Application
This unit of competency defines the skills and knowledge required to apply decorative finishes 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 decorative 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 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 decorative finishes | 2.1 | Select appropriate treatment processes relevant job specifications |
2.2 | Select mass treatment processes and carry out, where applicable | ||
2.3 | Identify pre-plating treatments | ||
2.4 | Select process parameters to achieve required coating | ||
2.5 | Select appropriate equipment | ||
3 | Monitor and control decorative finish processes and operating conditions | 3.1 | Set operating parameters to produce required decorative finish/specifications |
3.2 | Monitor and confirm plate appearance and final finish and identify abnormalities | ||
3.3 | Take corrective actions to rectify non-conforming conditions | ||
3.4 | Carry out pre-treatment processes, where applicable | ||
3.5 | Check racks, jigs and barrels for correct loading | ||
4 | Maintain solutions for decorative 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 appropriate | ||
4.5 | Maintain anodes to ensure correct operation | ||
5 | Maintain equipment for decorative 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. | |
Decorative finishes include one (1) or more of the following: | nickel chrome copper silver gold rhodium |
Treatment processes include one (1) or more of the following: | pre-treatment electroplating electroforming electroless plating electrophoretic coating post treatment plating out carbon and chemical treatments for decorative finish solutions |
Pre-plating treatments include one (1) or more of the following: | degreasing soak/cleaning electrolytic cleaning activating dips |
Equipment includes one (1) or more of the following: | wire racks handling equipment barrels jigs shields robbers |
Operating parameters include one (1) or more of the following: | calculation and setting of treatment times and currents bath pH temperatures and densities agitation rate process (deposition) time solution levels and compositions purification procedures |
Abnormalities include one (1) or more of the following: | poor/uneven brightness/texture inadequate levelling roughness pitting poor adhesion blistering burning poor plate coverage (particularly chromium) incorrect colour (particularly flash brass, gold) |
Maintain solutions include the following: | typical tests for pH density and titration and calculation of adjustments to relevant solutions |
Solution compositions include one (1) or more of the following: | cleaning pickling electroplating chromate solutions acid dips |
Anodes include the following: | soluble and insoluble auxiliary anodes |
Process transfer equipment includes one (1) or more of the following: | baskets spreader bars racks hooks |
Competency Field
Surface finishing