Producing aircraft components by plastic injection moulding
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to produce aircraft components by plastic injection moulding, in accordance with approved procedures. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft. Setting up of the plastic injection moulding machine, its tooling and associated delivery/collection mechanisms are the subject of another standard.
You will be required to check that the injection moulding machine is ready for the operations to be performed and that all the required materials and consumables are available. You will be expected to check that the mould tools are free from damage which could impair the quality of the mouldings produced and that all services required to operate the machine are fully operational. You will be required to operate the injection moulding machine in line with safe working practices and approved procedures and to monitor the moulding operations continuously, making any necessary adjustments to settings in order to ensure that the work output is to the required quality and accuracy. Meeting production targets will be an important issue and your production records must show consistent and satisfactory performance.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the plastic injection moulding activities undertaken and to report any problems with the moulding activities 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 full responsibility for your actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you produce.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work and will provide an informed approach to applying plastic injection moulding procedures. You will understand the plastic injection moulding process and its application and will know about the equipment, materials and consumables in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults and ensuring that the completed mouldings are to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when operating the plastic injection moulding machines and when using the associated tools and 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 the correct component drawing or any other related specifications for the component to be produced
- determine what has to be done and how this will be achieved
- obtain and prepare the appropriate tools, equipment and materials
- carry out the moulding activities using the correct methods and techniques
- produce components to the required specification
- check that all the required operations have been completed to 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 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 injection equipment (including any specific legislation, regulations/codes of practice for the activities, equipment or materials)
- the health and safety requirements of the work area where you are carrying out the activities and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the hazards associated with carrying out injection moulding activities and with the associated delivery and collection systems, 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 where appropriate, protection of others
- the emergency procedures that are in place to deal with a machine malfunction when operating the plastic injection moulding machine
- the safety mechanisms on the machine and the procedure for checking that they function correctly.
- operation of the machine controls in both hand and power modes and how to stop the machine in an emergency
- the COSHH regulations relating to the materials used in the injection moulding activities (such as mould sprays, mould lubricants and moulding materials)
- how to obtain the necessary job instructions for the production operations and how to interpret their information
- the basic parts and functions of a plastic injection moulding machine and moulds (to include mould location points, mould heating/cooling arrangements, machine controls, hydraulic, pneumatic and electricity supplies, material delivery and collection systems, guards and other safety devices)
- the various types of mould tool that are used and their typical applications
- why it is important to check the moulds for damage or other non-conformance prior to starting up the injection moulding machine
- the different types of component delivery/collection system that are used on plastic injection moulding machines
- the various machine operating parameters that may require adjusting during the injection moulding activities (such as temperature, pressure, speed/timings and distance) and how these are achieved
- the effects that changes to these settings will have on the quality of the components produced
- the different types of material used in the plastic injection moulding process
- preparations to be carried out on the materials in order to ensure that the completed components meet the required specification
- the temperature range of the material being moulded and the mould being used
- methods of checking the finished mouldings to ensure that they are to the required specification
- identification of moulding defects, their cause and methods of prevention
- how to make adjustments to machine settings (to deal with such issues as flashing, short shot, distortion and colour problems)
- the methods and techniques for component de-flashing and fettling
- the control of weld lines, fibre orientation and shrinkage
- the methods and techniques for lifting, handling and supporting the components/equipment/materials during the injection activities
- recognition of injection defects (such as misalignment, distortion, foreign object damage, contamination and surface defects)
- the quality control procedures used and inspection checks to be carried out on the mouldings produced and the equipment that will need to be used
- the problems that can occur with the plastic injection moulding activities and how these can be overcome
- why it is important to keep the plastic injection moulding equipment clean and free from damage, to practice good housekeeping of tools and equipment and to maintain a clean and unobstructed working area
- the recording documentation to be completed for the injection 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 authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve when working with plastic injection moulding machines
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Prepare for the plastic injection moulding operations, to include carrying out all of the following:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, planning and quality control documentation, material data sheets, aircraft standards 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 injection moulding activities
- check that there are sufficient raw materials available and that they meet the component specification
- ensure that there are appropriate facilities for storing the completed mouldings (where applicable)
- follow safe practice/approved injection moulding techniques and procedures at all times
- return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the injection moulding activities
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with approved procedures
Prepare the injection moulding machine, to include carrying out all of the following:
- checking that the correct mould tool is located in the machine and is complete, clean and free from damage
- ensuring that mould surfaces are clean and free from damage
- checking that secondary mould tool components are clean and free from damage
- checking that all moulding parameters have been set correctly (such as temperature, pressure, speed/time, distance)
- checking that component delivery/collection mechanisms are working correctly (such as robots, conveyors, separators and collection chutes)
- ensuring that all guards, screens and safety mechanisms are in place and in good working order
- checking that all services are connected and all connections are
in good order (such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic)
8. checking that all machine controls are operational
Produce plastic injection mouldings, using two of the following types of mould tool:
- two plate tools
- combination/composite tools
- unscrewing tools
- three plate tools
- split tools
Use all of the following types of equipment:
- air circulating ovens
- injection moulding machine
- trimming equipment
Produce plastic injection mouldings from two of the following materials:
- acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)
- polycarbonate
- polystyrene
- acetal
- polypropylene
- polyethylene
- nylon
- other specific material
Carry out all of the following operations:
- material drying
- meltable core preparation
- injection moulding
- component de-moulding
- component de-flashing and fettling
Produce a range of components with two of the following features:
- double curvatures
- flat plank/test pieces
- multi-faceted
- female shapes
- male shapes
- internal cavities
Complete visual inspection and segregation of mouldings according to company procedures, to include all of the following:
- mouldings which meet the required specification
- mouldings which have defects
- mouldings that require further investigation
Monitor the moulding operations and make adjustments to the machine settings to deal with two of the following:
- flashing
- distortion
- colour deviation
- short shot
- burning
Complete the relevant documentation, to include two of the following:
- production documentation
- quality control documentation
- records of machine settings
Produce plastic injection mouldings which comply with one of the following quality and accuracy standards:
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD)
- Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
- Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
- Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
- BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
- customer standards and requirements
- company standards and procedures
- manufacturers standards and procedures
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