Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Mould Setup Technician for a plastic injection molding manufacturing environment. This person will be responsible for setting up injection molds, preparing presses and auxiliary equipment for production, starting machines, supporting first-off approval, and troubleshooting setup or process issues during production.
This is a hands-on technical role for someone who has actually performed mold changes and injection molding startups. The right candidate should understand how to safely hang molds, connect water and auxiliary systems, set up the work cell, purge and start the press, inspect parts, and fine tune the process to produce acceptable molded parts.
Schedule And Location
- Location: Toronto / North York, ON
- Schedule: Night shift, with overtime during the week or on weekends as required
- Work environment: Plastic injection molding manufacturing facility with heat, noise, moving equipment, cranes, forklifts, and PPE requirements
Key Responsibilities
- Set up molds on injection molding machines ranging approximately from 100 to 1,000 tons.
- Install, remove, stage, and prepare molds using overhead cranes, forklifts, hoists, hand tools, clamps, bolts, and related setup equipment.
- Set up and support injection molding machines such as Nissei, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Engel, and similar press brands.
- Read and follow work orders, setup sheets, production schedules, SOPs, and mold setup instructions.
- Connect and verify water lines, cooling circuits, mold temperature controllers, thermolators, hot runners, core pulls, hydraulic lines, pneumatic lines, and other auxiliary equipment.
- Prepare molds, platens, clamps, nozzle tips, work areas, and related equipment before startup.
- Set up the production work cell, including conveyors, part handling equipment, bins, fixtures, and operator areas.
- Purge machines, start presses, and adjust process parameters within approved limits to achieve stable production.
- Fine tune injection molding processes for materials such as nylon, PP, ABS, PC, PE, and related thermoplastics.
- Check molded parts for common defects such as short shots, flash, splay, sink, warp, burns, color issues, dimensional issues, and surface defects.
- Work with Quality to complete first-off inspection and approval before full production.
- Troubleshoot setup, mold, material, auxiliary, and basic process issues; escalate machine, tooling, or maintenance concerns when needed.
- Complete setup records, production logs, process documentation, checklists, and downtime notes accurately.
- Support plant startup, shutdown, 5S, housekeeping, and continuous improvement related to setup time, safety, quality, and production efficiency.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 3 years of hands-on injection mold setup experience.
- Direct experience setting up injection molds, performing mold changes, starting presses, and supporting first-off approval.
- Ability to safely use overhead cranes, hoists, forklifts, hand tools, and mold setup equipment.
- Working knowledge of injection molding machines, molds, hot runners, core pulls, cooling circuits, mold temperature control, and auxiliary equipment.
- Ability to troubleshoot common molded part defects and make basic process adjustments within approved parameters.
- Mechanical aptitude and comfort working with heavy molds, press components, water lines, hydraulic/pneumatic connections, and production tooling.
- Able to speak, read, and write in English and work overtime as required.
- Counterbalance propane forklift certification is preferred or required depending on site needs.
Preferred Experience
- Experience on medium to large injection molding presses, especially 100-1,000 ton machines.
- Experience with Nissei, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Engel, or similar injection molding machines.
- Experience setting up molds with hot runners, core pulls, multi-cavity molds, insert molding, or more complex auxiliary requirements.
- Familiarity with thermoplastic materials such as nylon, PP, ABS, PC, PE, and engineered resins.
- Experience in custom injection molding, automotive plastics, furniture components, consumer products, or other molded plastic manufacturing.
- Knowledge of 5S, WHMIS, basic quality systems, first-off approval, and production documentation.
Key Attributes
- Safety-first approach around heavy molds, cranes, presses, hot surfaces, and moving equipment.
- Strong attention to detail during setup, hookup, startup, and first-off approval.
- Practical troubleshooting mindset and ability to recognize whether a problem is likely process, mold, material, machine, or operator-related.
- Able to work independently on night shift while communicating issues clearly to production, quality, maintenance, and supervision.
- Calm under production pressure and able to balance speed with safe, accurate setup work.
Pay: $28.00-$35.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
