Producing aircraft components using wet lay-up techniques

This standard identifies the competences you need to produce aircraft composite mouldings by using wet lay-up techniques, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to follow the appropriate instructions, drawings, specifications and documentation to produce the composite mouldings, using the correct wet lay-up production techniques.

You will produce a range of composite mouldings, incorporating a variety of features and using a range of techniques and processes. Mouldings produced will include laminates and sandwich structures, using a range of resin, fibre and core materials.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the composite moulding activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the moulding activities, equipment or materials that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will need to ensure that all tools, equipment and materials used in the moulding process are correctly accounted for on completion of the activities, and you must complete all necessary job/task documentation accurately and legibly.

You will be expected to work either with a high level of supervision or as a member of a team, and you will take personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out. Where team working is involved, you must demonstrate a significant personal contribution during the team activities in order to satisfy the requirements of this standard, and you must demonstrate competence in all the areas required by the standard.

Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying the appropriate wet lay-up techniques and procedures. You will understand the production procedures and techniques used, and will know about the tools and techniques, 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 wet lay-up moulding activities, and when using the associated tools and equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout. You will also understand your responsibilities for safety, and the importance of taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

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P1    work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines 

P2    follow the correct component drawing or any other related specifications for the component to be produced

P3    determine what has to be done and how this will be achieved

P4    obtain and prepare the appropriate tools, equipment and materials

P5    carry out the moulding or laying-up activities using the correct methods and techniques

P6    produce components to the required specification

P7    check that all the required operations have been completed to specification

P8    deal with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved

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 K1    how to work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines

K2    the importance of wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and of keeping the work area clean and tidy

K3    the application of COSHH regulations in relation to the storage, use and disposal of composite materials and consumables

K4    the specific workshop environmental conditions that must be observed when producing aircraft composite mouldings

K5    how to use and extract information from engineering drawings and related specifications in relation to work undertaken

K6    how to interpret and use imperial and metric systems of measurement

K7    quality procedures used in the workplace to ensure production control (in relation to currency, issue, meeting specification), and how to complete such documents

K8    conventions and terminology used for wet lay-up techniques (including resin and fibre weights/volumes, material orientation, material identification, material tailoring, mixing ratios, gel times, exotherm, bleed plies)

K9    the types of resin, fibre and reinforcement used, and their applications

K10    the visual identification of both raw and finished composite materials

K11    methods of preparation for patterns, moulds and tooling (including the correct use of surface sealers and release agents)

K12    mixing ratios for gel coats, resins additives and catalysts, and their associated working times

K13    the methods used in the application of the resin/fibre during the lay-up activity

K14    tools and equipment used in the lay-up activities, and their care, preparation and control procedures

K15    how to recognise faults that can occur during the lay-up process

K16    the identification of defects in the composite moulding

K17    how defects can be overcome during the lay-up activity

K18    procedures and methods used for removing mouldings from production tooling

K19    the methods and techniques used to trim mouldings, prior to release

K20    the care and safe handling of production tooling and composite mouldings throughout the production cycle

K21    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

K22    the procedure for the safe disposal of waste materials

K23    the recording documentation to be completed for the wet lay-up activities undertaken and, where appropriate, the importance of marking and identifying specific pieces of work in relation to the documentation

K24    the extent of your own responsibility, and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve

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1. Carry out all of the following during the wet lay-up moulding activities:
   1. ensure that you have the correct documentation for the wet-lay up production operations (such as drawings, job instructions, aircraft standards)
   2. adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
   3. use the correct tools and equipment for the activity, and ensure that they are safe to use
   4. use the correct materials and consumables, as specified in the production documentation
   5. apply safe and appropriate working practices and procedures at all times
   6. dispose of waste items and materials in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner, in line with company procedures
   7. return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the activities
   8. leave the work area in a safe condition and free from foreign object debris
2. Prepare moulds and materials for the production activities, to include carrying out all of the following:
   1. checking that the tooling is correct and complete
   2. cleaning of tooling and removal of resin build-ups
   3. checking the tooling for surface defects
   4. correctly applying sealants/release agents
   5. obtaining correct materials for the activity
   6. identifying and protecting materials in the work area
   7. dispensing and applying the correct measure and mix of resin/catalyst
   8.   Produce a range of mouldings, using two of the following application techniques:
   9. spray application of a gel coat
   10. brush application of a gel coat
   11. spray application of fibre/resin
   12. brush application of fibre/resin
   13. roller application of fibre/resin
   14. removal of voids and air pockets
   15. brush/roller consolidation
   16. use of vacuum bagging
   17. use of bleed plies
3. Produce a range of mouldings, incorporating one of the following in the lay-up:
   1. butt joins
   2. overlap joins
   3. staggered joins
   4. feathered joins
   5. orientated plies
   6. inserts
   7. fixtures
4. Produce a range of mouldings, incorporating two of the following shape features:
   1. internal corner
   2. external corner
   3. horizontal surface
   4. vertical surface
   5. double curvature
   6. concave surface
   7. convex surface
   8. return surfaces
   9. joggle details
   10. nett edges
5. Produce a range of mouldings, using all of the following:
   1. resin (such as polyester, epoxy, phenolic, vinyl ester)
   2. fibre (such as glass, carbon, polyethylene, aramid)
   3. reinforcement (such as braids, roving, tapes, chopped strand, continuous filament, woven)
   4. core material (such as wood, coremat, structural foam, honeycomb)
6. Produce a range of mouldings which comply with one of the following standards:
   1. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
   2. Ministry of Defence (MoD)
   3. Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
   4. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
   5. Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
   6. BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
   7. customer standards and requirements
   8. organisational standards and procedures
   9. manufacturers standards and procedures
7. Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following, and pass it to the appropriate people:
   1. build records                  
   2. job cards              
   3. log cards        
   4. aircraft log
   5. other specific recording method

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3

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2029

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Current

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Original

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Enginuity

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SEMAER2-19

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Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Professionals, Science and Engineering Technicians

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5234

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Aeronautical; Engineering; composite mouldings; wet lay-up production; laminates and sandwich structures; using a range of resin; fibre and core materials

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