Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

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 boards

General workplace legislative and regulatory requirements apply to this unit; however there are no specific licensing or certification requirements at the time of publication

This unit replaces FPI3226A Operate a continuous press

Application of the unit 

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

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

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 AND KNOWLEDGE 

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 GUIDE 

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

Unit sector 

No sector assigned

Co-requisite units 

Competency field 

Wood Panel Products