Bending strip spring components using press brakes

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This standard identifies the competences you need for bending and forming materials used in the manufacture of strip springs, using power operated equipment such as press brakes/bending machines, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to operate the appropriate bending and forming equipment in accordance with the instructions for the operations being performed. You will need to ensure that all the required safety devices are operating correctly, and that the machine guards are in place and correctly adjusted.

Items to be bent and formed may include ferrous and non-ferrous materials, and tasks will include producing bends of various angles, setting plate ends for rolling operations, and producing curved sections. This will call for care in selecting the right tools, so as to avoid damage to the tools and danger to oneself.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the spring making activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the equipment, materials, tooling or bending activities that you cannot resolve, or that are outside your 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 and accuracy of the work that you carry out.

Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying the required power pressing procedures. You will have an understanding of the bending processes, and will know about the equipment and its application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults and for producing spring components to the required specification.

You will understand the safety precautions required when working with press brakes, and the safeguards necessary for undertaking the activities safely and correctly. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

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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 equipment is set up correctly and is ready for use
3. manipulate the machine controls safely and correctly in line with operational procedures
4. produce components to the required specification
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. 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 importance of wearing the appropriate protective clothing (PPE) and equipment and of keeping the work area clean and tidy
3. the handling precautions and correct methods of moving or lifting sheet or plate materials, and the equipment to be used for this
4. the hazards associated with setting and using press brakes and power bending machines for spring work  and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
5. checks to be carried out to ensure that the press brake/power bending machine and associated tooling are safe and are in a fit condition to use
6. the safety mechanisms on the machine, and the procedure for checking that they function correctly
7. how to start and stop the machine in normal and emergency situations
8. the importance of ensuring that the machine is isolated from the power supply before setting up the various operating mechanisms
9. the safe working practices and procedures required for operating press brakes and power bending machines
10. how to obtain the necessary drawings, specifications and job instructions
11. how to extract information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate standards) in relation to work undertaken
12. how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
13. terminology used in press brake operations in relation to the activities undertaken and types of spring produced
14. marking out conventions used in spring making, and how to recognise the centre lines, bending, forming and cutting lines
15. the various types of power-operated bending machines that are used, and their typical applications
16. how to set up the machine to produce the required form
17. the methods and techniques that are used to obtain the required shape and size
18. ways of limiting distortion, marks and creases in the finished workpiece
19. the preparations to be carried out on the materials, prior to bending them
20. the basic characteristics of the materials with regard to the bending operations undertaken
21. the need to take care of the bending tools and equipment, and how to recognise faulty or damaged forming tools
22. how bending and forming tools should be stored
23. the problems that can occur with the bending and forming activities, and how they can be avoided
24. the organisational quality control procedures that are used, and how to recognise defects in the bends that you produce
25. the inspection checks to be carried out, and the tools and equipment that are used for this
26. the accuracy that can be achieved by pressing, and limitations of the pressing processes
27. the importance of completing all relevant documentation on conclusion of the spring making activities
28. 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. Carry out all of the following in preparation for the power pressing/spring making activities:
   1. obtain and interpret correctly the documentation for the type of spring being made
   2. adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations
   3. check that the press brake/bending machine and tooling are in a safe and usable condition
   4. ensure that the press brake settings are suitable for the material thickness and operations to be performed
   5. ensure that equipment is in place for supporting the plate at the start of the pressing operations
   6. carry out the setting-up activities, following good practice/approved procedures
   7. ensure that correctly adjusted machine guards/safety devices are in place and operate correctly
   8. leave the machine and work area in a safe and clean condition on completion of the setting-up activities
2. Bend and form strip spring components from two types of material from the following
   1. mild steel
   2. alloy steel
   3. nickel based alloys
   4. carbon steel
   5. copper based alloy
   6. titanium and other special material
   7. stainless steel
   8. other specific material
3. Use one of the following types of power operated bending equipment:
   1. press brakes
   2. powered bending machine
4. Perform operations that produce three of the following:
   1. bends at 90 degrees
   2. bends of various angles
   3. set plate ends for rolling
   4. multi-bend platework
   5. curved plates
5. Produce pressed strip spring components which meet all of the following quality and accuracy standards:
   1. bend position and dimensional accuracy is within the tolerances specified on the drawing/specification
   2. the pressed spring components conform to best practice and or specification, without uncontrolled deformation or cracking
   3. the spring component conforms to the required shape/geometry

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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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SEMMME3138

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Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

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3113

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mechanical engineering; spring making; bending; strip spring; press brake; powered bending machine; mild steel; carbon steel; alloy steel; stainless steel; nickel based alloys; copper based alloy; titanium

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