Mechanical Fitter

A competent Mechanical Fitter is expected to:

1. Carry out safe working practice on work sites to ensure the safety of themselves, other personnel and members of the public. 2. Select, use, clean and store various types of hand tools safely and effectively such as drills, reamers, taps and dies. Also the use of portable electric and pneumatic powered hand tools. 3. Use single and double ended offhand grinding machines to sharpen hand tools, such as twist drills, flat chisel, centre punch, etc. 4. Fold and cut sheet metal to size using folding machines and bench shears, guillotine as required. 5. Possess sound knowledge of various types of materials and their mechanical properties. 6. Select, use, clean and store various types of measuring and marking out equipment such as verniers, micrometers, angle gauges, slip gauges, etc. 7. Effectively use various types of machinery ex. Drilling machines, centre lathes and milling machines to produce objects according to specifications given from drawings including limits and fits, tolerances and surface finish. 8. Know the proper use of various tools used on the above mentioned machines including their relative processes. 9. Know how various types of components are held on the above mentioned machines using work holding devices such as face plates, 4-jaw chucks, angle plates etc.

The candidate applying to be trade tested for the Certificate of Competence should be in possession of the majority of the following knowledge, competencies & skills: SAFETY: Awareness of all the Health and Safety regulations, safety devices, emergency stops and protective wear specific to machining. MATHS AND DRAWING: Use calculations to solve simple workshop problems. Extract details from general arrangement and scale drawings. Make sketches of orthographic projections and simple sectional views. MATERIALS: Mechanical testing of metals, heat treatment processes, visual inspection and identification of prepared specimens. SCIENCE: Be able of comparing various methods of temperature measurement, tempering colours, thermal conductivity of engineering materials, heat expansion, effect of lengthening levers, centre of gravity of regular shapes, investigate equilibrium. HAND AND MACHINE TOOLS: Thorough knowledge in using hand tools and machines tools ex. Drilling, Centre lathes and Milling machines. Use off-hand grinding machines to grind work to a specific size and sharpen hand tools. Cut and fold metal to size using folding and guillotine machines. Machine and fit various components for various machines, engines, items of plant, etc. COMMUNICATION: The ability of communicating with others by taking part in discussions, read and respond to written material. MEASURING AND MARKING OUT: Check measurements of components / machined parts, using various types of measuring instruments. The ability of marking out components from various types of datum

FASTENING AND JOINING: Selecting, using and cleaning the appropriate methods of joining and the sequence of operations required. Knowledge of dismantling, assembling procedures and some diagnosing skills. SAFETY: Working safely on various types of machinery, such as drilling, centre lathes and milling, demonstrating the use of safety devices on metal cutting machines. Select, clean and store personal safety equipment. MECHANICAL APPLICATIONS AND DIMENSIONAL CONTROL: Mark out components from various types of datum. Check measurements of components and machined parts, using micrometers and verniers. Use sine bars and sine centres to set up and check tapers. Check prepared specimens for Limits and Fits. Set adjustable limit gauges/setting blocks. Select, use, clean and store tools used with fastening devices. Prepare working sketches of simple components with representation of limits, fits tolerances, surface texture and machining operations. METAL MACHINING: TURNING: Practice faceplate balancing Carry out general turning such as stepped shafts using fixed and travelling steadies. Use of angle plates to turn, drill, face and chamfer work clamped on face plate. Use of chuck to drill, bore, counterbore, recess, chamfer, face and part off work. Cut and chase screw threads. Knurl surfaces. MILLING: Horizontal milling using various cutters such as, cylindrical, side and face, slotted, double angle and slitting saws. Vertical milling using end mill, slot mill and dovetail cutter. Use dividing heads to divide a number of teeth, slots, sides, splines, etc.

MATERIALS: Comparison of mechanical properties of metals by such processes as repeated bending, hammering, rolling, etc. Comparison of thermal and electrical conductivity of various engineering materials. Effects of heating thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Effects of cold working and heat treatment on the mechanical properties of plain carbon steels.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Trade Testing Board Assessment Criteria- Mechanical

Fitter

1. Introduction The following is a detailed description of the assessment criteria to be adopted by the Trade Testing Board (TTB) to reach a final decision on the award of a Certificate of Competence.

2. Trade Test As defined in the Standard Operating Procedure, the trade test is to be made up of the following components:

1. The Practical 2. The Interview 3. The Written Test

The Board has agreed on the sequence of the test and the markings allocated to each specific component as indicated below:

Component

Mark

Pass Mark

Practical

100

50%

Interview

100

50%

Written test

100

50%

The Practical Component

The board will select/design a mechanical component to be manufactured by the candidates sitting for the practical test. This will be presented as an engineering drawing in order to gather whether each candidate is capable of comprehending a standard engineering drawing. The duration of the test may vary between four (4) and six (6) hours depending on the complexity of the task.

The board expects the candidates to be familiar with the following workshop operations: Bench fitting Lathe Milling Surface Grinding

The board members will be present throughout the duration of the test and will answer any queries which might arise. The board will award points depending on the quality of the work, precision, completion and proper workmanship throughout the test. Candidates should also carefully observe health and safety procedures and proper task planning throughout.

The Interview Component

All candidates will be called to an interview so that the Board will be able to assess the proficiency of the candidate in this particular field. The duration of the interview will be from 20 to 30 minutes during which the Board will have the opportunity to put forward questions related to the various skill requirements and work elements.

The interview questions will cover the following topics: Type of work carried out and work experiences. Mechanical Engineering questions such as: type of materials of certain components, their functionality etc. Health and Safety measures. Types of tools used during machining various components. Specific questions related to the work experiences.

The Board believes that the candidate should answer questions on the above topics with confidence while portraying technical skills and knowledge of the subject.

The Written component

All candidates must sit for a written test of 2 hour duration. The content of this paper may include any of the following topics: Health & safety Basic Mathematical calculations Simple mechanics Gears, pulleys and levers Materials Ferrous and non-Ferrous Simple sketching and engineering drawings Metrology - Common measuring instruments Hand Tools and bench practice Basic Fastening and joining techniques Machine Tools Lathe and Milling Cutting Tools Single point and multi-point