Fabrication Technician
14 of 14 modules published. Each module is four lessons, a question bank and a practical task.
4 lessons · about 37 min
Production workflow and shop travelers
What a shop traveler is and how an AFS order moves from approval to delivery, the material facts and limits a traveler must carry, how to build one for a coping order, and how to diagnose workflow defects and document the evidence a reviewer needs.
4 lessons · about 41 min
Flat patterns and bend allowances
The geometry of a bend and the numbers that turn a drawn profile into a flat blank: bend allowance, setback, bend deduction and the K-factor. Worked AFS order blanks and developed blanks, K calibrated from test pieces, and how to diagnose parts that come out long or short.
4 lessons · about 30 min
Manual brake setup and operation
The parts of a hand-operated brake and the terms setup depends on, how the metal sets capacity, setback and springback, setting up and proving a brake to form the FlashDraft Drip Edge, and how to diagnose uneven bends before a piece ships.
4 lessons · about 39 min
Press brake tooling and sequencing
How a press brake bends, how it differs from the folder AFS forms on, and how thickness and metal set the die, radius, flange, tonnage and springback. A worked set-up and bend sequence for 24 ga galvanized, and how to diagnose bending defects from their symptoms.
4 lessons · about 42 min
Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting
What shearing, slitting, notching and cutting each do, how the metal and its coating change the cut, how to plan and set up the cuts from an order to a blank, and how to read edge, shape and coating defects before a piece moves on.
- Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting: principles and terminology
- Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting: materials, standards and design constraints
- Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting: methods and worked application
- Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting: defects, verification and case study
4 lessons · about 37 min
Hems, returns, locks and seams
What hems, returns, locks and seams are for, the three hems FlashDraft draws and the limits that decide whether a hem can be made, worked hem allowances and seam choices, and how to inspect hems and seams and diagnose their common defects.
4 lessons · about 38 min
Corners, transitions and compound geometry
The corner, end and transition pieces of an edge metal run, who sets the corner rules on a job, how to find miter angles and true lengths and split a run between corners, and how to diagnose corner faults from the takeoff to the roof.
- Corners, transitions and compound geometry: principles and terminology
- Corners, transitions and compound geometry: materials, standards and design constraints
- Corners, transitions and compound geometry: methods and worked application
- Corners, transitions and compound geometry: defects, verification and case study
4 lessons · about 51 min
Mechanical joining, soldering and fasteners
Rigid and loose seams, what solder and rivets each do, which sheet metals can be soldered and with which fluxes and fasteners, and the lead, flux and fire hazards of soldering. Worked examples size blind rivets and lay out a seam; the last lesson diagnoses joint defects.
- Mechanical joining, soldering and fasteners: principles and terminology
- Mechanical joining, soldering and fasteners: materials, standards and design constraints
- Mechanical joining, soldering and fasteners: methods and worked application
- Mechanical joining, soldering and fasteners: defects, verification and case study
4 lessons · about 48 min
Coping, fascia and gravel stop fabrication
What copings, gravel stops and fascias do and their parts, the standards and AFS shop limits that govern them, and how to take an edge order from specification to bundle, with worked examples and a final lesson on inspecting a formed edge.
- Coping, fascia and gravel stop fabrication: principles and terminology
- Coping, fascia and gravel stop fabrication: materials, standards and design constraints
- Coping, fascia and gravel stop fabrication: methods and worked application
- Coping, fascia and gravel stop fabrication: defects, verification and case study
4 lessons · about 48 min
Base counterflashing and reglet fabrication
The two pieces at a roof-to-wall joint and the two meanings of reglet, the metal minimums and laps that change with the governing document, sizing the reglet flange, face and hem into a FlashDraft profile, and the shop and field checks that catch the recurring defects.
- Base counterflashing and reglet fabrication: principles and terminology
- Base counterflashing and reglet fabrication: materials, standards and design constraints
- Base counterflashing and reglet fabrication: methods and worked application
- Base counterflashing and reglet fabrication: defects, verification and case study
4 lessons · about 56 min
Gutters, scuppers and conductor heads
The parts of a roof drainage system and who sizes what, the materials and specifications that govern them, CDA's Chicago example and the AFS box gutters worked through, and the common defects and checks before a piece ships.
4 lessons · about 47 min
Coil handling and finish protection
How a coil is built and moved safely, what each finish fears in storage, a step-by-step handling method with a worked coil, and how to read and deal with finish defects.
4 lessons · about 45 min
Dimensional inspection and tolerances
How to check a formed piece against its order: the tool for each check, thickness bands by material, the AFS limits and a fixed inspection sequence. It also covers stack-up, common defects and recording the evidence a reviewer needs.
4 lessons · about 43 min
Preventive maintenance and shop quality
Keep folders and measuring tools in known condition from their makers' manuals and OSHA's servicing rules, then catch bad parts with quality checks and fix the root cause with the 5 Whys and PDCA.