Application
This unit of competency defines the skills and knowledge required to apply protective finishes using electroplating to household fittings, hardware, artefacts and accessories made from a range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials.
It includes pre-treatment, use of plating techniques, solutions and compositions for protective finishes, recognition and assessment of impurities and imperfections and associated corrective actions.
Processing may be manual, semi or fully automatic still or barrel plating environments and may include volume production and 'one-off' components.
Where pre-treatment operations only are required unit MEM08002 Pre-treat work for subsequent surface coating should be selected.
Where straightforward operation/monitoring of electroplating processes are required unit MEM08003 Perform electroplating operations should be selected.
Where surface preparation operations are required unit MEM08011 Prepare surfaces using solvents and/or mechanical means and unit MEM08012 Prepare surfaces by abrasive blasting (basic), should also be selected as appropriate.
Where the interpretation of technical drawings is required unit MEM09002 Interpret technical drawing should also be selected.
Where the selection and use of engineering measurement is required unit MEM12023 Perform engineering measurements should also be selected.
Where basic inspection of completed or partly completed products produced by others is required unit MEM15004 Perform inspection should also be selected.
Where the selection and use of power tools/hand held operations is required unit MEM18002 Use power tools/hand held operations should also be selected.
Where construction of anodes, shields/robbers is required appropriate fabrication units should also be selected.
Where dogging/lifting is required appropriate materials handling units to suit regulatory requirements should also be selected.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Band: A
Unit Weight: 6
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Determine job requirements | 1.1 | Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) |
1.2 | Comply with work health and safety (WHS) requirements at all times | ||
1.3 | Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with SOPs | ||
1.4 | Identify job requirements from specifications, job sheets or work instructions | ||
2 | Select treatments and processes/ equipment for producing protective finishes | 2.1 | Select treatment processes appropriate to the work requirements |
2.2 | Select process parameters to achieve required finish | ||
2.3 | Select appropriate equipment to achieve specified finish, as required | ||
3 | Monitor and control protective finish processes and operating conditions | 3.1 | Set operating/process parameters necessary to produce required protective finish/specifications |
3.2 | Monitor and confirm surface condition of finished components and identify abnormalities | ||
3.3 | Take corrective actions to rectify non-conforming conditions | ||
3.4 | Carry out pre-treatment processes, where applicable | ||
4 | Maintain solutions for protective finishes | 4.1 | Check solution compositions and confirm to specification/operating range |
4.2 | Identify adjustment requirements/additions | ||
4.3 | Make additions to adjust solution composition to correct operating range | ||
4.4 | Carry out purification procedures, as necessary | ||
4.5 | Maintain anodes to ensure correct operation | ||
5 | Maintain equipment for protective finishes | 5.1 | Check performance of ancillary equipment and take remedial action, as necessary |
5.2 | Maintain electrical contacts, anode condition and process transfer equipment | ||
Foundation Skills
This section describes those required skills (reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy) that are essential to workplace performance in this unit of competency.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Treatment processes include one (1) or more of the following: | zinc zinc alloys tin |
Process parameters include one (1) or more of the following: | dwell time current density current temperature |
Equipment includes one (1) or more of the following: | wire racks handling equipment barrels jigs shields robbers |
Operating process parameters include one (1) or more of the following: | calculation and setting of treatment times and currents bath pH temperatures and densities solution levels and compositions purification procedures |
Maintain solutions includes the following: | typical tests for pH and concentration and calculation of adjustments to relevant solutions |
Adjustment includes one (1) or more of the following: | strength of solutions temperature range |
Anodes include the following: | soluble and insoluble auxiliary anodes |
Competency Field
Surface finishing