Carry out motor vehicle body structural aluminium welding operations

This unit is about joining materials safely, correctly and effectively using aluminium welding techniques and procedures.

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1. use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when carrying out aluminium welding operations
2. protect the vehicle and its contents effectively when carrying out aluminium welding operations
3. prepare material surfaces and align to enable suitable join to be achieved, ensuring mating flanges are treated following manufacturers' procedures before joining
4. select, set up and use the correct tools and equipment in order to correctly carry out aluminium welding operations
5. ensure that the tools, equipment and PPE you require are in a safe working condition and are correct for the joining operation that you are to be completing
6. set up your equipment to carry out aluminium welding operations checking:
   1. suitability of gas/filler wire and size for material to be joined
   2. parameters are set correctly
   3. consumables are correct
   4. feed rollers and welding tip
   5. test kit
7. carry out aluminium welding operations following:
   1. recognised researched repair methods
   2. test procedures, including providing test coupons on equivalent material in accordance with recognised standards
   3. manufacturers’ processes, methods and procedures
   4. your workplace procedures
   5. health, safety and legal requirements
8. avoid damaging other components, units, panels and surfaces on the vehicle and the surrounding work area
9. recognise when your weld is not forming correctly and what action needs to be taken
10. inspect and assess aluminium weld quality in accordance with industry recognised standards including:
    1. dye penetrate
    2. crack testing
11. check integrity of the weld and record the type of weld achieved on the appropriate paper work
12. ensure test pieces are recorded and stored
13. dress the joint area without reducing material thickness and protect the repaired area to inhibit corrosion where applicable
14. clean and store PPE and equipment in appropriate manner
15. promptly report any additional faults you notice during the course of your work to the relevant person(s)
16. promptly report any delays in completing your work to the relevant person(s)  
17. carry out aluminium welding operations within the agreed timescale
18. complete work records accurately, in the format required and promptly pass them to the relevant person(s)

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1. the health, safety and legal requirements relating to the joining of materials using aluminium welding techniques
2. your workplace procedures for:
   1. the referral of problems
   2. reporting of delays to the completion of work
   3. completion of work records
3. the work that needs to be done and the standard required
4. the requirements for protecting the vehicle and contents from damage before, during and after the joining of materials using aluminium welding operations
5. the importance of selecting, using and maintaining the appropriate PPE when joining materials using aluminium welding operations
6. how to find, interpret and use sources of information applicable to the joining of materials using aluminium welding operations and the implications of not fully understanding the repair methods presented
7. how to select, check, maintain and set up all of the tools and equipment required to correctly join materials using aluminium welding techniques
8. the different types of welding processes, techniques and joints used for the joining of materials when using aluminium welding operations
9. the correct surface preparation methods to ensure a good aluminium weld is achieved and the reasons why surface preparation is important
10. the faults and defects that can occur when carrying out aluminium welding and the common causes of these faults
11. the need for correct alignment of materials and the methods used to achieve this
12. the types of quality control checks that can be used to ensure correct joining of materials including:
    1. dye penetrate
    2. crack tests
13. how to inspect and assess aluminium weld quality in accordance with industry recognised standards
14. the different types of joint that can be used to join materials using aluminium welding, including
    1. lap plug
    2. lap seam
    3. butt joint
    4. brace joint
    5. fillet joint
15. when aluminium welding techniques should be used
16. how to ensure cross contamination does not occur and the effect of cross contamination on aluminium
17. the implications of electro-magnetic fields and the effects on medical devices
18. the hazards of inhaling welding fumes

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All of the items listed below form part of this National Occupational Standard.

1. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for aluminium welding operations includes:
   1. face mask with appropriate eye protection
   2. protective/flame retardant coveralls
   3. protective/flame retardant gauntlets
   4. steel toe cap boots
   5. appropriate vehicle protection
   6. appropriate protection for others in the workshop
   7. appropriate fume mask
2. Tools and equipment are:
   1. anti-static extraction
   2. designated aluminium environment
   3. designated aluminium tooling
   4. fume extraction

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1

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2026

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Current

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Original

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IMI

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IMIBB22

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Body Repair and Alignment Technician (Automotive), Body Repair Technician (Automotive), Engineering, Vehicle Trades, Coachbuilder

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5232

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Motor; vehicle; body; aluminium; welding; operations;

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