TS 12700

TS 12700 is a vocational standard that defines the press operator profession for sheet metal work and addresses how the occupation is classified, which minimum tools and equipment are needed, and how the expected attributes of personnel at different levels are measured and evaluated. Its technical focus is the use of pressing operations on sheet metal; press operating outside sheet metal materials is excluded from this standard.

How the profession is defined and classified

In general technical terms, press operating refers to shaping, cutting, bending, or piercing material with a press and die arrangement. In sheet metal work, the material’s thickness, formability, and fit with the tooling strongly influence process quality. A vocational standard such as this provides a common framework for describing the occupation and the competence expected from the person carrying it out, rather than a generic description of factory work.

Tools, equipment, and the evaluation focus

The scope also includes the minimum tools and equipment used in the profession. In vocational standards, this kind of reference helps define the baseline equipment associated with consistent practice in the occupation. The wording on measuring and evaluating the features required at each level indicates a competence-based structure: not only knowledge, but also practical ability and work performance are part of the assessment perspective. For customers, that means the document is centered on the occupational profile of sheet metal press operators and the boundaries of that profile.

• Focuses on press operator activities in sheet metal work.
• Covers occupation definition and classification.
• Includes minimum tools and equipment used in the profession.
• Addresses measurement and evaluation of personnel characteristics at different levels.
• Excludes press operations on non-sheet-metal materials.