Inspecting manufactured vehicles
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to inspect manufactured vehicles, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to prepare the work area, ensuring that it is safe and free from hazards, to obtain all relevant and current documentation and to obtain the tools and equipment required. You will be required to select the appropriate inspection equipment, based on the vehicle features to be checked and the accuracy to be measured. This will involve checking that the appropriate equipment is within current test dates and where necessary, setting up and calibrating the equipment ready for the inspection operations to be performed. In carrying out the inspection activities, you will be expected to check the vehicles for visual, dimensional and geometrical accuracy, as well as functionality. These activities may be required to be undertaken at various stages of manufacture, such as random sampling during production, pre-assembly, intermediate and final assembly. Also vehicles components to be inspected could include machined components, pressings, mouldings, castings, forgings, assemblies and sub-assemblies, treated and coated components.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for inspecting manufactured vehicles, and to report any problems that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to ensure that all tools and equipment used to inspect the vehicle are correctly accounted for on completion of the activities and are returned to the correct location. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the 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 inspection techniques and procedures to manufactured vehicles including, where appropriate, British, European and International standards. You will understand how to use the appropriate tools and equipment to inspect manufactured vehicles, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the inspection activities and identifying where features of the vehicle do not meet the required specification tolerances.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the inspection activities. 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 specification for the vehicle being inspected
- carry out the inspection using the correct equipment
- identify and confirm the inspection checks to be made and acceptance criteria to be used
- carry out all required inspections as specified
- identify any defects or variations from the 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:
| 1. 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) 2. the health and safety requirements of the work area and the activities, and the responsibility these requirements place on you 3. the hazards associated with the activities, and how to minimise them and reduce risks 4. the personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE) to be worn during the activities 5. how and where to obtain the required drawings and related specifications and how to check that they are current and complete 6. how to extract information from 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 7. the use of British, European and International standards in determining if manufactured vehicles are fit for purpose 8. the general principles of quality assurance systems and procedures 9. preparations to be undertaken before the vehicle is inspected 10. the effects that the environment may have on the measurements taken (in particular where precision measurements are concerned) 11. the need to select and use set datum faces and the effects of taking readings from different datums (accumulation of limits leading to errors) 12. the application and uses of the tools and equipment to inspect manufactured vehicles (micrometers, verniers, gauges, special measuring equipment) 13. how to determine the correct equipment for the feature to be inspected, taking into account tolerances to be achieved 14. the importance of ensuring that tools and equipment are set up correctly and are in a safe and useable condition 15. the procedure and methods used to check that tools and equipment are within calibration date 16. why sampling is used and when it is an effective means of quality assurance 17. the typical defects and variations that can be found on manufactured vehicles and how to identify them 18. the need to carry out the checks and to record the results on theappropriate documentation, electronic or otherwise 19. the procedure to be followed when inspected vehicles are out of specification 20. the extent of your own responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve 21. 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 inspecting activities:
- obtain and use the correct issue of inspection standards, job instructions, specifications and reporting format
- obtain and check the condition and calibration dates of tools, measuring instruments and equipment to be used
- handle vehicles in the correct manner during and on completion of the inspection activities
- follow specified or appropriate inspection procedures
- use the correct and appropriate tools and equipment at all times
- identify and record out-of-specification features, in the approved format using the correct defect classification
- investigate and escalate out of specification vehicles
- place vehicles in the correct location on completion of the inspection activities (in and out of specification)
- leave the work area in a safe and tidy condition on completion of the activities
Inspect five of the following types of vehicle components:
- incoming components
- individual panels (metal and composite)
- non painted components and body panels
- painted components and body panels
- sub assemblies
- finished vehicles
- other specific vehicle components
Carry out two of the following inspection procedures:
- one hundred percent final inspection of components or vehicle
- dynamic screening (such as road or rolling road test)
- statistical quality control
- paint mark up (PMU)
- other specific inspection procedure
Inspect manufactured vehicles or components, using twelve of the following:
- rule or tape
- step gauge
- gap gauge
- defect measuring film
- electrical test equipment
- surface texture comparison plate
- external micrometer
- feeler gauge
- surface texture measuring machine
- optical equipment
- flow meter
- pressure gauge
- co-ordinate measuring machine
- dial test indicator
- electrical measuring equipment
- straight edge
- radius/profile gauge
- visual checks for appearance and completion
- touch checks for fit, function and form
- torque wrench
- inclinometer
- other specific vehicle inspection equipment
Use the relevant process/procedure and equipment to measure and check twelve of the following features:
- body panel gaps
- body panel levels (flush)
- body panel surface distortions
- functional checks
- paint finish defects
- trim material defects
- treatments or coatings of components
- mechanical assemblies for feel and sound
- internal profiles/forms/surfaces
- external profiles/forms/surfaces
- fit/working clearance
- electrical system functions
- security (looseness)
- symmetry
- patterns
- bonding strength
- coating thickness
- torque loading
- electrical characteristics
- other specific vehicle features
Use appropriate process/procedure and equipment to check all the following defect classifications:
- flatness/flush
- alignment/gapping
- symmetry
- scratches/damage
- scars
- loose items
- squeak/rattles
- blemish
- dirt nibs (paint)
- craters
- runs
- surface contamination
- surface finish
- colour match
- pattern match
- leakage
- operational noise
- operational feel
- correct function
- panel to panel variation