Cutting and shaping aircraft components
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to cut and shape materials to produce aircraft components, in accordance with approved procedures. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft. You will be required to select the appropriate tools and equipment and to check that they are in a safe and serviceable condition to use. You will be expected to use a range of different materials, ensuring efficient use of them and when applicable, ensuring that grain flow is taken into account. In carrying out the cutting and shaping activities, you will need to use a range of hand tools, portable power tools and simple machines to produce a variety of shapes and profiles, which will include internal and external square and rectangular profiles, circular and curved profiles, angular profiles and holes linearly pitched and radially/circularly pitched.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the cutting and shaping activities undertaken and to report any problems with the activities, material tools or equipment that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work and will provide an informed approach to applying cutting and shaping procedures and instructions. You will understand the cutting and shaping methods and techniques used and their application and will know about the tools, equipment, materials and consumables, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when working with the cutting and shaping equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow relevant specifications for the component to be produced
- obtain the appropriate tools and equipment for the shaping operations and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
cut and shape the materials using appropriate methods and techniques
produce components that comply with relevant standards
check that all the required shaping operations have been completed to the required specification
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
- complete the relevant documentation, in accordance with organisational requirements
- leave the work area in a safe and appropriate condition, free from foreign object debris on completion of the activities
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the specific safety precautions to be taken whilst carrying out the cutting and shaping operations (including any specific legislation, regulations or codes of practice relating to the activities, equipment or materials)
- the health and safety requirements of the work area in which you are carrying out the cutting and shaping activities, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the personal protective equipment and protective clothing (PPE) to be worn during the cutting and shaping activities
- the hazards associated with cutting and shaping aircraft components and with the tools and equipment used and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
- the range of hand and power operated tools that are to be used for the shaping operations
- how to check that the tools and equipment to be used are in a safe, tested and serviceable condition
- the importance of ensuring that all tools and equipment are used in the correct manner and within their permitted operating range
- the shaping methods and techniques that can be used to produce a range of shapes/profiles on the various section materials (such as sawing, shearing, drilling, filing, abrading)
- how to select saw blades for different applications and materials (such as hand saws, mechanical saws, band saws) and methods of setting saw blades for cutting externally and internally
- the various shearing methods that can be used (such as tin snips, bench shears, guillotines, cropping machines and nibbling machines)
- methods of drilling and finishing holes in sheet and stock materials (such as drills, reamers, countersinks, hole saws)
- the various types of file that are available; the cut of files for different applications; the importance of ensuring that file handles are safe and free from embedded foreign bodies
- methods of shaping and finishing materials using abrasives (such as emery cloth, linishing and polishing)
- how to identify the materials to be used; material identification systems; codes used and grain flow indicators
- the importance of labelling all components produced and of ensuring that materials returned to stores are suitably identified
- the preparations and/or treatments that may need to be carried out on the materials before and after the cutting and shaping operations
- the quality control procedures to be followed and how to conduct any necessary checks to ensure the accuracy and quality of the components produced
- why tool/equipment control is critical and what to do if a tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
- the problems that can occur with the shaping operations and how these can be overcome
- the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following activities during cutting and shaping components:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, aircraft drawings, planning and quality control documentation, specifications)
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- provide and maintain a safe working environment for the cutting and shaping activities
- obtain the correct tools and equipment for the activity and check that they are in a safe, tested and usable condition and within current calibration date
- follow safe practice/approved cutting and shaping techniques and procedures at all times
- return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the activities
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with approved procedures
Cut and shape the materials using four of the following:
- saws (hand or mechanical)
- tin snips
- cropping machines
- guillotines
- drills and hole saws
- files
- bench knives
- nibblers
- abrasive discs
- laser cutter (CNC)
- plasma cutter (CNC)
- plasma cutter (hand)
Produce a range of components with features that include five of the following:
- edges/faces that are square to each other
- internal profiles
- edges/faces that are parallel
- external profiles
- edges/faces that are angled
- holes linearly pitched
- curved or circular forms
- holes radially pitched
Cut and shape material that include three of the following forms:
- flat sheet
- bar stock
- angle section
- channel sections
- pipe/tube
Use two types of material from:
- aluminium
- stainless steel
- glass reinforced plastic (GRP)
- titanium
- composite material
- carbon fibre
- other specific material
Produce components which comply with one of the following standards:
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD)
- Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
- Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
- customer standards and requirements
- Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
- company standards and procedures
- BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
- manufacturers standards and procedures
Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following and pass it to the appropriate people:
- build records
- job cards.
- log cards
- aircraft flight log
- other specific recording method
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:
- strong work ethic
- positive attitude
- team player
- dependability
- responsibility
- honesty
- integrity
- motivation
- commitment