Carrying out hand forging of engineering materials
Unit summary
This unit covers the skills and knowledge needed to prove the competences required to carry out hand forging activities on engineering materials/components. It will prepare the learner for entry into the engineering or manufacturing sectors, creating a progression between education and employment, or it will provide a basis for the development of additional skills and occupational competences in the working environment.
Unit details
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04 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
Available to all ABs to award credit (shared)
This unit must be assessed in a work environment and must be assessed in accordance with the ‘Common Requirements for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in the QCF’ which can be downloaded from Semta’s website: http://www.semta.org.uk/training_providers__awarding/national_occupational_standard/qca_assessment_requirements.aspx
Additional assessment requirements have been published by Semta. These additional assessment requirements are set down in Semta’s Performing Engineering Operations Level 2 unit assessment strategy which can be downloaded from Semta’s website: http://www.semta.org.uk/training_providers__awarding/national_occupational_standard/qca_assessment_requirements.aspx
Unit specific additional assessment requirements:
In order to prove their ability to combine different forging operations, at least one of the components produced must be of a significant nature, and must involve a minimum of four of the operations listed in assessment criteria 1.9.
This unit has been derived from national occupational standard Performing Engineering Operations Unit No. 55: Carrying out hand forging of engineering materials (Suite 2)
| Learning Outcome |
Assessment Criteria |
| 1a. Carry out hand forging of engineering materials |
1.1 Work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation, regulations and other relevant guidelines
1.2 Carry out all of the following during the hand forging activities:
• adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations
• follow job instructions and hand forging specifications and procedures
• ensure that the material handling equipment and hand tools are in a safe and usable condition
• return all tools and equipment to their correct designation on completion of the hand forging activities
• dispose of waste and excess materials, in line with organisational procedures
1.3 Use one of the following methods of heating the components:
• furnace
• blacksmith’s hearth
• gas torch
1.4 Plan the hand forging activities before they start them
1.5 Prepare the materials in readiness for the forging operations
1.6 Carry out hand forging operations on two different materials from the following:
• wrought iron
• low carbon steel
• high carbon steel
• alloy steel
• brass
• copper
• other materials (specify)
1.7 Prepare the forging equipment in readiness for the forging operations
1.8 Carry out the hand forging operations, using appropriate techniques and procedures |
| 1b. Carry out hand forging of engineering materials (continued) |
1.9 Carry out six of the following hand forging operations:
• bending
• twisting
• drawing down
• upsetting
• swaging
• punching
• cutting off
• flame welding
1.10 Use five of the following during the forging process:
• hand hammers
• pneumatic hammers
• blacksmith’s anvil
• formers
• swages
• stakes
• punches
• drifts
• other tools (specify)
1.11 Carry out the hand forging activities, to include all of the following:
• lighting up the furnace/hearth or torch, using approved procedures
• setting the equipment to maintain the correct conditions (such as temperature), where applicable
• checking that the components are correctly prepared for the required hand forging activities (such as free from scale or excessive rust, heated to the correct colour/temperature)
• using appropriate tools and techniques to forge the required shapes/profiles
• re-heating the forged components at suitable periods during the forging process
• using appropriate tools/gauges to determine when the required shape is achieved
1.12 Check that the finished components conform to specification
1.13 Produce hand forged components which comply with all of the following:
• all dimensions are within +/- 3.0mm or +/- 0.125”
• finished components meet the required shape/geometry (such as flat, straight, angles, twists)
• completed components are free from excessive tooling/hammer marks, deformation or cracks
1.14 Deal promptly and effectively with problems within their control, and seek help and guidance from the relevant people if they have problems that they cannot resolve
1.15 Shut down the forging equipment to a safe condition on completion of the activities
1.16 Leave the work area in a safe condition on completion of the hand forging activities |
| 2a. Know how to carry out hand forging of engineering materials |
2.1 Describe the specific health and safety precautions which must be taken when carrying out hand forging processes (such as wearing protective clothing and protective equipment, using fume extraction equipment)
2.2 Describe the hazards associated with carrying out hand forging processes (such as handling hot materials, fume inhalation, fire), and how they can be minimised
2.3 Describe the personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used (such as leather aprons, eye protection, overalls, face masks, breathing equipment); how to obtain it and check that it is in a safe and usable condition
2.4 Describe the importance of ensuring that fume extraction equipment is operating effectively, and that good housekeeping and fire prevention procedures are observed
2.5 Describe the importance of following job instructions and defined hand forging techniques and procedures
2.6 Explain how to obtain the required information on forging colours/temperatures to be used
2.7 Describe the various types of material that can be hand forged
2.8 Describe the characteristics of the materials, and how they effect and are affected by the forging process
2.9 Describe the meaning of forging terminology (such as drawing down, upsetting, swaging, twisting, punching and flame welding)
2.10 Explain how to prepare the equipment for the hand forging activities (such as setting furnace controls to give correct temperature; the procedure for lighting and extinguishing the blacksmith’s hearth; setting up gas torches; ensuring that suitable tongs/handling devices are available) |
| 2b. Know how to carry out hand forging of engineering materials (continued) |
2.11 Describe the material preparation methods and techniques to be undertaken prior to carrying out the hand forging operations (such as removing scale, oil and dirt; heating the material to the correct forging temperature)
2.12 Explain how to determine when the material is ready for the forging operations (by checking the colour of the hot material)
2.13 Describe the various hand forging methods used, and the range of tools required (including types of hammers, formers, swages, stakes, punches and drifts)
2.14 Describe the use of the various parts of the blacksmith’s anvil for the forging operations
2.15 Describe the use of various cooling or quenching mediums (such as water, oil, air or sand)
2.16 Describe the effect on the materials of plunging them into cooling mediums whilst they are still hot
2.17 Explain how to check that the forged components meet the specification requirements (such as visual checks for cracks, scale inclusions or distortion; use of measuring equipment, gauges or templates to check dimensional and geometric features)
2.18 Describe the problems that can occur with the hand forging operations, and how these can be overcome
2.19 Explain when to act on their own initiative and when to seek help and advice from others
2.20 Describe the importance of leaving the work area and equipment in a safe and clean condition on completion of the forging activities (such as returning tools and equipment to the designated location, cleaning the work area, and removing and disposing of waste) |