2 answers
Alex
Student
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Questions
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What does a typical day as an Industrial Machinery Mechanic look like?
I am just a lone 19 year-old looking for information on a job interest.
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2 answers
Tricia Foster
Engineering and Maintenance Manager
19
Answers
Bartlett, Tennessee
Updated
Tricia’s Answer
I have several that work in my department. Some work shift (3P-11P or 11P to 7A) but most work 7A-3P. The day typically starts with a safety meeting, update on any emergency issues, being assigned some jobs. Jobs vary a lot based on where you work. Some places are inside in refrigerated rooms (food production), some inside in really hot buildings (boilers and turbines), some outside (chemical and petrochemicals). Tasks can involve detailed assembly of rotating parts (mechanical seals on pumps) or could be heavy rigging (hoisting down and replacing a 24” gate valve). Sometimes they involve wearing chemical suits (replacing a gasket in sulfuric acid line), or fine tuning packaging equipment with a small wrench. You could be welding, threading pipe, or other tasks. Expect 10-25 hours overtime a week.
Tyler Glenn
Mechanical Engineer
1
Answer
Austin, Texas
Updated
Tyler’s Answer
Howdy! I am a Mechanical Engineer with Dell Technologies and got my Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
I have little knowledge about machinery mechanics but I will do my best to answer your question. Typically, these positions don't require a college degree and you can instead go to trade school to learn about being a mechanic. In a typical day-to-day, I imagine these mechanics would have a few tasks involving repairing or assembling heavy machinery. It would be a lot of hands-on work, troubleshooting mechanical issues with the machinery (replacing broken components, adding grease, performing routine maintenance. You can also go to trade school to be a machinery operator, where instead of repairing or assembling the machinery, you will be the one operating it in fields such as construction. This would include operating a crane, a bulldozer, a tractor, etc.
I can tell you more about the field of mechanical engineering however. In this field, you have the largest variety of opportunities in industry compared to other types of engineering. You can do mechanical design (what I do), structural engineering, fluid and airflow dynamics, thermal engineering, and many more! I'll do my best to explain each and provide some examples.
a.) Mechanical Design/Design Engineering. This is where I have started my career. Things I do in my typical day-to-day include creating/modifying 3D CAD (computer aided design) files and designing how components look/function. I don't actually make any of the parts I design... instead I will send the files to one of our factory suppliers, where their staff will operate machinery to make the parts. I like to be on the design end of things rather than the one actually making the parts, but everyone has their own preference. I still get to receive samples of the parts I design for me to evaluate, and it is super rewarding to see you design become a real product.
b.) Structural Engineering: In this field, you will analyze how parts or structures will be affected by various forces. An example would be evaluating what the maximum weight a car can hold before components started to break. This again will involve using the CAD files and simulating where forces are applied.
c.) Fluids/Air dynamics: Here you will evaluate how the speed or air or fluid will be affected in a design. An example could be evaluating how much water speed is affected by different sized pipes. This is a great field if you are interested in airplanes or overall flow of fluids/air.
d.) Thermal Engineering: In this field, you will analyze how heat affects the system you are studying. An example that is relevant to my career would be a thermal engineer evaluating how much cooling you would need to provide a computer (either using fans or liquid cooling) in order for all the electronic components to continue working properly.
Google what trade school for becoming a mechanic looks like
If interested in design, Google example videos of CAD design for mechanical engineer
Find someone you know who works in an industry you're interested in and interview them about their day-to-day
Look up all the different types of engineering that you can get involved in
Watch videos of machinery mechanics to see what their day-to-day looks like
I have little knowledge about machinery mechanics but I will do my best to answer your question. Typically, these positions don't require a college degree and you can instead go to trade school to learn about being a mechanic. In a typical day-to-day, I imagine these mechanics would have a few tasks involving repairing or assembling heavy machinery. It would be a lot of hands-on work, troubleshooting mechanical issues with the machinery (replacing broken components, adding grease, performing routine maintenance. You can also go to trade school to be a machinery operator, where instead of repairing or assembling the machinery, you will be the one operating it in fields such as construction. This would include operating a crane, a bulldozer, a tractor, etc.
I can tell you more about the field of mechanical engineering however. In this field, you have the largest variety of opportunities in industry compared to other types of engineering. You can do mechanical design (what I do), structural engineering, fluid and airflow dynamics, thermal engineering, and many more! I'll do my best to explain each and provide some examples.
a.) Mechanical Design/Design Engineering. This is where I have started my career. Things I do in my typical day-to-day include creating/modifying 3D CAD (computer aided design) files and designing how components look/function. I don't actually make any of the parts I design... instead I will send the files to one of our factory suppliers, where their staff will operate machinery to make the parts. I like to be on the design end of things rather than the one actually making the parts, but everyone has their own preference. I still get to receive samples of the parts I design for me to evaluate, and it is super rewarding to see you design become a real product.
b.) Structural Engineering: In this field, you will analyze how parts or structures will be affected by various forces. An example would be evaluating what the maximum weight a car can hold before components started to break. This again will involve using the CAD files and simulating where forces are applied.
c.) Fluids/Air dynamics: Here you will evaluate how the speed or air or fluid will be affected in a design. An example could be evaluating how much water speed is affected by different sized pipes. This is a great field if you are interested in airplanes or overall flow of fluids/air.
d.) Thermal Engineering: In this field, you will analyze how heat affects the system you are studying. An example that is relevant to my career would be a thermal engineer evaluating how much cooling you would need to provide a computer (either using fans or liquid cooling) in order for all the electronic components to continue working properly.
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