Machining components using honing and lapping machines

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This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out honing and lapping operations using horizontal or vertical honing machines and lapping machines, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to check that the machine is ready for the operations to be performed, and that all the required components, consumables and measuring equipment is available. You will be expected to hone/lap a range of components, which will include through holes, blind holes and flat surfaces.

You must operate the machine in line with safe working practices and approved procedures, and continuously monitor the honing and lapping operations, making any necessary adjustments to settings, in order to ensure that the work output is to the required quality and accuracy. Meeting production targets will be an important issue, and your production records must show consistent and satisfactory performance.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the honing and lapping activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the equipment or activities that you cannot resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with minimum supervision, taking personal responsibility for your actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you produce.

Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying honing and lapping procedures. You will understand the honing and lapping process undertaken, and its application, and will know about the equipment, materials and consumables, 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 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.

Setting up of the machine, its tooling and associated workholding devices, is the subject of another standard.

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1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
2. confirm that the machine is set up and ready for the machining activities to be carried out
3. manipulate the machine tool controls safely and correctly in line with operational procedures
4. produce components to the required quality and within the specified dimensional accuracy
5. carry out quality sampling checks at suitable intervals
6. deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
7. complete the required production documentation
8. shut down the equipment to a safe condition on conclusion of the machining activities

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1. how to work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
2. the hazards associated with the honing and lapping operations  and how they can be minimised
3. the safety mechanisms on the machine, and the procedure for checking that they function correctly
4. operation of the machine controls in both hand and power modes, and how to stop the machine in an emergency
5. the personal protective equipment (PPE) to be worn, and where this can be obtained
6. the importance of keeping the work area clean and tidy
7. where to obtain the component drawings, specifications and/or job instructions required for the components to be machined
8. 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
9. how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
10. terminology used in honing and lapping in relation to the activities undertaken
11. the various honing and lapping operations that are used to produce the required forms, and the types of stones and abrasives used
12. the methods that can be used to position the workpiece in relation to the honing mandrel
13. the importance of checking the concentricity and/or position/alignment of the workpiece before honing, and the tools and equipment that are used
14. how to adjust the equipment to correct taper in bores and achieve workpiece tolerances
15. how to handle and store honing and lapping stones and equipment safely and correctly
16. factors which affect the selection of honing and lapping stroke speeds, rpm and stone pressures
17. the application of roughing and finishing cuts, and the effect on stone life, surface finish and dimensional accuracy
18. the reason for using cutting fluids; the type of fluid used and filtration requirements
19. the effects of clamping the workpiece, and how this can cause distortion in the finished components
20. how to recognise honing and lapping faults and identify when stones need replacing
21. the quality control procedures used, inspection checks to be carried out, and the equipment to be used
22. the problems that can occur with the honing and lapping activities, and how these can be overcome
23. the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve

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1. Ensure that you apply all of the following checks and practices at all times during the machining activities:
   1. appropriate machine guards are in place and correctly adjusted
   2. components are held securely without distortion
   3. honing stones or discs are maintained in a usable condition
   4. safe working practices are observed
   5. machine settings are adjusted, as necessary, to maintain the required accuracy
   6. components produced meet specification
2. Operate one of the following types of honing or lapping machine:
   1. horizontal honing
   2. rotary disc lapping
   3. vertical honing
   4. reciprocating machine
3. Produce machined components which include two of the following (for honing machines):
   1. through holes
   2. blind holes
   3. tapered holes

or machine components which include all of the following (for lapping machines):
4. flat faces          
5. parallel faces
6. angular faces

4. Machine components made from one of the following types of material:
   1. ferrous
   2. non-ferrous
5. Carry out all of the following checks during production for accuracy (using honing machines):
   1. dimensions
   2. surface texture
   3. parallelism
   4. ovality/lobing

or carry out all of the following checks during production for accuracy (using lapping machines):
5. dimensions           
6. surface texture
7. parallelism    
8. flatness

6. Produce components with dimensional accuracy, form and surface texture within all of the following standards:
   1. tolerance to relevant standard
   2. surface texture 8µin or 0.2µm
   3. components to be free from stone/disc marks, burrs and sharp edges

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3

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31 Mar 2028

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Current

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Original

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Enginuity

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SEMMME3025

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Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

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3113

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Engineering; manufacturing; mechanical; machining; components; honing; lapping; horizontal milling; vertical lapping; rotary lapping; reciprocal lapping

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