FPIWPP3226B
Operate a continuous press

This unit describes the outcomes required to set-up, operate and shut-down the continuous press to form and press board for a range of available boardsGeneral workplace legislative and regulatory requirements apply to this unit; however there are no specific licensing or certification requirements at the time of publicationThis unit replaces FPI3226A Operate a continuous press

Application

The unit involves operating a continuous press in a forest products factory setting

The skills and knowledge required for competent workplace performance are to be used within the scope of the person's job and authority


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Prepare for pressing

1.1. Applicable Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), environmental, legislative and organisational requirements relevant to operating a continuous press are identified and followed

1.2. Work order is reviewed and checked with appropriate personnel

1.3. Type and quantity of chips, flakes or fibre to be pressed is acquired from the storage location

1.4. Equipment is selected appropriate to work requirements and checked for operational effectiveness in line with manufacturer's recommendations

1.5. Pressing process is selected in line with site procedures

1.6. Communication with others is established and maintained in line with OHS requirements

2. Form and press board

2.1. Pre start-up checks are carried out on equipment in line with site requirements

2.2. Press pressures, temperatures and product parameters are set and adjusted for production requirements

2.3. Operational condition and set-up of former is checked to confirm mat condition

2.4. Forming equipment is checked for defects and positioned to load press in line with operating procedures

2.5. Boards are pressed while monitoring and adjusting board position, feed rate, mat condition and press condition

2.6. Size changes and line speeds are planned to meet production schedules

2.7. Pressed board and thickness changes are regularly assessed and necessary changes made to former, press set-up and blending requirements

2.8. Board samples are tested to confirm following of industry standard and to check for defects

2.9. Finished boards are transferred for further processing in line with site requirements

2.10. Finished boards with defects are rejected and disposed of in line with site procedures and environmental requirements

2.11. Pressing process and equipment faults are recorded and reported to the appropriate personnel

3. Shut down and clean equipment

3.1. Shutdown procedures are coordinated with designated stop time and other line operators, and followed in line with OHS legislation and site procedures

3.2. Board and forming equipment are separated and removed from press using unloading equipment

3.3. Blending equipment, press and handling equipment are stripped and cleaned in line with site operating procedures

3.4. Machine area is kept clear of foreign material, dust and debris in line with OHS requirements

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Required skills

Technical skills sufficient to use and maintain relevant tools, machinery and equipment; efficiently and safely press board with a continuous press

Communication skills and interpersonal techniques sufficient to interact appropriately with colleagues and others in the workplace

Literacy skills sufficient to accurately record and maintain information relating to pressing board with a continuous press

Numeracy skills sufficient to estimate, measure and calculate time required to complete a task

Problem solving skills sufficient to identify problems and equipment faults and demonstrate appropriate response procedures

Required knowledge

Basic knowledge and understanding of applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, standards and codes of practice relevant to the full range of processes for operating a continuous press

Environmental protection requirements, including the safe disposal of waste material and the cleaning of plant, tools and equipment

Organisational and site standards, requirements, policies and procedures for operating a continuous press

Environmental risks and hazards

Board pressing processes

Continuous press procedures

Chip, flake and fibre characteristics

Blending methods

Established communication channels and protocols

Problem identification and resolution strategies and common fault finding techniques

Types of tools and equipment and procedures for their use, operation and maintenance

Appropriate mathematical procedures for estimating and measuring, including calculating time to complete tasks

Procedures for recording and reporting workplace information

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can safely and efficiently press board with a continuous press in line with organisational requirements

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:

following applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to operating a continuous press

following organisational policies and procedures relevant to operating a continuous press

pressing board with a continuous press in readiness for storage and/or processing

operating the blending and continuous press equipment to bond and produce board

redistributing material on site using designated equipment

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints

Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context

Assessment is to follow relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements

The following resources should be made available:

workplace location or simulated workplace

materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit

specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment

Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package

Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge

Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills

Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge

Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process

Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances

Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency

The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate

Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English

Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment

Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

OHS requirements:

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:

personal protective equipment and clothing

safety equipment

first aid equipment

fire fighting equipment

hazard and risk control

fatigue management

elimination of hazardous materials and substances

safe forest practices including required actions relating to forest fire

manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying

Environmental requirements may include:

legislation

organisational policies and procedures

workplace practices

Legislative requirements:

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:

award and enterprise agreements

industrial relations

Australian Standards

confidentiality and privacy

OHS

the environment

equal opportunity

anti-discrimination

relevant industry codes of practice

duty of care

Organisational requirements may include:

legal

organisational and site guidelines

policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility

quality assurance

procedural manuals

quality and continuous improvement processes and standards

OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures

ethical standards

recording and reporting requirements

equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements

environmental management requirements (waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)

Board may include:

medium density fibreboard

chipboard

fibreboard

other manufactured board products

Work order is to include:

instructions for the receipt/despatch and pressing of board to/from the designated storage location or processing

and may include:

texture

colour

type

size

thickness

quantity

instructions for the environmental monitoring of work and procedures

environmental care requirements relevant to the work

Appropriate personnel may include:

supervisors

suppliers

clients

colleagues

managers

Chips, flakes and fibre

chips are an output of breaking down logs into wood chips approximately the size of a 50 cent coin and then breaking these down to form smaller chips for chipboard production

fibre is the output product as a result of smashing wood chips into fibrous material which is then used to produce medium density fibreboard

flakes are the output product as a result of converting wood chips into a thinner chip material which is then used to produce panel products

Storage location may include:

the use of:

storage racks

storage bays

bins

stacks

pallet boxes

modularised storage components

temporary stacking bays (stand, frame or ground)

and may be divided into:

standard product classification

product designation

size

dimension

stack number

weight

grade

shelf life

stock rotation position

Equipment is to include:

continuous presses with continuous forming lines

Pressing

is the process of compressing the blended chips, flakes or fibre into board using formers and a heat driven press system

includes consideration of weight, thickness, length, width, bond, porosity, moisture content, bare fibres, foreign material, visual appearance, surface blemishes and trimmed edge appearance

Communication may include:

verbal and non-verbal language

constructive feedback

active listening

questioning to clarify and confirm understanding

use of positive, confident and cooperative language

use of language and concepts appropriate to individual social and cultural differences

control of tone of voice

body language

Pre start-up checks

are conducted to ensure:

equipment has been set-up correctly

systems are performing accurately

machinery is operating to optimum performance

Former

is the piece of equipment which shapes the molten chips, flakes or fibre into sheet form

Forming equipment is to include:

mats

screens

trays

plates

Feed rate

is the rate of speed the blended material is pumped into the former

Blending

is the mixing of the chips, flakes or fibre with the binding ingredients and hardening agents

Testing

is the process of measuring moisture content, weight, thickness and density of the panels to achieve the desired outcome for all of these

information ensures accurate forming and cycle times and allows for adjustment of the cycles accordingly

Defects may include:

surface blemishes

discolouration

natural timber defects

clean scalping from pendistors

forming deformities

Transferral may include:

the use of:

conveyor belt systems

track systems

lifting equipment such as:

fork lifts

slings

trolley jacks

gantry cranes

loaders

assistance with lifting such as:

the involvement of two or more personnel to lift materials manually or to guide the movement of mechanical equipment

Disposing of may include:

recycling finished boards with defects

re-using finished boards with defects

Records and reports may include:

material type

product type

size

inspection

grading and labelling outcomes

storage locations

quality outcomes

hazards

incidents

equipment malfunctions

and may be:

manual

using a computer-based system or other appropriate organisational communication system

Shutdown is to include:

procedures for equipment lock-out, ie protecting operators and co-workers from accidental injury by isolating the machine from the power source

cleaning and maintaining all parts


Sectors

Unit sector

No sector assigned


Competency Field

Wood Panel Products


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills


Licensing Information

Refer to Unit Descriptor