Setting and operating CNC laser profiling machines for stirp spring making
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to prepare CNC laser cutting and profiling machines for the cutting and shaping of components used in strip/flat spring manufacturing activities, in accordance with approved procedures. This will involve producing and loading the machine operating program, setting up the laser cutting parameters and then following correct procedures for calling up the machine-operating program, dealing with any error messages, and executing the program activities safely and correctly.
The spring components produced will have a number of different features, including square and rectangular profiles, angular profiles, curved profiles, circles, slots and holes. You will be required to monitor the laser cutting operations continuously, making any necessary adjustments to machine parameters to maintain the spring components within specification requirements. 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 producing, loading and proving the laser cutting programs, and to report any problems with these activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that 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 and accuracy 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 applying the CNC laser cutting machine programming and operating procedures used. You will understand the CNC laser cutting and profiling machine used in the process and its application, and will know about the programming, editing, proving process, associated setting-up procedures, materials and consumables, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults and ensuring that the machine controller is set up to produce the spring components to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when working on the CNC laser cutting machine, and with its associated equipment. 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.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- use the correct control program and ensure that it is correctly loaded into the machine controller
- follow the correct procedures for calling up the program and for dealing with any error messages or faults
- confirm the program integrity
- adjust the equipment and program operating parameters to optimise the outcomes to be achieved
- load and correctly set up all associated equipment
- check that all safety mechanisms are in place and that the equipment is set correctly for the required operations
- monitor the computer process and ensure that the production output is to the required specification
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
- shut down the equipment to a safe condition on conclusion of the activities
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
- how to start and stop the machine in normal and emergency situations, and how to close the machine down on completion of the activities
- the importance of ensuring that the machine is isolated from the power supply before working with the machinery; and the care needed, particularly when working with laser beams
- the hazards associated with working on laser cutting and profiling machines and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
- the importance of wearing the appropriate protective clothing (PPE) and equipment, and of keeping the work area clean and tidy
- principles and operation of laser cutting and profiling machines; laser focusing; terminology used
- the range of workholding methods and devices that are used on the laser cutting machines
- the methods of mounting and setting the materials in the correct relationship to the machine's reference points, and the tools and equipment that are to be used for this
- how to extract and use information from engineering drawings or data 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
- how the various types of spring material will affect the laser cutting feeds and speeds that can be used
- how to read the machine's visual display, and how to understand the various messages displayed
- the function of error messages, and what to do when an error message is displayed
- how to find the correct restart point in the program when the machine has been stopped before completion of the program
- the operation of the various hand and automatic modes of machine control
- the need to conduct trial runs, and to check that the machine is set up and running safely and correctly
- how to operate the machine using single block run, full program run and speed override controls
- how to make adjustments to machine-operating programs to take account of out-of-specification components
- care of equipment and operating programs (including safe storage of material away from electromagnetic forces)
- monitoring the machine during the cutting process; recognition of problems and action to be taken
- problems that can occur during the laser cutting activities, and how to prevent them
- organisational quality systems
- the importance of completing all relevant documentation on conclusion of the laser cutting and profiling activities
- the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
- Carry out all of the following during the CNC laser cutting and profiling machine programming and operating activities:
- obtain and correctly interpret documentation for the type of spring being made
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations
- ensure that the laser lens is clean and in a suitable condition
- check that all safety equipment and guards are in place and are functioning correctly
- ensure that materials are correctly positioned and held securely, without distortion
- check that the operating program is at the correct start point
- observe safe working practices and procedures at all times
- ensure that machine settings are adjusted, as necessary, to maintain accuracy
- leave the machine and work area in a safe and clean condition on completion of the activities
- Produce CNC laser cutting and profiling programs, using one of the following methods:
- written
- entered directly into the machine controller
- using computer software
- Develop laser cutting and profiling programs, which contain all of the following:
- all necessary positional information
- appropriate programming codes to suit the type of machine controller
- preparatory commands and machine management/auxiliary functions
- repetitive programs (such as sub-routines, canned cycles, labels)
- absolute or incremental systems of measurement
- appropriate start of cutting points (in waste material, where appropriate)
- appropriate cutting head rest points (away from the finished workpiece)
- Prove the laser cutting and profiling program, to include using six of the following:
- preparing the machine controller to accept the operating program
- inputting/loading the prepared program into the controller, safely and correctly
- using search and edit facilities
- running through the program using single block run
- running through the program using full dry run
- operating program override controls (such as laser intensity, cutting speed)
- saving programs safely and correctly, in the appropriate format
- storing completed program media, safely away from contaminants or electromagnetic sources
- Produce laser cut and shaped spring components which cover five of the following features:
- square/rectangular profiles
- circles
- slots and apertures
- angular profiles
- ellipses
- curved profiles
- holes
- other specific features
- Carry out laser cutting activities on one of the following types of spring material:
- mild steel
- alloy steel
- nickel based alloys
- carbon steel
- copper based alloy
- titanium and other special material
- stainless steel
- other specific material
- Produce laser cut spring components which meet all of the following quality and accuracy standards:
- customer standards and job requirements
- company standards and procedures
- dimensional accuracy is within the tolerances specified on the drawing/specification
- angled/profiles are within specification requirements
- cuts are clean and smooth
- components are free from distortion, burrs and sharp edges