Whether it is to restore small timepieces or to restore large machinery, these repairers have a strong interest in the way things work. Tick-tock, ding-dong, whir-whir--
For decades, the precise movement of gadgets such as clocks, musical instruments and industrial measuring equipment has fascinated people.
Maintaining such small mechanical equipment requires certain skills and attention to artistic details.
Skilled maintenance personnel keep the precision instruments and equipment in good working condition.
In 1998, more than 70,000 precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers were employed.
The workers formed a different group to repair cameras, medical equipment, musical instruments, watches and clocks, and industrial measuring equipment.
In this article, you will learn about their different duties, working conditions, employment and income, job prospects, and skills and training.
The nature of work is within the professional scope of precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers. There are five groups of camera and photographic equipment maintenance workers and medical equipment maintenance workers.
Instrument repairman, tuner, watch repairman and other precision instruments and equipment repairman.
They all need to pay attention to the details of the fixed instruments and equipment, but their tasks vary from professional to professional.
Maintenance of camera and photographic equipment
Camera and photographic equipment maintenance personnel perform a series of steps while fixing the camera or photographic equipment.
First, they diagnose the problem to determine if the repair is profitable and feed back the most complex and expensive questions to the manufacturer.
Second, they remove many small parts of the camera or device to find the root of the problem.
Third, they read the electrical schematic diagram to solve the possible electrical cause of the problem.
Finally, they remove and replace damaged or worn parts and clean and lubricate the gears and springs.
Usually, old camera and photo equipment parts are no longer available, so the camera and photo equipment repair Union peel off discarded cameras and equipment or manufacture replacement parts with metal processing tools such as lathes and grinding wheels.
The maintenance of modern cameras and photographic equipment also requires some knowledge of computers and digital circuits.
For example, most 35-
Now, the millimeter-level camera already has computerized circuit boards and computer programs, not many small, moving parts of the old camera.
The camera operator must be able to determine whether the Board problem is a need to replace a simple circuit, transistor, or the entire board.
Increasingly popular digital cameras and photographic equipment need to be repaired, just like most other modern cameras and photographic equipment.
However, since there is no film in these digital devices that can be wound, there are fewer moving parts repaired or replaced by the repairman.
Maintenance of medical equipment
Medical equipment repair work is very different from other precision instruments and equipment repair work: the larger the task of these repair personnel, the lower the requirements for accuracy.
Machines Repaired by these technicians include mechanical lifts, hospital beds and customized cars for the disabled.
Medical equipment maintenance personnel use a variety of tools including voltmeter and other measuring equipment to diagnose problems.
The repair equipment includes manual tools and machining equipment.
Musical instrument repairman and tuner.
Those who repair and adjust the instrument make sure that the first note played is as real as the last note.
The instrument repairman and tuner, often referred to as a technician, specializes in a type of instrument: a band instrument, piano and organ, or a violin and guitar.
The repairman of band instruments, brass and pipe instruments and percussion instruments focuses on damaged woodwind instruments, brass, Reed and percussion instruments.
They move mechanical parts or play scales to find problems.
They can remove and replace Rod pins, keys, worn-out cork pads and pistons and remove welded parts using a gas torch.
They use filling techniques or mallets to repair dents on metals and wood.
They can also get rid of the old drum heads and replace them with new ones.
In addition to using gas lamps and mallets, these repairers use grinding wheels, scissors and small hand tools at work.
The piano repairman uses techniques, skills and tools similar to those of the band musical instrument repairman.
The repairman often earns extra income by adjusting the piano, which includes tightening and relaxing different strings to reach the appropriate tone or tone. Pipe-
Organ repairs are bigger, like piano repairs. However, pipe-
Organ repair personnel must also struggle with large pipes and bellows that force air through different pipes in the organs.
In addition, organs are too large to be transported, so organ repair personnel must assemble and serve on site.
The repairman works in the team or with the assistant to assemble the organ in a few weeks or months depending on the size of the organ.
Violin repairman and guitar repairman adjust and repair stringed instruments.
These maintenance personnel play and inspect the instrument to find any defects.
They replace or repair the broken or broken parts and damaged parts, reinstall the instrument and repair the damage to the finish.
Watch repairman
Affordable clock replacement is cheaper than repair, electric quartz watches and clocks have little moving parts, limiting maintenance to battery replacement.
As a result, watch and clock repairers work almost exclusively on expensive clocks, many of which still have mechanical movements and manual winding mechanisms or springs.
These clocks need to be adjusted and maintained on a regular basis, including the removal of many small gears and components.
Check each part for obvious signs of wear.
Some gears or Springs may need to be replaced or machined and all parts must be cleaned and greased.
Replacement parts for antique watches and clocks, such as replacement parts for old cameras, are often unavailable.
In this case, the watch and clock repair Union makes the parts themselves.
They use small car beds and other machines to make small parts.
Maintenance of other precision instruments and equipment.
In addition to the above maintenance personnel, other precision instruments and equipment maintenance personnel also serve, repair and replace various equipment for automation or instruments and equipment
Control the manufacturing process.
For example, precision instrument repairers working in power plants can maintain and repair instruments that monitor turbine generator pressure, fuel and efficiency.
When the meter shows that the reading is out of acceptable range, the maintenance personnel will diagnose the problem.
They must determine if the meter is working properly and replace the faulty meter.
In other cases, the machine is not working properly.
Maintenance personnel often replace faulty parts, but it may be the lowest cost to repair existing parts, or because replacing parts is not always available, this is the only option.
Like most maintenance personnel, other precision instruments and equipment maintenance personnel carry out preventive maintenance, including regular lubrication, cleaning and adjustment of measuring equipment.
These workers use many of the tools used by medical equipment maintenance personnel.
Maintenance personnel of precision instruments and equipment work under various conditions-
From the hot and noisy factory to the quiet air
Outdoor workshops with conditions.
Most of the work is done separately, and the repair process is completed in an orderly manner;
The personality of their work leads to minimal supervision.
However, since their work may involve dangerous machinery and toxic chemicals, the repairman must care about their own safety.
Camera and watch maintenance personnel and instrument maintenance personnel work under quite similar conditions. A quiet, well-
Although the repair work of some large instruments or equipment is typical of lighting the car or office--
For example, for a grandfather\'s clock, piano, and organs,-
Need to travel to the site.
Work schedules vary.
In contrast, medical equipment maintenance workers often work in hospitals or wholesale equipment suppliers, while most other precision equipment maintenance workers work in manufacturing plants.
Maintenance personnel usually work during the standard day.
However, like the employees of other hospitals and factories, the shifts of some maintenance workers are not normal.
In 1998, the employment and income of precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers reached 74,000. (See chart. )
The largest proportion of medical equipment maintenance workers and other precision instruments and equipment maintenance workers is wages and salary workers;
Most people are employed by big companies.
But of the 5 cameras and photographic equipment repairmen, musical instrument repairmen, and watch repairmen, 3 work on their own
Contractors hired
Watch maintenance personnel are becoming more and more self-
Employed by jewelry stores and Internet clients.
The table shows the income of precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers in 1998.
Among these maintenance personnel, the income of other precision instrument and equipment maintenance personnel is the highest, and the income of instrument maintenance personnel and tuning personnel is the lowest.
However, compared to the median, most of the income differences are not so obvious at both ends of the spectrum.
For example, the highest-paid 10% of camera and photographic equipment repairers are close to other precision instrument and equipment repairers with the highest income of 10%.
The lowest-paid watch repairman earns slightly more than the lowest-paid instrument repairman and tuner.
Overall, the employment growth of precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers is expected to be slower than the average growth rate of all occupations in 1998. 2008 decade.
But growth is expected to vary from profession to profession.
For example, the employment growth of medical equipment maintenance workers is expected to be about the same as the average growth rate predicted for all occupations in the decade.
The expanding elderly population will stimulate a strong demand for medical equipment, thus creating good jobs for this profession. Slower-than-
Average job growth is expected for camera and photographic equipment maintenance workers.
The camera and photographic equipment repair business is largely unaffected by the downturn in the business cycle, as consumers are more likely to repair expensive cameras or devices than to buy new ones.
However, the popularity of cheap cameras has adversely affected the employment of camera maintenance personnel, and the replacement cost of these cameras is lower than the maintenance cost.
The number of musical instrument maintenance workers is also expected to grow more slowly than the average.
As many existing music repairers and tuning engineers approach retirement, the need for replacement will provide the most job opportunities.
Expected increase in the number of schools-
Older children involved in music should raise the need for repairmen.
However, the cuts in school music programs, coupled with an increasing number of other activities competing for the interest of students, are expected to result in a decrease in the number of new musicians requiring Musical Instrument Rentals, purchases and repairs.
The training is limited to a number of schools with organized programs and very few experienced workers receive apprentices.
Therefore, people who are trained should have the opportunity.
It is expected that the number of employees of the watch repairman will decline slightly.
However, applicants should have a very good opportunity as most of the watches and clock repairers approach retirement age, as well as changes in fashion trends.
In the past few decades, technological changes, including the invention of digital watches and quartz watches, have led to a sharp decline in demand for watch repairers.
But in the 1990s S, the shift in fashion tastes led to a rapid increase in demand for expensive antiques and mechanical watches.
Employment for other precision instrument and equipment maintenance workers is expected to decline, reflecting insufficient growth in manufacturing employment.
However, due to the increasing complexity of manufacturing equipment and the shortage of applicants, this decline was offset by competition from skilled workers in the technical profession.
The skills and training of the maintenance personnel of precision instruments and equipment require different skills and training, depending on their specialty.
However, some general qualifications are usually required.
For example, maintenance personnel must pay attention to details, like to solve problems, disassemble machines, see how they work, and be able to work on their own with minimal supervision.
Because their work requires a lot of manual operation, maintenance personnel also need good eyesight and fine motor skills.
In terms of training, all positions are usually required to have at least a high school diploma for the repairman.
Additional training will be conducted at work, but most employers prefer to hire maintenance workers with post-secondary education.
The ability to read a technical manual is important.
The qualifications and educational background of camera and photographic equipment maintenance personnel are different.
Some background in electronics is necessary, including the ability to read electrical schematics and understand other technical information.
New employees receive two stages of training at work: first, they help a senior maintenance worker for about 6 months;
Second, they improve their repair skills within an additional 6 months.
Some workers complete post-secondary training in camera and photographic equipment maintenance, such as the associate\'s degree.
Most repairmen in this major hone their skills by participating in manufacturers
Hold workshops for specific models.
Medical equipment maintenance requires less training than other professional precision instruments and equipment maintenance.
The background of an electronic product is helpful, but not necessary.
Many medical equipment repairers focus on specific models or brands.
Learn by hand
Based on experience and observation, the new maintenance staff helped an experienced worker in 3 to 6 months of training.
Under close supervision, the students gradually began to work independently.
About a year later-the-
Job training for medical equipment maintenance personnel is considered to be fully skilled.
There are no formal training programs for these repairmen.
Most of the musical instrument repairers and tuning engineers are trained in schools.
According to a survey of 1997 piano technician Association members, more than 85% of respondents completed some university work;
At least 50% of people have a bachelor\'s degree or above.
Some technical schools and colleges have musical instrument maintenance programs.
Graduates of these programs usually receive additional training at work, working with experienced maintenance personnel.
While employers prefer technical school training, some musical instrument maintenance and tuning divisions begin to learn their careers as assistants at work.
Trainees perform a variety of tasks and usually require 2 to 5 years of training and practice to be fully qualified.
Proficiency in the maintenance of watches or clocks requires several years of education or experience, usually both.
Some watch and clock repairers learn at work to help a master watch repairman.
The more common approach to training is through certifications provided by multiple associations, including American Watchmakers --
Watch Manufacturers Association
Some certifications require applicants to pass the examination;
It will take several months for other certification projects to be completed.
There are some higher requirements, which will take 3,000 hours. -over 2 years--
Classroom time of technical college or college.
Watch maintenance personnel usually need more training than watch maintenance personnel, because the watch has smaller parts and higher accuracy requirements.
Other precision instruments and equipment maintenance personnel must complete high school education, including mathematics and science courses.
Most employers also require these maintenance personnel to attend post-secondary courses to help them understand blueprints, electrical schematics, and electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical and electrical systems.
In addition to formal education, this job usually takes 2 years on-the-job. the-
Repair personnel are considered to be fully qualified before work training.
A bachelor\'s degree is usually required for state-of-the-art positions.
For books and journals on the careers of different maintenance personnel, please visit your local library--
Camera and photographic equipment, medical equipment, musical instruments, watches and other precision instruments--
You\'re interested.
For details, you can also contact the association below.
Ian Wyatt is an economic worker at the office of Employment forecasting at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 202)691-5690.