Carrying out bonding operations on marine composite components
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out bonding activities on marine composite components and assemblies, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to follow the appropriate instructions, drawings, specifications and documentation to bond composite materials, using the correct production techniques. The marine components and assemblies to be bonded will include items such as the hull, bulkheads, superstructure, wheel houses, cabins, masts, spars, fairings, air intakes, steering equipment, rudders, skegs, tanks, casings and coverings, davits and internal fitments such as berths, vanity standards, consoles, seating and shower standards. Bonded mouldings produced will include the use of a range of resins, fibre and adhesive materials.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the composite bonding activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the activities, equipment or materials that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with either a high level of supervision or as a member of a team. 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 the standard, and competence in all the areas required by the standard must be demonstrated.
Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying composite bonding techniques and procedures. You will have an understanding of the bonding techniques used, and their application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, recognising and correcting/reporting faults, and ensuring that the work output is to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the bonding activities, and when using the associated tools and equipment. 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 relevant bonding procedure specification and job instructions
- check that the materials to be bonded and bonding agents comply with the specification
- correctly prepare the parent materials and bonding agents in line with the bonding specification
- carry out the bonding operations using the specified processes and techniques to position and bond the materials in their correct locations
- ensure that any equipment used to maintain surface contact during the bonding activities is set up and used correctly
- achieve bonds of the required quality and within the specified dimensional accuracy
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
- complete relevant documentation
- leave the work area in a safe and appropriate condition on completion of the activities
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- health and safety precautions to be taken and procedures used when working with composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment in the specific work area
- the hazards associated with bonding composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment, and how to minimise these in the work area
- the protective equipment that is needed for personal protection (PPE) and where required, the protection of others
- the application of COSHH regulations in relation to the storage, use and disposal of composite materials and consumables
- the specific workshop environmental conditions the must be observed when bonding marine composite mouldings (such as temperature, humidity, styrene levels to threshold limits, fume/dust extraction systems and equipment)
- the requirements for working in confined spaces - including an understanding of the importance of emergency procedures and safe systems of work (including permits to work, required air quantities (RAQs) and local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to maintain safe conditions, the provision of adequate and safe lighting and avoidance of sources of ignition)
- how the usage of particular materials (such as adhesives) can result in a compartment (such as an accommodation space or tented enclosure) becoming a confined space
- how to interpret information from engineering drawings and related specifications, in relation to work undertaken
- how to use imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
- the quality procedures used in the workplace to ensure production control (in relation to currency, issue, meeting specification)
- the basic conventions and terminology used for bonding (such as gel points, cure times, bond thickness, bond strength, peel strength)
- correct methods of storage and handling of bonding agents
- the function resins, reinforcement, catalysts, accelerators and additives play in the production of mouldings
- the function fibre materials, weave patterns, orientations play in the production of mouldings
- methods of preparation for bonding different materials
- methods of application for different bonding agents
- the importance of following the correct mixing procedures and having the correct ratios for two-part pastes and their associated working times
- methods of retaining the bond during the curing process
- the methods used to determine if the bonded component has cured correctly
- the tools and equipment used in bonding activities, and their care, preparation and control procedures
- the identification of bonding defects
- problems that can occur during the bonding process (including defects such as contamination and distortion)
- 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
- the extent of your own authority, and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve
- the documentation to be completed during and/or on completion of the bonding activity
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following during the bonding activities:
- use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, specifications, issue number)
- use relevant health and safety documentation (such as material data sheets, COSHH sheets, risk assessments)
- use the correct tools and equipment for the activity, and ensure that they are safe, tested to use and suitably stored
- apply safe and appropriate bonding techniques at all times
- keep the work area in a safe condition
- return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the bonding activities
- segregate and dispose of waste materials using the correct procedure
Carry out all of the following when preparing for the bonding activity:
- check that mouldings are correct and complete
- check for any defects in the mouldings
- identify and protect the moulding and bonding materials in the work area
- check that bonding materials are correct and complete
Bond composite mouldings, using techniques for one of the following:
- one-part pastes
- two-part pastes
- film adhesives
- syntactic films
Prepare bonding surfaces, using three of the following methods:
- peel plies
- abrading
- water cleaning
- dry fitting
- priming
- templates
- bead/grit blasting
- solvent cleaning
- acid etching
- surface masks
- gel planer
- other (to be specified)
Use two of the following methods when bonding the composite mouldings:
- dry fitting
- wetting-out by brush
- oven curing
- laminating
- applicator gun
- curing by ambient temperature
- shimming materials
- hand tool applicator
- heated press
- mixing adhesives
- laying film adhesives
- heated lamps/mats
- other (to be specified)
Use one of the following to retain the bond during the curing process:
- weighting down
- pinning joins
- clamping
- vacuum bagging
- bonding jigs
- mechanical fasteners
- press
Bond composite mouldings, using techniques for one of the following:
- sandwich panels
- butt joins
- staggered joins
- feathered
- overlap joins
- return joins
- other specific technique
Bond composite mouldings using techniques for two of the following:
- flat surfaces
- internal surfaces
- shaped surfaces
- external surfaces
Bond composite components in two of the following positions:
- horizontal
- vertical
- overhead
Use appropriate techniques for bonding two of the following materials to the composite moulding:
- plastics
- metals
- wood-based materials
- ceramics
- other composites
Bond composite mouldings, using adhesives suitable for both of the following:
- resins (such as polyester, epoxy, phenolic, bismaleimide, cyanate ester, vinyl ester)
- fibres (such as polyethylene, glass, aramid, carbon, other specific fibres or hybrid types)
Bond a range of marine composite components, in accordance with one of the following standards:
- BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
- customer standards and requirements
- company standards and procedures
- recognised compliance agency/body's standards
Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following and pass it to the appropriate people:
- build records
- quality/acceptance documentation
- system log
- job cards
- work authorisation documents
- other specific reporting method
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
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