Using heat to assist with the bending and forming of spring components

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This standard identifies the competences you need for bending and forming strip and section materials used in the manufacture of strip and coil springs, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to interpret drawings, and to form the materials to the required shape by using the appropriate equipment and techniques. The operations carried out will include such items as producing leaf springs, forming bends and loops in strip materials for flat springs and the application of heat to assist with the forming of coil springs.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the equipment, materials, tooling or bending and forming activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your personal 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 heat to assist with the spring forming activities required. You will have an understanding of the heating and forming process, and will know about the equipment used, and its application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults and ensuring that the completed work is to the required specification.

You will understand the safety precautions required when working with heating and bending/forming equipment, 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. follow the correct component drawing and any other related specifications for the component to be produced
3. determine what has to be done and how this will be achieved
4. use the appropriate tools and equipment for the bending and forming operations and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
5. shape the materials to the required specification using appropriate methods and techniques
6. check that all the required shaping operations have been completed to the required standard
7. deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved

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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 personal protective clothing and equipment (PPE) to be worn when carrying out the spring making activities
3. the hazards associated with carrying out spring hand hot forming operations  and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
4. checks to be carried out to ensure that the heating and bending/forming equipment is safe and in a fit condition to use
5. how to obtain the necessary drawings, specifications and job instructions
6. how to extract information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate standards) in relation to work undertaken
7. how to interpret first and third angle drawings, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference points and system of tolerancing
8. terminology used in hot forming activities and types of spring produced
9. the basic principles of bending and forming using heating methods
10. the various types of heating equipment that is used, and their typical applications
11. the methods and techniques that are used to obtain the required profiles, shape and size of spring component
12. ways of limiting distortion, marks and creases in the finished workpiece
13. the preparations to be carried out on the materials, prior to bending/forming them
14. how to prepare and set up the heating equipment
15. the basic characteristics of the materials with regard to the heating and forming operations undertaken
16. the need to take care of the bending/forming tools and equipment, and how to recognise faulty or damaged forming tools
17. the problems that can occur with the heating, bending and forming activities, and how they can be avoided
18. the organisational quality control procedures that are used, and how to recognise defects in the finished work
19. the inspection checks to be carried out, and the tools and equipment that are used for this
20. the accuracy that can be achieved by hot forming by hand, and limitations of the processes
21. the importance of completing all relevant documentation on conclusion of the hot spring making activities
22. 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 during the bending and forming of the spring components:
   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 heating equipment, tools and spring forming equipment to be used is in a safe and usable condition
   4. carry out the heating and spring forming activities, following good practice/approved procedures
   5. return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the spring making activities
   6. leave the work area in a clean and safe condition on completion of the activities
2. Use heat to assist with the bending and forming of two of the following materials:
   1. mild steel
   2. alloy steel
   3. carbon steel
   4. copper based alloy
   5. stainless steel
3. Use one of the following methods to heat the material prior to forming:
   1. hand held heating equipment
   2. furnace or heating oven
   3. induction heating method
4. Use heat to bend and form two of the following:
   1. coil compression springs
   2. loops on strip ends
   3. coil torsion springs
   4. strip/leaf springs
   5. multi-bend components
   6. coil tension springs
   7. bends at 90 degrees
   8. curved components
   9. bends of various angles
   10. other specific wire forms
   11. other specific types of coil spring
5. Bend and form spring components, to include carrying out all of the following:
   1. setting up and securing the appropriate forming equipment (such as bending jigs, forming mandrels)
   2. heating the spring material to the required temperature
   3. using appropriate techniques and tools to bend and form the wire/strip to the correct shape
   4. checking dimensions, shape and form using appropriate gauges/measuring equipment
   5. allowing the springs to cool without distortion (where appropriate)
   6. carrying out post bending heat treatment (where appropriate)
6. Produce spring components which conform to all of the following:
   1. bend position and dimensional accuracy is within the tolerances specified on the drawing/specification
   2. the 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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SEMMME3141

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Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

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3113

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mechanical engineering; spring making; spring components; heat; bending; forming; hand held; furnace; heating oven; induction heating; mild steel; carbon steel; alloy steel; stainless steel; copper based alloy

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