Finishing materials by mechanical plating
Overview
This standard identifies the competencies you need to carry out mechanical plating activities, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to access the appropriate specifications, to check that these are of the latest issue and to extract all necessary information in order to carry out the mechanical plating operations. You will be expected to prepare and adjust plating parameters to give satisfactory deposits at optimal productivity levels. You will be expected to identify any plating defects and to carry out the necessary actions and adjustments to equipment in order to correct them. You will need to carry out tests on the components to ensure that the deposited layers meet the specification requirements.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the mechanical plating activities undertaken and to report any problems with these activities or with the materials and equipment used, 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 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 mechanical plating procedures. You will understand the mechanical plating process and its application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults, and ensuring the finished components are to the required specification. Your knowledge will also include effluent treatment for the waste streams from the mechanical plating systems and associated processes.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the mechanical plating operations. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace and towards the environment.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
| 1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation, regulations, directives and other relevant guidelines 2. follow relevant job instructions and specifications 3. ensure the material surfaces to be treated are prepared for the finishing operations 4. check that the finishing equipment and treatment solutions are set up and maintained at required operating conditions and levels 5. carry out finishing according to operating procedures and to meet specifications 6. check that the treated workpiece achieves the required characteristics and meets the finishing specification 7. 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:
| 1. the specific safety precautions to be taken whilst carrying out the activities (including any specific legislation, regulations or codes of practice relating to the activities, equipment or materials) 2. the health and safety requirements of the work area and the activities, and the responsibility these requirements place on you 3. the hazards associated with the activities, and how to minimise them and reduce risks 4. the personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE) to be worn during the activities 5. the types of specifications that are used during the plating activity 6. how to decide whether components are suited to mechanical plating or other processing techniques 7. the properties of mechanically plated deposits 8. the limitations of component geometry and its effect on evenness of coverage 9. how to identify the various coating specifications and advise customers about plating thicknesses and post-treatments 10. the basic principle of operation of the mechanical plating process plant and equipment used 11. how to set up and check that the mechanical plating plant, equipment and consumables are fit for purpose 12. how to carry out the mechanical plating process and the sequence of operations that are required 13. how to clean components prior to processing and assess cleanliness 14. how to activate components and add conditioning chemicals 15. the mechanisms of corrosion protection arising from zinc and zinc alloys as a surface layer 16. the properties of different passivation and the effects of sealants and torque control additives 17. how to make additions during the coating process, safely and correctly 18. how to neutralise and precipitate out effluent waste streams 19. how to clean and maintain processing equipment 20. how to identify mechanical plating processing faults and how to correct them 21. methods for checking coated surfaces for visual defects and other specified characteristics 22. how to test coated components for specification compliance 23. how to carry out visual assessment of workpieces for colour and brightness 24. the extent of your own responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve 25. how to access, use and maintain information to comply with organisational requirements and legislation |
Scope/range
Scope Performance
| 1. Finish materials by mechanical plating, carrying out all of the following activities: 1. use the correct issue of process and other related specifications 2. adhere to health and safety regulations, systems and procedures to realise a safe system of work 3. ensure that the equipment is correctly prepared for the plating operations 4. ensure that any meters and gauges to be used are within their calibration periods 5. clean all tools and equipment on completion of the plating activities 6. complete the production documentation (condition/pre-treatment of substrates, coating material preparation,equipment settings, confirmation of standard of finish) 7. leave the work area in a safe and clean condition 2. Carry out two of the following mechanical plating processes: 1. activation of components and addition of promoters 2. mechanical aluminium-zinc plating 3. mechanical zinc plating 4. mechanical tin-zinc plating 5. other mechanical plating process (specify) 3. Measure and correct all of the following mechanical plating process conditions: 1. processing time 2. surface area of components to be processed 3. barrel rotation speed 4. weight of metallic powder used plus two more from 5. total and free alkalinity of cleaners 6. contamination levels in cleaners 7. effectiveness of cleaning 8. effectiveness of rinsing 9. temperature of cleaners 10. parameters for shot blasting (time, grade of shot, speed of blasting) 11. effectiveness of shot blasting 4. Carry out one of the following activities: 1. grading of glass beads 2. selection of correct bead mix for a particular substrate 3. addition of torque modifiers to the plating barrels during processing 4. mechanical separation of beads from workpieces after processing 5. magnetic separation of beads from work after processing 5. Carry out one of the following post-plating operations: 1. trivalent chromium passivation 2. hexavalent chromium passivation 3. apply torque governing lubricants to fasteners 4. dry components at temperatures which maintain optimal productivity levels 6. Carry out one of the following quality control procedures: 1. thickness testing by microsectioning 2. corrosion testing 3. thickness testing by electromagnetic induction 4. torque tension testing 5. thickness testing by stripping and weighing 6. adhesion of deposit 7. compactness of deposit 8. other recognised procedure 7. Check coatings applied by mechanical plating comply with one of the following quality and accuracy standards: 1. military or aviation standards 2. current industry standards and codes of practice 3. international standards 4. company standards and requirements 5. customer standards and requirements |