Home / Resources / Units of Competency / Manufacturing and Engineering / MEM05005
← Back to units in MEM
MEM05005 Current

Application

This unit of competency defines the skills and knowledge required to set up and operate a range of mechanical cutting and holing equipment.

Typical applications of this unit include cutting for manufacture, production cutting and cutting materials in a maintenance environment.

Where the interpretation of technical drawings is required unit MEM09002 Interpret technical drawing should also be selected.

Where the selection and use of power tools for hand held operations is required unit MEM18002 Use power tools/hand held operations should also be selected.

Where operational maintenance of equipment is required unit MEM07001 Perform operational maintenance of machines/equipment should also be selected.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

What You'll Learn

1. Determine job requirements

  • 1.1 Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • 1.2 Comply with work health and safety (WHS) requirements at all times
  • 1.3 Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with SOPs
  • 1.4 Identify job requirements from specifications, sketches, job sheets or work instructions
  • 1.5 Plan use of material to minimise waste

2. Select/set up machine tooling

  • 2.1 Select appropriate method/machines to meet specifications
  • 2.2 Load machines and adjust for operation according to SOPs
  • 2.3 Select and install tooling to match job requirements
  • 2.4 Set up and adjust machines according to SOPs

3. Operate mechanical cutting machine

  • 3.1 Set appropriate stops and guards and adjust as required
  • 3.2 Secure and position material as required
  • 3.3 Operate machine to cut/hole material to meet specifications
  • 3.4 Check material and adjust machine and/or tooling as required against specifications
  • 3.5 Check material for conformance to specifications

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria on at least two (2) occasions and include:

following work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safe work practices

selecting appropriate cutting machine and tooling and loading material to match job requirements

setting up and safely operating equipment

securing and positioning material using a graduated measuring device and adjusting as required in conformance with specifications

adjusting machine/tooling as required using material in most economical way

checking material against specifications.

Knowledge Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate the required knowledge for this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include knowledge of:

safe work practices and procedures and use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

characteristics of cutting methods and machines

effect of materials on the machine tooling, tooling defects and adjustments

effect of adjustments on the dimensions of the cut material

applicable tolerances

methods of marking out materials to ensure minimum wastage.

Assessment Conditions

Assessors must:

have vocational competency in carrying out mechanical cutting at least to the level being assessed with relevant industry knowledge and experience

satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 or its replacement and comply with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, its replacement or equivalent legislation covering VET regulation in a non-referring state/territory as the case requires

Where possible assessment must occur in operational workplace situations. Where this is not possible or where personal safety or environmental damage are limiting factors, assessment must occur in a sufficiently rigorous simulated environment that reflects realistic operational workplace conditions. This must cover all aspects of workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills

Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Foundation Skills

  • text: This section describes those required skills (reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy) that are essential to workplace performance in this unit of competency. Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Prerequisite Units

Parent Qualifications

Related Units

Generate Compliant Training Materials for MEM05005

RTOFlow automatically creates learner guides, assessment workbooks, marking guides, and trainer resources aligned to this unit of competency — saving you weeks of manual work.

Request Early Access

Last updated from training.gov.au: 25 February 2026