This apprenticeship standard was approved for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. However, starts on the apprenticeship will only be possible once a suitable end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) has obtained Ofqual recognition. Once the EPAO has obtained Ofqual recognition, funding for apprentice starts will be permitted and this message will be removed.
Contents
Contents
Details of the occupational standard
Occupation summary
This occupation is found in the manufacturing supply chain of high value and strategically critical industries including automotive, aerospace, construction, military, renewable energy and general industry.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to set-up, configure, operate and monitor complex high value machinery that enables components to be mass produced in the most economically viable way. The process includes a series of steps using uniquely designed tooling and processes such as drawing, extrusion, upsetting, heading, piercing and trimming in order to make the completed component. The setter technician will interpret complex engineering drawings and diagrams to enable them to set up the machine appropriately. They are responsible for the set up, running, maintenance and management of the machinery and process to ensure that production meets tolerances and quality standards. They would also be expected to take part in the development of new products and have a considerable involvement in quality assurance activities and process efficiency improvements. Typical products produced using this process will include bolts, nuts, screws, bushes, rivets, solid and hollow formed parts. The cold forming process is extremely efficient compared to other manufacturing processes and results in significantly less product waste being produced.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with managers or supervisors, technical or production personnel, purchasing, maintenance, quality and other operatives on the shop floor. A cold forming setter technician will typically spend most of their time working on the factory floor, with some time spent away from this environment if working on new product evaluation and feedback.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the complete set-up, operation and management of high value cold forming manufacturing equipment capable of high-volume production while meeting customer specifications and achieving consistently high tolerances and quality and environmental standards. They will also autonomously carry out a range of maintenance, quality assurance, process monitoring and adjustments, to ensure the machinery is operating at required efficiency and accuracy levels. A cold forming setter technician will work as part of a wider manufacturing team, however they will usually work autonomously and will exercise considerable responsibility and judgement on machine operation with a high-level of personal decision making and influence on the process. Depending on the size of the organisation, a cold forming machine setter technician would typically report to the production manager, supervisor or engineer. They will have an understanding of secondary operation processes such as thread rolling, pointing, fillet radius rolling as well as follow-on processes such as cleaning, heat treatment and coating. They need to work safely at all times taking into consideration the equipment being used and the working environment.
Typical job titles include:
Entry requirements
Typical academic entry requirements may be GCSE grades 4+ in subjects such as maths, English, a science or design and technology. Entrants may also come from other routes, such as within organisations working in a different role, or with vocational qualifications such as an NVQ in manufacturing, or from a relevant level two apprenticeship.
Occupation duties
Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Interpret complex engineering drawings and specifications to determine requirements. |
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Duty 2 Schedule and complete routine and preventative maintenance checks and activities, such as lubrication systems, mechanical mechanisms and pneumatic systems. |
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Duty 3 Assist in diagnosing machine issues and variations to determine and complete reactive maintenance. |
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Duty 4 Set up, adjust and operate the heading machine to run efficiently, producing parts within drawing tolerances. Make autonomous decisions to correct any abnormal conditions to produce precise progressions. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K16 K17 K18 K20 K29 K37 K38 |
Duty 5 Configure process monitoring equipment to enable accurate feedback of process stability. Interpret the results and interrogate set-up of machine making micro adjustments and tool changes to improve process control. |
K1 K7 K8 K9 K10 K12 K20 K29 K38 |
Duty 6 Complete dimensional and visual inspections, including first off and last off inspections. Utilise gauges and measuring devices and record the results. Evaluate both statistical and visual results and make decisions on what action is required to correct any abnormalities or dimensional trends. |
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Duty 7 Troubleshoot and correct abnormal production running issues, evaluating tooling and machine set-up to establish root cause. Make decisions when to change tooling and adjust machine positions, returning the process to normal operating conditions to maintain product quality. |
K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K17 K20 K26 K29 K36 K38 |
Duty 8 Identify, record and process non-conforming products using recognised problem-solving techniques in line with organisational procedures. |
K1 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K16 K17 K21 K23 K26 K27 K28 K30 K33 K34 K36 K38 |
Duty 9 Clean the work area to reduce risk of contamination, and return materials and equipment in line with organisational procedures. |
K2 K5 K11 K20 K21 K26 K27 K29 K30 K34 K36 K37 |
Duty 10 Identify and complete continuous improvement activities and report any anomalies outside of own remit to relevant stakeholders. Identify and complete professional development opportunities. |
K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K14 K15 K16 K21 K23 K38 |
Duty 11 Work to required environmental and quality standards to reduce waste and maintain process quality and address or raise concerns where appropriate. |
K23 K27 K28 K29 K30 K33 K34 K36 K37 |
Duty 12 Complete documentation such as quality documentation, handover logs, maintenance sheets, daily production logs and process checks in line with organisational procedures. |
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Duty 13 Make technical contributions and recommendations for products and processes. Provide feedback and evaluation of tooling and optimum machine settings. |
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Duty 14 Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, technical support staff and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that customer and business requirements are met. |
K11 K14 K21 K22 K24 K28 K31 K32 K33 K35 |
KSBs
Knowledge
K1: Principles of reading and interpreting engineering drawings and documentation.
Back to Duty
K2: Part numbers for tooling and wire.
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K3: Types of cold forming machinery. The differences between machines and the mechanisms that they use.
Back to Duty
K4: Wire: loading, setting the drawer and feeding into the machine
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K5: Tooling: visual inspection, assembly and securing.
Back to Duty
K6: Principles of setting-up a cold forming machine.
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K7: Principles of high-volume metal cold forming techniques in a continuous production environment to build and form the progressions to achieve final shape.
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K8: Gauges and measurement systems used in cold forming.
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K9: How to complete visual inspection of the parts as they are made and how to recognise defects and tooling wear.
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K10: Tooling failure mechanisms. How tools fail and the impact that the set-up of the machine has on tooling failure.
Back to Duty
K11: Documentation: methods and requirements – electronic and paper.
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K12: Process monitoring equipment: what the process monitor does and why it is required. How it is used to check machine set-up and to monitor variation in the process.
Back to Duty
K13: Statistical Process Control (SPC) data input and how to interpret SPC charts.
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K14: Team working principles.
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K15: Problem solving techniques for root cause analysis: 5 Whys, Fishbone Diagram, PDCA (Plan Do Check Act), Pareto Chart, Change Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis), DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control).
Back to Duty
K16: Principles of properties of materials. Metallurgical properties of metals: mild steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, copper, brass and aluminium. Effect on materials during the forming process.
Back to Duty
K17: Principles of steel and wire manufacturing processes.
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K18: Principles of tooling materials and manufacturing processes.
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K19: Machine mechanisms, lubrication, air and drive systems.
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K20: Awareness of health and safety regulations, relevance to the occupation and the technician’s responsibilities: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), electrical safety and compliance, emergency evacuation procedures, Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities, isolation and emergency stop procedures, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), manual handling, near miss reporting, noise regulations, Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), safe systems of work, safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers, situational awareness, slips, trips and falls, types of hazards, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), working at height, working in confined spaces.
Back to Duty
K21: Verbal communication techniques. Giving and receiving information. Matching style to audience. Barriers in communication and how to overcome them. Engineering terminology.
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K22: Non-verbal communication techniques: gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, body language.
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K23: Continuous improvement techniques: lean, 6-sigma, KAIZEN, 5S (sort, set shine, standardise and sustain), SMED (Single minute exchange of dies).
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K24: Equality Act. Equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Unconscious bias.
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K25: Maintenance practices and techniques: planned, preventative, predictive and reactive methods and their frequency.
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K26: Stock requirements. Control systems. Stock rotation. Stock considerations: availability, stock lead times, stock value, faulty stock, salvageability of parts removed.
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K27: Standard operating procedures (SOP). What they are and why they are important. What they need to cover and why. Visuals and symbols used in SOP.
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K28: Escalation procedures.
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K29: Manufacturers’ guidelines: what they are and how to use them. Warranties: what they are and the impact on engineering work.
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K30: Quality management standards. Quality assurance principles and practice. Record keeping.
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K31: The cold forming industry. Types of organisations. Types of products. Supply chain. Customers. Customer requirements. Impact on product demand.
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K32: Planning, prioritising, work scheduling, workflow and time management techniques. Work management systems. Work categorisation systems.
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K33: Business operation considerations: efficiency, customer satisfaction, competitiveness, minimising risks to operation and ethical issues.
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K34: Principles of sustainability and circular economy. Energy efficiency and reuse of materials. Recycling procedures. Principles of control and management of emissions and waste. Efficient use of resources.
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K35: Continued professional development: planning and accessing development opportunities.
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K36: Principles and requirements of restoring the work area.
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K37: Principles of hazard identification and risk assessment.
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K38: Principles of recognising variation in the process when conducting dimensional and visual inspection and making adjustments to the process to maintain control.
Back to Duty
Skills
S1: Read and interpret information. For example, text, data, engineering drawings, job card, work instructions, risk assessments, method statements, operation manuals, permits to work, instructions.
Back to Duty
S2: Load, set and feed wire onto the cold forming machine.
Back to Duty
S3: Select, inspect, assemble, fit and clamp tooling components.
Back to Duty
S4: Build progressions across multiple stations incorporating processes such as forward and backward extrusion, upsetting, heading, trimming and piercing.
Back to Duty
S5: Use gauges and measuring equipment.
Back to Duty
S6: Input and assess charts using Statistical Process Control (SPC).
Back to Duty
S7: Make adjustments to the process to maintain control.
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S8: Assess condition of components and equipment. Identify action required such as monitoring tooling for wear during process and make changes.
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S9: Troubleshoot machine running issues and take corrective action. Escalate issues.
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S10: Communication with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
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S11: Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work in compliance with regulations and standards.
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S12: Use process monitoring equipment.
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S13: Create, maintain and enhance productive working relationships.
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S14: Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
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S15: Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.
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S16: Apply team working principles.
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S17: Record or enter information – paper based or electronic. For example, energy usage, job sheets, risk assessments, equipment service records, test results, handover documents and manufacturers’ documentation, asset management records, work sheets, checklists, dimensional records, waste environmental records and any legal reporting requirements.
Back to Duty
S18: Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards. for example, segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
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S19: Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
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S20: Apply problem solving techniques.
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S21: Identify and document hazards and risks in the workplace.
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S22: Restore the work area on completion of the activity.
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S23: Apply maintenance practices. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure and sensors and grease and lubricate.
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S24: Obtain and check stock and supplies. Complete returns.
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S25: Apply standard operating procedures (SOP).
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S26: Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
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S27: Plan work.
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S28: Apply quality assurance principles and practices
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Behaviours
B1: Take responsibility for completing work.
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B2: Act professionally.
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B3: Committed to continued professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance competence in their own area of practice.
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B4: Respond and adapt to work demands and situations.
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B5: Take account of diversity and inclusion requirements.
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B6: Has a focus on quality and promotes improvement.
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B7: Take personal responsibility for and promote health and safety.
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B8: Considers the environment and sustainability.
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Qualifications
English and Maths
English and maths qualifications must be completed in line with the apprenticeship funding rules.
Version log
Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
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1.0 | Approved for delivery | 29/05/2025 | Not set |
Other stakeholders involved in creating the standard: Confederation of British Metalforming
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