances.
• Clamps workpiece in fixture or presses it on arbor and mounts arbor between centers.
• Positions and secures specified hob on arbor in relation to workpiece, using wrenches.
• Moves levers or mounts gears in machine to set feed rates and rotation speeds of hob and workpiece following machining instructions.
• Turns handwheel to feed hob to workpiece or vice versa, and engages automatic feed.
• Turns valve handle and directs flow of coolant against hob and workpiece.
• Verifies conformance of hobbed gears to specifications, using micrometers, gear measuring wires, master gears, and involute checker. May compute data, such as gear dimensions and machine settings, applying knowledge of shop mathematics.
• May machine plastic or other nonmetallic materials.
• May be required to have experience with custom or production work, or with particular material, product, or size, type, or trade name of machine.