Cutting and shaping sheet and tube materials to fabricate motorsport components
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to cut and shape sheet metal and tubular sections, in order to fabricate motorsport and performance vehicle components, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to select the appropriate equipment to use for the material, thickness and the accuracy to be achieved, and you will use hand tools, hand power tools and machinery, as applicable. The cutting and shaping will involve producing straight cuts, external curved contours, complex concave/convex profiles, cut-ins, notches, swaged, round and square holes.
Materials to be cut and shaped may include ferrous and non-ferrous. This will call for care in selecting the right tools so as to avoid damage to the tools and danger to oneself.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures, seeking out relevant information, and to report any problems with the cutting equipment, materials or activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant person. 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 sheet metal cutting and shaping procedures. You will understand the equipment, the processes and their application, and will know about the materials 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 fabrication tools and machinery in a motorsport environment. 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 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
- ensure that work records are completed, stored securely and available to others, as per organisational requirements
- leave the work area in a safe condition on completion of the activities, as per organisational and legal requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the specific safety precautions to be taken whilst carrying out the activities (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 and the activities, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the hazards associated with the activities, and how to minimise them and reduce risks
- the personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE) to be worn during the activities
- the procedures for obtaining the necessary drawings and specifications, and how to check that they are the latest issue
- how to extract and use information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to current industry standards and codes of practice)
- how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
- how to interpret the marking-out conventions on the materials to be cut and shaped (such as cutting lines, centre lines)
- the tools and techniques available for cutting and shaping sheet metal (tin snips, bench shears, guillotines, portable power tools, bench drills, saws)
- preparations that you may have to carry out on the material prior to cutting it
- the material characteristics and process considerations to be taken into account when cutting and shaping sheet metal and tubular sections
- the use and care of tools and equipment, including checks that need to be made to ensure that the tools are fit for purpose (tools are sharp and undamaged, plugs and cables are secure, tested and free from damage, machine guards or safety devices are operating correctly)
- setting and adjusting tools and equipment (the use of back stops on guillotines)
- the importance of using tools or equipment only for the purpose intended; the care that is required when using the tools or equipment; the proper way of preserving tools or equipment between operations
- the problems that can occur with cutting and shaping sheet metal and tubular sections, and how these can be avoided
- the importance of using the machine guards and safety protection equipment at all times
- inspection techniques that can be applied to check that shape and dimensional accuracy are to specification and within acceptable limits
- the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
- how to access, use and maintain information to comply with organisational requirements and legislation
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following during the fabrication activities:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, component drawings, quality control documentation)
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, hazardous substances, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- check that all cables, extension leads or air supply hoses are in a safe, tested and serviceable condition
- check that all tools and equipment to be used are within current calibration/certification dates
- obtain appropriate materials for the work in hand
- set up and hold the components firmly during the cutting and shaping operations
- use safe and approved sheet metal cutting and shaping techniques and procedures at all times
- return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the activities
- leave the work area in a safe and appropriate condition on completion of the activities
Cut and shape components to be used in one of the following types of motorsport vehicle:
- single seater
- karts
- motorcycles (such as circuit and off road)
- rallying
- historic
- sports cars
- other specific approved competition vehicles
Cut and finish material to the marked-out shape, using six of the following tools:
- tin snips
- pillar drill
- bench shears
- files
- guillotine
- punch/cropping machine
- hacksaw
- trepanning
- band saw
- nibbling machine
- hand power tools (such as drill, nibbling)
- fly press
- Whitney punch
- tank cutter
- laser or water jet cutting
- other specific tools
Produce all of the following shapes whilst fabricating motorsport components:
- swaged holes
- straight cuts
- external curved contours
- cut-ins (straight and curved)
- round holes
- notches
- square holes
- complex concave/convex profiles
Produce motorsport components from three of the following materials:
- mild-steel
- inconel alloys
- copper
- aluminium
- stainless steel
- brass
- lead
- titanium
- other specific material
Cut and shape materials to produce four of the following motorsport/performance vehicle components:
- wishbones
- swirl pots
- heat exchangers
- uprights
- panels
- pedals
- water or oil coolers
- wings/bodywork
- brackets
- roll cages
- header tanks
- space frames
- radiator tanks
- other specific components
Check cut and shaped components meet all the following quality and accuracy standards:
- company/customer standards requirements
- dimensionally accurate (to drawing or specifications)
- free from distortion
free from sharp edges, slivers or burrs
have an appropriate surface finish