Inspecting Engineering Products by Visual Testing

URN: SEMETS382
Business Sectors (Suites): Non Destructive Testing,Engineering Technical Support Suite 3
Developed by: Enginuity
Approved on: 2021

Overview

This standard identifies the competences required to carry out the dimensional and visual inspection of engineering components in accordance with approved procedures. This includes checks prior to, during and post production as well as in-service checks.
You will be required to select inspection equipment, checking that it is safe to use, visually inspect components against acceptance criteria, mark areas of non-compliance, prepare test reports, compare findings with acceptance criteria and draw conclusions as to the condition of products/components.  Where necessary, you may be required to set up and calibrate inspection equipment and check the conformity of inspection materials.  Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and agreed codes/standards/ procedures and report any problems with activities or equipment that you cannot resolve or which are outside your permitted authority. You will take personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of your work.
You will have a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to the inspection of engineering products by using visual detection testing techniques. You will have adequate uncorrected or corrected vision in accordance with national standards to allow you to competently perform inspections.  You will have an appreciation of hazards, safe working practice and safety precautions, have correct vision at all times and you will understand the risks posed by material defects/flaws and the consequences of component failure and how to carry out penetrant flaw detection activities and use associated tools and equipment safely.
This standard is for anyone who inspects engineering products using visual detection techniques.


Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines **
  2. identify, confirm and carry out specified inspection checks against agreed acceptance criteria
  3. prepare testing equipment and materials, checking they comply with specification requirements, are safe to use and fit for purpose
  4. prepare ambient conditions, checking they are satisfactory for tests to proceed
  5. prepare test components
  6. carry out all required inspections as specified and identify any defects or variations
  7. analyse and evaluate test indications
  8. mark up products or equipment to show where there are indications of flaws
  9. record accurately the results of the inspections in the appropriate format and in line with legislative and organisational requirements and pass to designated people
  10. deal with problems within your control in line with organisational procedures without delay, reporting problems outside your control to designated people

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. relevant health and safety and other regulations, directives, national standards and guidelines and your responsibilities to yourself and others including those relating to quality control,
  2. hazards associated with visual inspection including working at height, safety in enclosed/confined spaces, handling fabricated structures, slips, trips and falls
  3. safe working practice and specific safety precautions to minimise hazards when carrying out visual inspections and using associated tools and equipment and the personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used and how to obtain it
  4. how to obtain and interpret job instructions/techniques and testing specifications.
  5. how to interpret and evaluate test results to identify defects or variations from specification
  6. the reasons why some components, materials or structures require to be tested using non-destructive testing methods and why it is sometimes necessary to use a range of different non-destructive testing methods
  7. how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement and use work-piece reference points and systems of tolerancing
  8. the types and features of components and their appropriate standards at the correct issue to determine if they are fit for purpose and the influence of defects on service performance of components including risks and consequences of failure
  9. types of defect/flaws that are detectable using visual testing, appropriate acceptance criteria
  10. the impact that the cleanliness and physical condition of test areas can have on tests
  11. visual and dimensional inspection methods and techniques and the equipment that is used to carry them out
  12. how to set up and calibrate inspection equipment and check the conformity of inspection materials and when it is appropriate to do so
  13. the safe storage/archiving requirements of testing material
  14. items that need to be checked prior to fabrication including set-up, raw material condition, condition of consumables and equipment settings
  15. features of components to be checked during fabrication including linearity of profile, dimensional tolerances, distortion, shrinkage and visual appearance
  16. types of features of components to be checked including final documents, weld profiles, distortion, post-manufacture surface dressing and protection
  17. acceptable levels of defects/flaws in products and the influence of defects on product service/performance
  18. the importance of accurate test reports, the data and information required, organisational formats and how to prepare and complete them
  19. the extent of your own responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve

Scope/range

1.          Carry out all of the following activities during the inspection process:

  • obtain the required Visual detection equipment and materials, and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
  • use appropriate personal protective equipment
  • comply with job instructions/techniques, NDT testing inspection specifications, risk assessments and other relevant safety standards
  • follow the defined testing procedures/techniques, and apply safe working practices and procedures at all times
  • leave the work area in a safe condition on completion of the activities

 
2.          Check and confirm that all of the following ambient testing conditions are satisfactory:

  • temperature             
  • humidity             
  • freedom from contaminants
  • lighting  

3.          Prepare the products, materials, structures equipment for testing, to include carrying out all of the following:

  • identifying and marking the test areas
  • removing any contaminants from the test area (such as cleaning or degreasing)
  • preparing the surface of the test area to the specified finish (such as grinding or polishing)  

4.          Check the required inspection equipment is in good working order; checks should  be carried out as appropriate to the operation/features on 6 of the following:

  • CCTV viewing system
  • depth gauge
  • borescope
  • means of marking defective area
  • shadow graphs
  • profile gauges
  • micrometers
  • verniers
  • surface table (of a suitable size for the largest measurement)
  • V-blocks
  • block-mounted pointers/sensors
  • squares, rules and protractors
  • external calipers
  • dial-reading bore gauge
  • hand magnifiers
  • lupes
  • mirrors
  • light sources – penlights, flashlights, bespoke sources to power intrascope and fibrescope
  • indirect viewer – either fibrescope or endoscope with forward and side viewing lenses
  • photometer
  • welding gauges
  • surface protective systems
  • thickness meters
  • binocular Inspection
  • other specific item  

5.          Carry out specified inspection checks, to include 8 of the following, as appropriate:

  • lighting measurements
  • luminance
  • lighting levels
  • lighting techniques
  • contrast cleanliness
  • colour
  • condition
  • shape
  • size
  • temperature
  • texture
  • type
  • surface finish
  • surface preparation
  • other specific check  

6.          Carry out the inspection of 2 of the following types of component:

  • weld
  • cast
  • wrought
  • forging
  • part machined
  • fully machined.
  • other specific component  

7.          Carry out specified inspection during fabrication/manufacture to check all of the following:

  • availability of inspection requirements
  • material compliance, including any consumables
  • relevant fit-up compliance  

8.          Carry out the final inspection checks, including all of the following:

  • overall dimensional tolerances
  • visual appearance
  • extent of distortion, shrinkage, misalignment, or other type
  • evidence of damage (requiring repair/re-work)
  • defect indications
  • extent of excess material, or lack of material  

9.          Carry out the inspection checks to 1 of the following:

  • approved construction/fabrication/manufacturing drawings
  • client specifications/detail drawings
  • applicable national and international standards
  • welding/manufacturing procedure specification (as appropriate)

 
10.       Complete the inspection activities, to include carrying out all of the following:

  • recording all the required details of the inspection in the appropriate format
  • handing over the inspection details to the designated people 


Scope Performance


Scope Knowledge


Values


Behaviours


Skills


Glossary


Links To Other NOS


External Links


Version Number

1

Indicative Review Date

2024

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Enginuity

Original URN

SEMETS382

Relevant Occupations

Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

SOC Code

3113

Keywords

Inspecting; engineering; visual; testing; NDT; non destructive testing