Other Engineering Technicians
This unit group covers Engineering Technicians not elsewhere classified. It includes Biomedical Technicians, Electronic Engineering Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Draftspersons, Mechanical Engineering Technicians, Metallurgical and Materials Technicians, Non-destructive Testing Technicians and Other Draftspersons.
A day at the testing bench
You are an engineering technician at a workshop, testing and checking parts before they go to customers. It is 8:30am and there are six parts on your bench, all due out today. A customer is on the phone, a colleague needs a hand, and one measurement has already come out strangely.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
We are waiting on that repaired pump housing and one of our theatres is relying on it. I know it is not your problem, but is there any chance you can pass it today? We just need it back.
Run the proper checks first and give Rhonda an honest time
The checks take the morning, and Rhonda arranges a loan unit to cover the gap. Her theatre keeps running, and the housing goes out later with full test records. Honest timing helped her more than a rushed pass.
Skip the second test round, since the first looked fine and Rhonda's theatre really needs it
It goes out, and a week later a seal fails. The urgency was real, but a part that is only half-tested is a risk dressed up as a favour.
Ask a colleague to do the checks while you phone the supplier for backups
Handing it off is reasonable, and the supplier does have a spare. But your colleague is already busy, and the checks sit in the queue. Sharing work is good, as long as the work actually gets done.
I measured the bracket twice and I keep getting a number that is a bit over tolerance. I think the gauge might be off, so I was going to just round it down to pass. Is that okay?
Tell Ewan to round it down, since the difference is tiny and the gauge may well be faulty
The bracket passes and goes to a customer, who finds it does not fit. A small difference on paper can be a big one in a machine. Ewan also learns that numbers can be bent.
Check the gauge against a reference block together, and record the real number
The gauge is slightly off, and you swap it. The bracket is then genuinely in tolerance. Ewan sees that you solve the instrument first and write down what you really measured.
Tell Ewan to leave it for the senior technician and go on to the next part
Waiting for the senior technician is fair, but the bracket sits for hours and Ewan learns nothing. A few minutes working it through with him would have solved both.
I have just updated the drawing for the mounting plate. Can you start building to the new revision? The old one is still in the folder, but ignore that. It is the same except for one hole position.
Start building from the new drawing, and quietly note the revision number on the job sheet
You build the right part, and the note helps. But the old drawing is still in the folder where a colleague could pick it up. Telling people about the change is part of making it.
Build from the old one for now, since it is the one in the system
The plate is made to the wrong hole position and has to be scrapped. A drawing in the folder is only useful if it is the current one, and checking is your job as much as the engineer's.
Confirm the revision number with Dr Teo, remove or mark the old drawing, and tell the others in the workshop
Dr Teo confirms the change, the old drawing is marked superseded, and the whole workshop knows. The plate is right the first time, and no one else builds the wrong version.
How it went
The parts go out with test records attached, and the one that failed has been remade. Engineering technicians sit between the design and the real thing, and their honest numbers are what everyone else relies on. Does being the person who checks appeal to you?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The weld that looked perfect on the outside
A fictional case set in a fictional engineering workshop and testing lab that supports factories, hospitals and construction sites.
The situation
Sione was a testing technician at Ironbark Inspection, checking welds on a set of steel supports for a new warehouse. All the welds looked clean. The builder, Marcus, was waiting on the final sign-off, because the next stage of the building could not start until the supports were approved. One weld, on the last support, gave an odd reading on the testing equipment.
What they did
Sione ran the test again and got the same odd reading. He marked the spot and checked the settings on the equipment. He did not call it a fail and he did not call it a pass. He told Marcus that one weld needed a closer look and asked the senior inspector to review it. He wrote up the result with the readings attached.
How it turned out
The senior inspector confirmed a flaw inside the weld that could not be seen from outside. The weld was ground out and redone, which delayed the next stage by two days. Marcus was frustrated at first and later said he preferred to hear it before the roof went on.
What would you do?
- What would make it hard to hold up a job when the builder is waiting?
- Why might a part look perfect and still not be?
- How would you explain a delay to a customer who is not an expert?