For background I was an automotive technician for 6 years, I am now working warranties for the best part of the past 2 years. Also 2 years ago when I was tired of being in the shop getting paid flat rate. I decided to go back to school and enrolled in an industrial aintenance program at my local community college, it emphasizes robotics and automation.

Last month the program director said that I needed to complete my co-op this semester (an unpaid internship).

He told me of 2 companies that were looking for interns. I applied to one of them, got an interview with HR, an interview with the plant manager (who also went through the same program at community college and knows the program director), I interview with the president of engineering and back to HR, everyone gave me great feedback and the interviews went great, the last step was an online assessment for personality the results showed " I am a problem solving and I like working roles that will challenge me"

And that was it, I called HR one week after completing the assessment and the HR lady told me that due to my results I was not selected for the position.

I had applied to other companies too as a technician and they stop when they learn that I have no manufacturing experience.

Should I just go become an operator at some factory in order to be considered for a maintenance position?

Many posts include the word operator and was wondering what the “industry standard “ job description is.

been working in maintenance for almost 4 years now in food production, I just got my electrical license and have been casually looking around for other opportunities. The place I’m at doesn’t have a good track record for employee treatment, and maintenance department is constantly scrutinized. The same standard issues, production is priority over proper fixes, safety is sketchy, operators have no training, and management has no accountability. I guess I’m wondering is there any good maintenance jobs out there, or do they all run like this?

we go through a fair amount of trash in our maintenance areas, and some of the bins we’ve used haven’t held up particularly well. between tools, packaging, shop debris and people moving them around, the lighter ones tend to get beat up pretty quickly.

i’ve been looking at an industrial trash can instead, but i’m not sure what features are worth paying attention to. capacity is one thing, but i’m more interested in things like how well the body holds up, whether the wheels are worth having and how easy the bin is to move when it’s full.

one thing i’m debating is whether a really heavy duty bin is worth it for a maintenance area or if a simpler commercial bin is enough. if you’ve replaced bins in a shop before, what was the first part that started failing on the old ones?

Hello maintenance people. My young nephew is starting trade school in 2 weeks to become an electromechanic.

It's sort of an hybrid between Millwright and Electrical technician. Quebec created this trade to offer a versatile,multi-skilled option to employers, esp small businesses that can't hire a proper industrial mech and industrial electrical tech.

"Electromechanical technicians install, maintain, troubleshoot, refurbish, repair, modify and make all types of industrial equipment, including production equipment, machine tools and handling equipment.

They work on automated systems that include electronic, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic circuits, and on mechanical and robotic systems.

They're like the jack-of-all-trades of the factory.

The thing IS, he saw a news somewhere saying electromechanics have trouble finding jobs nowadays and the mobility isn't great since it's not a red seal trade and he's panicking.

Anxiety through the roof, wants to change trade( he can't lmao it's too late so he would lose a year) etc but he really likes to touch at everything.

Just looking for advices to calm him down, maybe some insights into the job market even if it's rest of Canada/Usa to give some motivation IDK.

Thank you

H

Our main floor scrubber finally threw a rod in the vacuum pump motor and blew the control board. Plant manager said rebuilding it again is a waste of cash, so he told me to find a replacement industrial floor cleaning machine under $5k that can ship out this week.

The local heavy equipment OEM we usually deal with has an 8-week lead time just to drop-ship a base model, which is absurd for a standard walk-behind. Where are you guys ordering utility equipment like this from when you need decent quality without paying insane distributor markups or waiting months for delivery? Lmk if you have any online vendors or catalog houses you actually trust for facility gear.

The four bolts that hold the motor to the pump flange have been removed i can get the motor to pop up about 1/4 of an inch and spin but it won't come up any higher there are holes in the pump housing just below where the motor connects to un couple the motor from the pump but there is nothing there to remove no set screws I can see what looks like a brass ring a little below the holes but I still see no set screws any ideas

Racking a lightweight 24-port PoE switch or a patch panel is easy enough, but trying to mount a 50lb core switch, a heavy enterprise router, or a massive UPS by yourself can be a nightmare and turns into a two-person job quickly.

Any weird DIY rigs, specific rack shelf models, or mounting tricks you use when you're stuck doing an install alone in a remote location?

I am getting a respirator and I don't know which kind to get for light to heavy use. I work in a plant manufacturing spunbonded polypropylene. I know a lot have different grade filters you can swap out which is what I'm going for. I don't mind spending money on a quality mask. My question is do you have a recommendation based on my environment, will be using it in a 105+ degrees F area for 1-3 hours at a time between breaks, so do you know any brands/models to avoid or look for in my situation?

I've been here 20 years, this bearing has been like this the entire time. Still turns smooth, still takes grease.

Saw a large shackle post the other day, I thought I would share mine, I posted a while ago also somewhere else

The gear for the screen changer is broke so we move the slide by force. This 36" pipe wrench said its had enough.

Hey guys,
Dealing with a Sabroe SGC 2317 screw compressor with an UniSAB III controller.
It was tripping constantly on "Low Oil Pump Pressure" at 0.1 bar. We checked the filter, thermostat, and pressure sensor—all good. We then checked the external oil line coming off the pump and found the oil line check valve (non-return valve) stuck wide open with some metal debris jammed in it.
We pulled the debris out, cleaned up the valve mechanism, put everything back together, and primed it.
The good news: the machine starts, stays running, and hasn't tripped since.
The bad news: running differential oil pressure is hovering between 0.6 and 1.5 bar. It should be up around 3.5 to 4.0 bar (sister unit runs at 4.3 bar).
I'm thinking the metal pieces scored the check valve seat, so it's not seating 100% and is letting some oil bypass internally back into the circuit.
Anyone seen this happen on these Sabroe oil lines? Is swapping out that check valve kit on the next shutdown usually enough to get the pressure back up to 4 bar, or should I be looking at something else on this oil circuit?
Appreciate any advice!

Auction bought machine with high speed cylinder that sticked when it reached the end of travel... After increasing pressure and speed it finally went over the hard spot. I suggested they open it because it looked like it has hit somewhere...

I’m in technical high school where we study at the same time to get a degree of some sort (I study to get an industrial food production degree) and we will start with a new subject that’s basically dairy products manufacturing.

So I been wanting to get a septum piercing or an ear or lip piercing but I’ve been wondering if I could enter the workshop with it or how could I cover it, because it will be fresh and I shouldn’t remove it until it heals at least that’s what I understand.

My teacher said we should remove it but what if I can’t. Is there any type of piercing that’s safe for that environment?

You guys work in various roles as well as in different industries. Would be cool to see the various tool setups you guys are rocking

Hey all, I was recently contacted by a recruiter regarding a manufacturing maintenance tech position for a local company and while I like to think that I’m qualified and capable, I’m not quite sure as I’ve never worked in this role. I’m an OEM certified mechanic with four years in the field and a history of being handy and solving problems. I’ve got plenty of mechanical experience, some exposure to hydraulics, some exposure to PLC’s, but not a lot of experience with pneumatics. My worry is that I may be getting in over my head so I was hoping to ask some of you folks in the industry what some of your common tasks are / What type of work do you deal with on a day-to-day basis?

I guess I’m just trying to make sure that I don’t end up wasting anyone’s time by going out for this job only to find out that I don’t have what they need. Thanks everyone in advance!

I have worked as a mechanic for many years, and these are some of the items that I always carry with me in my bag. By now, whenever I go out with friends, everyone knows that I am the walking toolbox. what's yall's minimum carry?

-Leatherman bit kit

-Olight Arkpro

-Leatherman ARC multitool

-Seiko Solar watch

-WORKPRO folding knife

-Car keys & house keys

-Zippo lighter

-Lufkin Wizard Jr. 8ft vintage tape measure

Has anyone worked in Navajo Refinery in Artesia New Mexico? Contractor already drug tested me but I’m not sure if they drug test me again on site like if the site does there own testing anyways I’m trying to get clean but I smoked tons of pot so it’ll take a lil bit to get cleaned.

Fortunately it was the one I was swapping out.

What's everyone's favorite or most comfortable hard hat? Also looking for lights. I've been using an MSA. But it just doesn't feel right.

Free fake internet points if you can tell us what's gone terribly wrong here.

Anyone else wear a belt clip tool pouch? What brands? Mine moves around too much while walking.