ITI/NCVT Tool & Die Maker (AITT Theory) study plan

State the 3-2-1 locating principle and map the six degrees of freedom onto a prismatic bracket, naming which locator arrests each freedom.

Differentiate plate, leaf, box and turnover jigs, then select the right type for three stated batch-size and workpiece-geometry cases and justify each pick in one line.

Choose drill-bush fits and clearances for slip, fixed and renewable bushes, and explain when a renewable liner or an extended bush is required instead.

Sketch a clamping arrangement that avoids distortion and deflection, marking clamp-force direction relative to the support points and the cutting-force direction.

Distinguish a jig from a fixture and locating from clamping using toolroom examples, and list three causes of jig inaccuracy.

Classify blanking, piercing, bending, drawing and progressive dies, and state the sheet-thickness and batch range where each is normally preferred.

Compute blank size, shear force and press tonnage for a given circular and rectangular blank from stated sheet thickness and shear strength.

Set die clearance as a percentage of sheet thickness for mild steel, aluminium and brass, and describe the cut-edge result when clearance is too large or too small.

Explain the function of stripper plate, guide pillars and bushes, punch plate, back-up plate, bolster and shut height in a press-tool assembly.

Match four common die faults - burr, slug pulling, strip buckling and punch breakage - to their likely cause and corrective action.

Calculate spindle rpm from cutting speed and diameter for HSS and carbide tools on mild steel, cast iron and aluminium, and state the rpm setting on lathe and drill press.

Compute feed rate and machining time for a turning pass and a slab-milling pass from given length, feed per revolution or per tooth, and rpm.

Select between three-jaw and four-jaw chuck, face plate and catch plate for four stated jobs, and explain taper turning by compound slide, tailstock offset and taper-turning attachment.

Work out dividing-head crank turns for a hexagon and a 28-slot spline, including plate-hole selection and the effect of a direct-indexing plate.

Specify grinding wheel by abrasive, grit, grade, structure and bond for tool steel and carbide, and explain why wheels are balanced, dressed and trued.

Match carbon percentage bands to low-, medium- and high-carbon steels and name one toolroom application and one typical heat treatment for each.

Compare 18-4-1 HSS, high-carbon tool steel, cold-work die steel and carbide on hot hardness, wear resistance and toughness, then pick the tool material for four stated duties.

Write the full cycle - austenitising temperature, soak time, quench medium, tempering temperature and expected hardness - for a cold chisel, a die punch and a press-tool die.

Explain case hardening, nitriding, cyaniding and induction hardening, and choose one for a wear-critical but tough-cored component with justification.

Read a critical-temperature diagram to identify the austenitising range and describe how cooling rate decides whether martensite, bainite or pearlite forms.

Select file grade, cut and shape for stock removal versus finishing, and state hacksaw blade pitch by section thickness with the correct filing and sawing posture.

Describe the hand-scraping and lapping sequence used to reach a stated flatness, including blueing check, number of spots per square inch and lap maintenance.

Read vernier calliper, outside micrometer, vernier height gauge and dial indicator to their least counts, and record readings with zero-error correction and correct units.

Explain slip-gauge wringing and stack building, sine-bar angle setting from a slip-gauge stack, and the accuracy limits of each method.

Calculate tap drill size, state tap and die sequence, and give reaming allowance for a stated thread and fit.

Decode G-code word by word: identify G00, G01, G02, G03, G90, G91, M03, M05, M08 and state the action of each block in a given program.

Write a short manual part program for a stepped shaft and a milled pocket using absolute and incremental modes with correct feed and speed words.

Explain work and tool-length offsets, cutter radius compensation G41 and G42, and the difference between CAD, CAM and post-processing output.

Solve workshop calculations for taper angle and sine-bar height, spur-gear module–pitch–outside diameter relations, gear and belt ratios, and shrinkage allowance.

Apply stress, strain, Young's modulus and thermal expansion to two toolroom examples such as a press-fit bush and a heated die block.

Apply machine-specific safety rules: chuck-key discipline, guard use, PPE, no measuring on a rotating job, and lockout before mounting or dressing a grinding wheel.

Identify fire classes and the correct extinguisher for oil, electrical and metal fires, and describe safe storage, handling and disposal of coolant, cutting oil and spent solvent.

Apply 5S housekeeping, segregate swarf and waste, and state the near-miss reporting chain and the purpose of a toolbox talk.

Read a third-angle drawing fully: orthographic views, sections, hidden lines, and symbols for surface roughness, welding, limits and fits.

Interpret limits-and-fits callouts such as H7/h6 and compute the maximum and minimum clearance or interference from the given deviations.

Re-work questions from the heaviest domains only at the level of items previously missed, recording the correct reasoning beside each one.

Sit two timed 90-minute mock papers under exam conditions and mark them against the syllabus weightings to expose remaining gaps.

Reproduce from memory a condensed formula sheet for press tonnage, die clearance, cutting speed, taper, gear ratio and heat-treatment temperatures.

Recite the safety and housekeeping checklist and the third-angle projection rules without reference, correcting any slip immediately.