Setting shaping, planning or slotting machines for production
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to prepare and set up shaping, planing or slotting machines for production, in accordance with approved procedures. This will involve selecting the appropriate workholding devices and securing them to the machine table, and mounting and setting the workpiece in correct relationship to the cutting tools. You will be expected to select the appropriate shaping/slotting tools, check that they are in a usable condition, and mount and secure them to the relevant tool holding devices.
You will need to set the machine operating parameters to produce the workpiece to the required specification. This will involve setting the appropriate stroke length, stroke position, feeds and speeds, and determining suitable roughing and finishing cuts. You must produce trial cuts, and prove the machine is working satisfactorily before declaring the machine ready for production. Making adjustments to settings to achieve specification, and solving machine-related problems during production, will also form part of your role.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the machine setting activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the machine, tooling, equipment or setting up activities that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality 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 the setting up procedures used. You will understand the machine used, and its application, and will know about the workholding devices, shaping/slotting tools, relevant materials, consumables and setting up procedures, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for setting up the equipment, correcting faults and ensuring the work output meets the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when working with the machine and its 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.
This standard does not cover CNC activities, for which other standards apply.
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 specifications for the component to be produced
- determine what has to be done and how the machine will be set to achieve this
- mount, set and secure the required workholding devices, workpiece and cutting tools
- set the machine tool operating parameters to achieve the component specification
- check that all safety mechanisms are in place and that the equipment is set correctly for the required operations
- complete the required production documentation
- 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:
- how to work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- the hazards associated with setting shaping, planing and slotting machines and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
- how to start and stop the machine in normal and emergency situations
- the importance of ensuring that the machine is isolated from the power supply before mounting tools and workholding devices
- the importance of wearing the appropriate protective clothing (PPE) and equipment, and of keeping the work area clean and tidy
- the basic principles of operation of the shaping, planing or slotting machine and its accessories, and typical operations that they can perform
- how to handle and store shaping, planing and slotting tools safely and correctly
- how to extract and use information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate standards) in relation to work undertaken
- how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
- terminology used in shaping, planing or slotting in relation to the activities undertaken
- the range of work holding methods and devices that are used on shaping, planing and slotting machines
- the methods of mounting and setting the workpiece in/on the workholding devices, and the tools and equipment that can be used
- the different types of shaping, planing and slotting tools that are used, and how they are selected, prepared and mounted to the machine tool holding devices
- factors which determine stroke speeds and feeds to be used
- how the various types of materials used will affect the feeds and speeds that can be used
- the types of cutting fluid that are used, and precautions to be taken when handling and using them
- how to set up the shaping, planing or slotting machine, and its accessories, for the particular operations being performed
- the need to conduct trial runs, and to check that the machine is set up and producing the components correctly
- problems that can occur with setting up the workholding devices, tooling and machine operating parameters, and what to do if problems occur
- the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
- Carry out all of the following activities during setting up:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- follow safe practice/approved setting up procedures at all times
- ensure that correctly adjusted machine guards are in place
- check that cutting tools are in a suitable condition
- hold components securely without distortion
- leave the work area and machine in a safe and appropriate condition on completion of the activities
- Set up one of the following types of machine:
- shaping
- planing
- slotting
- milling machine with slotting attachment
- Mount, set and secure the workpiece using three of the following workholding devices:
- clamping direct to machine table
- angle plate
- chucks
- pneumatic or magnetic table
- vee block and clamps
- indexing head/device
- machine vice
- jigs/fixtures
- rotary table
- Select and mount tools to include three of the following types appropriate to the machine:
- flat facing
- forming/profiling
- keyway slotting
- serrating
- vertical facing
- recessing
- spline slotting
- special slotting
- Set up the machine in accordance with instructions and specifications, to include all of the following:
- position of workpiece
- linear feed rate
- position of tools in relationship to workpiece
- depth of cut for roughing and finishing
- stroke position and length mechanisms
- cutting fluid flow rate
- stroke speed
- machine guards/safety mechanisms
- Set up machine to produce internal and external profiles that includes six of the following:
- flat faces
- angular faces
- flat sided holes
- parallel faces
- slots/grooves
- serrations
- faces square to each other
- key ways
- steps/shoulders
- splines
- other specific forms
- Machine components made from one of the following types of material:
- ferrous
- non-metallic
- non-ferrous
- Set the machine to produce components within all of the following quality and accuracy standards as applicable to the operations performed:
- components to be free from false tool cuts, burrs and sharp edges
- dimensional tolerance equivalent to relevant standards
- flatness and squareness within 0.001" per inch or 0.025mm per 25mm
- surface finish 63 µin or 1.6µm
- angles within +/- 0.5 degree