Cutting and shaping marine sheet metal using hand and machine tools
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to cut and shape sheet metal (up to and including 3mm) in order to produce clips, brackets, covers, trunking and similar components for marine sheet metalwork applications, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to select the appropriate equipment to use, based on the type of material, its thickness and the accuracy to be achieved. This will require you to use hand tools, hand power tools and machinery, as applicable. The cutting and shaping will involve producing straight cuts, external curved contours, cut-ins, notches, round and square holes.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the sheet metal cutting and shaping activities undertaken and to report any problems with the equipment, materials or activities that you cannot personal resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant person. You will be expected to work to instructions, 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 be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work and will provide an informed approach to applying cutting and shaping procedures to marine sheet metal components. You will have an understanding of the cutting and shaping processes, the equipment and its 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 the fabrication tools and machinery. 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 cutting and shaping operations and check they are in a safe and usable condition
cut and shape the materials using appropriate methods and techniques
produce cut and shaped components to relevant standards
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
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the specific safety precautions to be taken when working with sheet metal equipment and materials in a marine fabrication environment (including general workshop and site safety, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), accident procedure; statutory regulations, risk assessment procedures and COSHH regulations, safe disposal of waste materials)
- the personal protective clothing and equipment to be worn when carrying out the marine fabrication activities (such as leather gloves, eye/ear protection, safety helmets)
- the correct methods of moving or lifting sheet metal
- safe working practices and procedures to be observed when using manual and power operated tools
- the hazards associated with cutting and shaping marine sheet metalwork (such as using dangerous or badly maintained tools and equipment, operating guillotines and when using hand and bench shears) and how they can be minimised
- the procedures for obtaining the necessary job instructions, drawings and specifications
- how to interpret information from engineering drawings and related specifications, in relation to the work undertaken
- how to interpret the marking out conventions on the materials to be cut and shaped (such as cutting lines, centre lines, hole positions)
- the tools and techniques available for cutting and shaping sheet metal (such as tin snips, bench shears, guillotines, portable power tools, bench drills, saws)
- what preparations you may have to carry out on the material prior to cutting it
- the use and care of tools and equipment - including checks to be made to ensure that the tools are fit for purpose (such as sharp, undamaged, plugs and cables secure and free from damage, machine guards or safety devices operating correctly)
- setting and adjusting tools and equipment (including the use of backstops on guillotines)
- the importance of using tools or equipment only for the purpose intended
- 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 problems that can occur with cutting and shaping sheet metal 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 responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Cut and shape material to the marked out shape, using three of the following hand tools:
- tin snips
- files
- bench shears
- trepanning
- hacksaw
- pneumatic tools
- hand power tools (drill, nibbling, saw, grinding, polishing)
Cut and shape material to the marked out shape, using three of the following machine tools:
- guillotine
- nibbling machine
- pillar drill
- trepanning machine
- bench saw
- band saw
- punching/cropping machine
- grinding/polishing
- other specific machine tool
Perform operations to produce four of the following shapes:
- straight cuts
- internal curved contours
- cut-ins (straight and curved)
- round holes
- notches
- square holes
- external curved contours
Use sheet metal (up to and including 3mm) to include one of the following materials:
- hot-rolled mild steel
- brass
- cold-rolled mild steel
- copper
- coated mild steel (such as primed, tinned or galvanised)
- lead
- stainless steel
- titanium
- aluminium
Produce cut and shaped components which meet all of the following:
- company/customer standards requirements
- dimensionally accurate (to drawing or specifications)
- free from distortion
- free from sharp edges, slivers or burrs
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