Unit 2 Interpreting and Using Engineering Information

AS1

Getting it right

You and a colleague are about to perform a maintenance procedure on a centre lathe as part of an
assessment for another unit in this qualification. The key points of the assignment brief are as follows:

Check the condition of the vee belts that connect the drive motor to the headstock, replacing if
necessary.

Check and adjust the tension of the vee belts.

Visually check the condition of the drive motor.

Change the lubricating oil in the headstock gearbox.

Test-run the machine.

To see an image of a centre lathe turn to Student Book page 185

Before starting work it makes sense to plan the sequence of operations so that you do not waste time.
You will need to think about the following:

health and safety, for example isolating the machine and the using the correct personal protective
equipment (PPE)

obtaining the service schedule for the lathe so that you can see when it was last serviced

finding the correct value for the belt tension

identifying the correct type of lubricant, and disposing of the waste oil

selecting tools and equipment

confirming with your supervisor that it is safe to work on the belts

confirming with your supervisor that it is safe to test run the machine

making a record of what you did so that the assessor can sign you off.

A lot of actions to think about! How do you get started, and more importantly how do you get it right?
A really good way to plan an activity is to set out what you are going to do in the form of a flow chart. This
will show the sequence of events set out as:

actions, for example adjusting the belt tension

yes/no decisions, for example confirming that is safe to run the machine.

Draw up a flow chart, and then talk it through with your tutor.

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