Cutting and shaping soft furnishing materials
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to cut and shape aircraft soft furnishing materials, in accordance with approved procedures. It can cover both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft. You will be required to select the appropriate tools and equipment to use, based on the operations to be performed and the materials to be cut and shaped. The materials to be cut and shaped may include leather, cotton fabric, silk and decorative fabrics. The cutting and shaping activities will include hand sewing, machine sewing, cutting by hand, cutting by machine, and bonding, to produce shapes that have concave forms, convex forms and multiple bending planes. You will also be required to make all necessary checks and adjustments, to ensure that materials are correctly positioned and aligned prior to joining and that they function/conform to the specification.
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 these activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to ensure that all tools, equipment and materials used in the cutting and shaping are correctly accounted for. You will need to complete all necessary job/task documentation accurately and legibly, to work with a minimum of supervision and to take 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 techniques and procedures. You will understand the materials being cut and shaped and their application and will know about the relevant components, fastening and securing devices, 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 carrying out the installation operations. 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 cutting and shaping operations and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
- shape the materials using appropriate methods and techniques
- 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 practices and procedures that you need to observe when working with soft furnishing materials (including any specific legislation, regulations/codes of practice for the activities, equipment or materials)
- the health and safety requirements of the work area in which you are carrying out the activities and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the hazards associated with cutting and shaping soft furnishing materials and with the tools and equipment used and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
- the protective equipment that you need to use for both personal protection (PPE) and protection of the aircraft
- the interpretation of drawings, standards, quality control procedures and specifications used for the cutting and shaping activities (including BS, ISO or BSEN symbols and terminology)
- how to carry out currency/issue checks on the specifications you are working with
- the soft furnishings to be worked and their purpose within the item to which they are attached/used
- the quality control procedures to be followed during the cutting and shaping operations
- procedures for ensuring that you have the correct tools, equipment and materials for the activities
- the techniques used to position, align, adjust and secure the materials to the aircraft without damage
- methods of lifting, handling and supporting the materials during the cutting and shaping activities
- the use of adhesives and the precautions that need to be taken
- the procedure for the safe disposal of waste materials
- how to conduct any necessary checks to ensure the functionality, accuracy and quality of the product
- how to recognise defects (such as cosmetic appearance, misalignment, incorrect stitching, stains, foreign object damage, or contamination)
- the importance of ensuring that the completed item is free from dirt and foreign object damage
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 cutting and shaping operations and how these can be overcome
- the recording documentation to be completed for the activities undertaken and where appropriate, the importance of marking and identifying specific pieces of work in relation to the documentation
- 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 during the cutting and shaping activities:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, component drawings, planning and quality control documentation, aircraft procedures and 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
- ensure that correct pattern part numbers are used, including (where appropriate) left or right handed parts
- 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 cutting and shaping activities
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with approved procedures
Use all of the following tools and equipment:
- tape measure
- scalpel
- tri-square
- patterns
- shears
- straight edge
- knife
- templates
Use all of the following cutting and shaping methods and techniques:
- hand sewing
- cutting by hand
- adhesive bonding
- machine sewing
- cutting by machine
Produce components that have all of the following features:
- concave forms
- convex forms
- multiple bending planes
Use three of the following materials:
- leather
- cotton fabric
- decorative fabrics
- silk
- synthetic materials
- other specific material
Carry out all of the following quality and accuracy checks during the activity:
- cosmetic appearance
- accuracy of furnishing lines
- freedom from damage
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
- aircraft flight logs
- log cards
- 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