Trying to move away from being hydraulic orientated engineer

[SMOKES]

Hi
I don't know about most you but I find hydraulic based engineering unchallenging and unintresting. I haves designed systems,pressure vessels, pumps, and I am currently designing valve blocks.
I also don't enjoy my role as my team are treated as a drafting resource rather than an engineering resource even though we have to fix alot of the issues the projects team missed or misscalculate.
I really want to go back to designing more mechanical based kit such as gearboxes and complex machinery, I have done this on my sandwich year and really enjoyed it, has anyone managed to transition out of hydrualics and back into mechanics. If they have how did they convince employers that they could adapt to a different discipline. I am also UK based so I guess it much harder to transition back in to doing mechanics than working else where in the world.

Thanks

 

[HPost]

Smokes...

In 2006 I was made redundant from a senior position a hydraulic systems engineer.

I spent 3 months trying to find work as, unlike you, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that come with fluid power system design. Despite having 20 years of experience to offer, I couldn't get what I wanted, so I turned my back on hydraulics, took a pay cut and got job in automotive design.

At that time I had no academic qualifications to speak of.

Since then I have worked hard to recover the lost time and I now have a 1st Class Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering and I am Chartered Engineer.

I don't work in hydraulic systems anymore, mainly because the pay is not good enough and hydraulic systems engineer are valued even less than mechanical engineers in the UK. However, I do still like to design hydraulic systems, so I do it for fun.

The message here is that if you really want to make the transition from hydraulics to mechanics, then you'll have to make some sacrifices. Personally, I think that these two sub sections of engineering compliment each other very well, so I wouldn't be in a hurry to ditch hydraulics.

From my experience, it is better to extend your hydraulic system knowledge and apply to a mechanical system.

You just need someone to give you a chance and you may need to swallow your pride to get the chance to shine.

Regards

Adrian

 

[SMOKES]

I already have a engineering Degree in Mechanical engineering, I have done mechanical design and development and I really enjoyed it, hydrualics is a bit too cut and paste for me it more about buying in components and making them fit.
Even pump design is relativly conservative as they will cavitate if the system is to resrictive that they are operating in and most pump designs are fairly similar in there respective classes amongst competitors.
I prefer the challenge of design from scratch working, how it is going work how manufacture it failure modes etc.

 

[HPost]

If you already have the degree, the transition should be very easy.

I take your point about the "cut and paste" jobs that are out there, but it is that approach that has tended to paint hydraulic systems design in such a poor light. In these days of energy efficiency it is important to design a system that maximises energy efficiency without compromising the function of the system. It is all well and good selecting a kit of parts from a menu and making a cylinder go in and out, anyone can do that. It is how people respond when things go wrong that make them a good hydraulic systems engineer.

There is also much more to pump design than just avoiding cavitation. Good bearing design for PD pumps is an important aspect, one that a good understanding of mechanics would help to solve. Also with centrifugal pumps, experience of fluid dynamics helps to address the cavitation issues, but equally axial thrust is also a big issue and again, a sound understanding of mechanics would help there too.

Fluid system are finding uses in many places there day, so with a good understanding of fluid power and a degree in mechanical engineering, you should be all set.

Sell your skills to the market and let as many people as possible know that you are available. just make sure that you CV emphasise your abilities in mechanical systems rather than fluid power. Your CV should be "tweaked" to suit the role that you are applying for.

Adrian

 

[SMOKES]

Been there done that with peralistic pumps, tryng to explain to another engineer that you need to use the correct press fit to stop the bearings failing.
They were trying to avoid doing press fits on the assembly line.

Done the transiant CFD and developed a range of centrifugal pumps that were pressure ballanced and dynamicly ballanced and 40% more efficent than the existing designs.Unforntunatly, they all needed a orifice plate fitting to reduce the performance to work in exisiting systems as the curve was extemely flat when you closed a valve off on the outlet of the pump to get the pump curve. As companys don't want to use a speed controller on the motors. Go figure.....

Tried to show another engineer how to use 3d cad to create systems and an accurrate BOM, Decided it was quicker to do a P&ID in autocad and create a BOM of the top of there head, that went very very wrong.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Given your degree, you should be able to transition into most mechanical specialties with just a little study of your old textbooks, but your spelling here suggests that your work would be sloppy and not fit for redistribution.

Copy your messages here and run through a spell-checker. DO NOT EVER accept the option of adding a flagged word to the spell-checker's dictionary. If you have ever done so, remove and reinstall the spell-checker.

Then do the same with your CV, _and_ have it reviewed by someone who is a known picky speller.

Also, please remove "orientated" from your written and spoken vocabulary. It's not a real word, and it makes you sound like a pretentious cretin. I'm sure you are not.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[SMOKES]

Mike

I have never been the greatest wordsmith in the world but, I assure you my work is not sloppy.
I have seen some good wordsmiths produce absolutely abysmal work and technically incorrect work, though the spelling and grammar was good, I have been the one who had to untangle the mess they created and correct it.
Orientated is used a lot in 3d CAD as a technical word the United Kingdom. I assumed it was an okay word to use, I didn't know it had been entered into the world of management and HR speak.

Where is the link to the spell checker flagged words?

 

[MikeHalloran]

That epends on the spell checker, which depends on the word processor. My point was that if you copy and paste your messages from here into _any_ word processor, and ask for a spell check (or let it proceed automatically), the word processor will barf on your messages for the spelling. Some word processors would pick up grammatical errors too, but not all. All of them allow you to add words to their 'known good words' dictionary, but unless the flagged words is a known good technical term, don't do it.

None of the current grammar checkers work as well as Grammatik, which changed the way I write. ... and none of them work well enough to trust for important documents; you need an actual picky person to do it.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[loki3000]

or just use opera browser and have the automatic spell check function as you type

 

[oldestguy]

Mike: Well said. In my experience (I'm 85) those with poor grammar or who were bad spellers also were not the best engineers from a practical or design view. The three 2's seem to get butchered the most. Maybe I am too fussy, but can't change now. They say it is excusable if English is not their main language, but when corrected and they don't change, something is screwy, In any case it sets them back when compared to peers.

I had an experience with a beginning engineer with a bad bringing up apparently. His written reports had to be significantly corrected. A time came when his other problems (caused by inexperience) and a firm reduced work load required a choice had to be made as to who goes. It was him. An easy decision.

 

[oldestguy]

Mike: Yes. I have some bad grammar there also. No one checked my work!

 

[SMOKES]

As I have said before I have seen some brilliant word smiths in engineering but,they don't have a clue how to engineer to come with simple innovative solutions or even communicate clearly want they want.
Some of the best engineers that I have worked with are dyslexic. Harping on about spelling and grammer doesn't really sit with me.

 

[loki3000]

eh, it was probably directed more towards the "un-american" visa workers, if i understood it correctly. not on purpose, more subconsciously...

 

[SMOKES]

Loki

I guess they are jealous.
In the UK the general consensus to American engineer is they care more about climbing up the management ladder than doing engineering...
I also think American Engineering is 20 years behind times to the if it ain't broke don't fix it approach. (bar the electronic companies)But Apple use an English designed chip, ARM and English designer Jonny Ives to for there iPhones and iPads.
Look at the big 3 American car companies now. They are now using the European designed cars engines and transmissions to sell in the US market.

 

[IRstuff]

"American Engineering is 20 years behind times to the if it ain't broke don't fix it approach"

That's never been an engineering decision; it's always been the management that decides that. That's why American car quality was in the tank in the latter part of the last century

TTFN
faq731-376

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[loki3000]

true in some cases.
i was not thinking jealous, but more pissed off when looking at all the visa workers, that are flowing in the country.
i don't know how is for mech. engineers, but probably quite common...