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Just thought I'd start a new thread for Engineering, as I now know there at least three of us at KMC who may be interested!...


I'm working as a Manufacturing Engineer for a defence company. Currently working on a new facility project - so lots of discrete event simulation going on recently.

I studied Mechanical Engineering first, then finally got a BEng(Hons) in Manufacturing Engineering. Currently studying for an MSc in Manufacturing Systems.

I'm a member of the IET (formally IEE), and am waiting for an interview with them to be nominated to IEng status...then hopefully I'll become Chartered in a couple of years.


Feel free to add your background and I'm sure we can think of something to talk of...

damn.......you're a go getter..........I just wanted a diploma and a job......

I work at brake manufacturing plant........which means nothing new ever arrises or is to be worked on..........we just copy the same models already in use for new projects because they are all disc brake calipers......different tooling......different jigs......everything else is the same, right down to the programming. It's cake......until something breaks..........in which case we become glorified maintenance men....

No preventative maintenance (PM) then?

The problem with PM is that it's the first thing to go out of the window when the budget is cut.

I'm hoping we'll be getting predictive maintenance for some of our new machines - condition monitoring has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years.

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Just thought I'd start a new thread for Engineering, as I now know there at least three of us at KMC who may be interested!...


I'm working as a Manufacturing Engineer for a defence company. Currently working on a new facility project - so lots of discrete event simulation going on recently.

I studied Mechanical Engineering first, then finally got a BEng(Hons) in Manufacturing Engineering. Currently studying for an MSc in Manufacturing Systems.

I'm a member of the IET (formally IEE), and am waiting for an interview with them to be nominated to IEng status...then hopefully I'll become Chartered in a couple of years.


Feel free to add your background and I'm sure we can think of something to talk of...

I'm not an engineer...but still, I'd like to know what the hell you just said......explain it...please.....please!

To simplify...









...I'm a nerdy Engineer. nerd

PM is not a job for engineering.........it's carried out by the regular mainenance staff. It's nothing grand......machinery is very simple. It consists of checking oil, coolant, changing filters.........basic pedestrian stuff.

PM should be implemented for major parts/repairs that cause unplanned breakdowns. Depending on how good your maintenance dept. are, you may have to get involved and tell them the MTBF for a piece of equipment, then hopefully they perform PM at a suitable time!


We have regular EMIT (examination, maintenance, inspection & test) performed by machinists, as they're usually best placed to care for the equipment.

I'm a manufacturing engineer for an escalator plant. Yep, those things people ride up and down on, and are afraid they'll get sucked down into as well, we make them. We've downsized Engineering from 5 to 2 in the last year, so I'm doing 2.5 people's jobs at the moment. So that means when I solve a problem in the plant, I race back to my desk to post on KMC, and then sprint back out into the plant again.

Nice to see you've got your priorities right!


I've noticed over the last few years that us ME's are having to get involved with a lot more work that was once considered someone elses job. For instance the maintenance stuff I was talking about...it's not uncommon for me to be involved in the creation or review of a facility ARM strategy these days.

Likewise, my new boss is trying to get us to provide support for Quality by providing a system at the same time as providing the process (SPC for example).

The boundries between roles are getting very blurred in my company...what's it like outside?

Too much physics and lots of patience. Not for me...

But there is no question about it. Engineer is a great career....

I am a mechanical designer, that means I fix all the mistakes that the Engineers make. jk

I'm not an Engineer, but I build parts in the computer (SolidWorks) and assemble them to see if they fit.

I am trained in Dimensioning and Tolerancing ASME Y14.5M-1994 by Dr. Don Shepherd.

Unfortunately it's got a bad name in the UK.

When people think Engineer over here, they think of a grease monkey, or someone who fits your satellite dish.

But that's because the term is so over-used now. For example...I've actually heard of cleaners being referred to as "Sanitary Engineers".

I'm mean...puhlease.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I'm not an Engineer, but I build parts in the computer (SolidWorks) and assemble them to see if they fit.

I am trained in Dimensioning and Tolerancing ASME Y14.5M-1994 by Dr. Don Shepherd.


Cool, we use UG.

GD&T is a tricky business, or so I'm told?

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Cool, we use UG.

GD&T is a tricky business, or so I'm told?

Random letters?

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Cool, we use UG.

GD&T is a tricky business, or so I'm told?

The learning curve is steep, but once you got it, it's easy. I was lucky; I had one of the best teachers in the business. That is why I always give his name.

I also know DIN, I had to learn it because my company is owned by a German company. Now that is not easy because you have to have a large library of standards. I still don't have them all, and some are only in German.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
The learning curve is steep, but once you got it, it's easy. I was lucky; I had one of the best teachers in the business. That is why I always give his name.

I also know DIN, I had to learn it because my company is owned by a German company. Now that is not easy because you have to have a large library of standards. I still don't have them all, and some are only in German.

I think we work to an ISO standard, but I'm not sure. I should find out really.

I sometimes come across American drawings at work, so I have to know Imperial units...but I was an indentured apprentice at a traditional toolmaking company, and some of the older machines were Imperial.

I find it's best to know inches and thou's anyway, as most of the older Engineers at work still talk in those units. If you mention microns, you usually hear someone whisper the imperial equivalent to themselves!

^ mm or in. That is a touchy subject. We are all mm at my company, but I still get requests from vendors who don't know how to read mm. So much for the educational system.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
The learning curve is steep, but once you got it, it's easy. I was lucky; I had one of the best teachers in the business. That is why I always give his name.

I also know DIN, I had to learn it because my company is owned by a German company. Now that is not easy because you have to have a large library of standards. I still don't have them all, and some are only in German.

Our parent company is Austrian. We are very familiar with DIN.

Originally posted by botankus
Our parent company is Austrian. We are very familiar with DIN.

I do a lot of translating from German drawings from our parent company and I think the designers go out of there way to find new DIN standards to call out on their drawings. I think they do it just to give me a bad time. I'm sure they laugh when the DIN request comes in.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I do a lot of translating from German drawings from our parent company and I think the designers go out of there way to find new DIN standards to call out on their drawings. I think they do it just to give me a bad time. I'm sure they laugh when the DIN request comes in.

You can speak german.. sweet....

Originally posted by Bardock42
You can speak german.. sweet....

No, but after 15 years of translating out of a book, I can read it, as long as it has to do with Engineering drawings.

Sorry not conversational German.

For the most part...YES!

OH..........how wonderful........Reading directions in German.....lol

essen23

I'm not an engineer......so, I guess I'll leave........though I know some, does that count?......

It's supposed to be something like, "Left-hand Side."

Isn't that last part something about fully locking the M8 screws?

Hmmm, maybe not..surely a good German Engineer would put the torque requirement instead! nerd


How sad is this conversation?

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Isn't that last part something about fully locking the M8 screws?

Hmmm, maybe not..surely a good German Engineer would put the torque requirement instead! nerd


How sad is this conversation?

I the last bit is about locking the screws "handfest" which meansas strong as possible with the hand...I suppose not to use a screwdriver or whatever....

Aaaah, hand-tighten only.

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Aaaah, hand-tighten only.

Yes...you with your silly terms that make no sense at all....

Don't start me off on acronyms, I could post one a day for the next three years!

Maybe we could post weekly updates about what projects we're working on. To quote mechmoggy, How sad is this conversation?

Today I accomplished adding variable lengths of a certain brush to a bill of materials so the factory wouldn't be confused about which lengths to cut when this special option is called out. Wow!

I'm waiting for a new antenna package from Germany. Just doing some busy work until it gets here. Once I get it, I will not see the light of day for a couple weeks.

We could talk about GD&T, I never get to talk about that.

Go for it...I hear GD&T is a b!tch to do on UG, but I'm not sure about other CAD packages though.


Unfortunately, I can't talk about my work.

Originally posted by mechmoggy
Go for it...I hear GD&T is a b!tch to do on UG, but I'm not sure about other CAD packages though.


Unfortunately, I can't talk about my work.

Yes, I'm limited on what I can talk about also, but I'll just kill of you guys after we get done.

What do you guys think of the reactor they're building in France for research into fusion power? The "ITER magnetic confinement facility"

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/294265/Meeting+of+minds.htm

They say it's the last step before a fusion power station could be designed. Boy, I'd love to work on something like that.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I am a mechanical designer, that means I fix all the mistakes that the Engineers make. jk

I'm not an Engineer, but I build parts in the computer (SolidWorks) and assemble them to see if they fit.

I am trained in Dimensioning and Tolerancing ASME Y14.5M-1994 by Dr. Don Shepherd.

That's cool, Shak. I'm a certified automotive technician.

I don't do repairs though (even thought I can), I install performance parts.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
That's cool, Shak. I'm a certified automotive technician.

I don't do repairs though (even thought I can), I install performance parts.

Cool.

You got me there, I'm no good with cars. I've tried, but I don't have the nack.

That's good....I like it....I suddenly start to like engineers....

Originally posted by Bardock42
That's good....I like it....I suddenly start to like engineers....

Just work with some, you'll change your mind. jk

It's funny and I don't know if it's really true, but I think engineers arent very good at seeing the whole picture very well but are excellent at the smaller details.......or is that computer people....

Engineers see the whole picture without seeing the whole picture, if you know what I mean.

Only problem is, sometimes whole pictures mean different things to different people.

I must be thinking Computer Analysts.........cause I've known a few.

Originally posted by debbiejo
I must be thinking Computer Analysts.........cause I've known a few.

Maybe you just said something tio say something?

The optimist says the glass is half full.

The pessimist says the glass is half empty.



The Engineer says the glass has twice the volume capacity required.