This standard identifies the competences you need to produce aircraft composite mouldings by using resin infusion 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 resin infusion 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 resin infusion 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 resin infusion 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 resin infusion 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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1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation, regulations, directives and other relevant guidelines
2. follow the correct component drawing or any other related specifications for the component to be produced
3. determine what has to be done and how this will be achieved
4. obtain and prepare the appropriate tools, equipment and materials
5. carry out the moulding or laying-up activities using the correct methods and techniques
6. produce components to the required specification
7. check that all the required operations have been completed to specification
8. deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved

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1. the health and safety precautions to be taken, and procedures used in the specific work area, when working with composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment
2. the hazards associated with carrying out resin infusion moulding activities, and with the composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment, and how to minimise these hazards in the work area
3. protective equipment that is needed for personal protection (PPE) and, where required, the protection of others
4. the application of COSHH regulations in relation to the storage, use and disposal of composite materials and consumables
5. the specific workshop environmental conditions that must be observed when producing aircraft composite mouldings (such as temperature, humidity, styrene levels to threshold limits, fume/dust extraction systems and equipment)
6. how to use and extract information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate BS or ISO standards), in relation to work undertaken
7. how to interpret imperial and metric systems of measurement
8. quality procedures used in the workplace to ensure production control (in relation to currency, issue, meeting specification), and how to complete such documents
9. conventions and terminology used for resin infusion laminating techniques (such as material orientation, material identification, distribution media, resin viscosity, flow paths, ply lay-up, vacuum bagging, resin and fibre weights/volumes, gel times, exotherm, bleed plies)
10. the different types of resin systems, fibres, reinforcements, and their applications
11. building up laminates (including orientation and balance of plies to minimise spring and distortion in composite mouldings)
12. the different core, insert and filler materials used, and their applications
13. the visual identification of both raw and finished composite materials, and the identification of materials by product codes
14. methods of preparation for patterns, moulds and tooling (including the correct selection and use of surface sealers and release agents)
15. the correct methods of storage, thawing and handling of composite materials (including monitoring temperature, storage life and `out-life')
16. methods used in the application of composite materials to tooling surfaces (including methods of tailoring and cutting)
17. methods for handling, preparation and application of the reinforcing fibres and fabrics
18. the different types of resin distribution media, and the methods used in the positioning and application of the resin distribution media
19. mixing ratios for resins and catalysts, and the associated working times for two-part resin systems
20. cure cycles (including temperature and pressure ramps and dwell times for pre-catalysed resin films), and the importance of adhering to the cure cycle
21. the need for monitoring the cure cycle, using thermocouples, probes, chart recorders, thermometers and data logs
22. tools and equipment used in the resin infusion laminating activities, and their care, preparation and control procedures
23. problems that can occur during the resin infusion process (including defects such as contamination, incomplete wet out, vacuum leaks, flow restrictions)
24. procedures and methods used for removing mouldings from production tooling
25. the care and safe handling of production tooling and composite mouldings throughout the production cycle
26. the procedure for the safe disposal of waste materials
27. the recording documentation to be completed for the resin infusion activities undertaken and, where appropriate, the importance of marking and identifying specific pieces of work in relation to the documentation
28. the extent of your own authority, and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve

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1. Carry out all of the following activities during the resin infusion laminating activities:

   1. ensure that you have the correct documentation for the resin infusion production operations (such as drawings, job instructions, aircraft standards)
   2. adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations
   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 the correct materials for the activity, and checking that materials are fit for purpose and `in life'
   6. obtaining the correct infusion media and layout for the activity
   7. cutting materials to the correct shape and orientation (where applicable)
   8. identifying and protecting materials in the work area
   9. dispensing and applying the correct measure and mix of resin/catalyst

3. Produce composite mouldings, using two of the following resin infusion methods:

   1. interlaminar distribution                                             
   2. surface distribution
   3. core channel distribution                                           

   4. pre-catalysed resin films

      • and applying two of the following techniques:
   5. trial runs/tracking                                                      
   6. dry area rectification
   7. full scale runs                                                           
   8. vacuum regulation
   9. repairs                                                                     
   10. resin flow regulation

4. Produce composite mouldings, incorporating two of the following in the lay-up:

   1. feathered joins              
   2. overlap joins                 
   3. orientated plies             
   4. inserts
   5. butt joins                      
   6. staggered joins             
   7. inverted plies                
   8. fixtures

5. Produce composite mouldings, incorporating three of the following shape features:

   1. internal corners                           
   2. concave surface                          
   3. joggle details
   4. external corners                          
   5. convex surfaces                         
   6. nett edges
   7. double curvature                         
   8. return surfaces                            
   9. flanges

6. Produce a range of mouldings using all of the following:

   1. resin (such as polyester, epoxy, phenolic, vinyl ester, bismaleimide, cyanate ester, acrylic)
   2. fibre (such as glass, carbon, polyethylene, aramid, hybrid)
   3. reinforcement (such as braids, roving, tapes, chopped strand, continuous filament, woven, uni-directional, knitted, multi-axis)
   4. core material (such as solid timber, end grain balsa, expanding core, syntactic core, coremat, structural foam, honeycomb)

7. Produce composite mouldings, using techniques for three types of resin distribution media:

   1. interlaminar                   
   2. peel ply                      
   3. braid                            
   4. networks
   5. channelled core            
   6. perforated hose           
   7. flow channels                
   8. bleed plies
   9. meshes                         
   10. spiral wrap                  
   11. manifolds                      
   12. breather fabric
   13. mats/fabrics

8. Use three of the following vacuum bagging processes/methods:

   1. check vacuum integrity                     
   2. internal bagging                    
   3. leak rectification
   4. use of vacuum fittings                        
   5. pleats and tucks                    
   6. catch pots/tanks
   7. surface bagging                               
   8. reusable bagging                  
   9. localised resin injection
   10. envelope bagging                             
   11. leak detection                      
   12. release and breather plies

9. Produce a range of mouldings in compliance with one of the following standards:

   1. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)                                    
   2. Ministry of Defence (MoD)                                        
   3. customer standards and requirements
   4. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)                               
   5. company standards and procedures

10. Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following, and pass it to the appropriate people:

    1. production documentation                                         
    2. records of equipment settings
    3. quality control documentation                                   
    4. other specific records

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​Additional Information

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

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2

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31 Mar 2020

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Current

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Original

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Semta

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SEMAER2-21

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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; resin infusion; laminates and sandwich structures

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