Mechatronics

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Read the latest news from the Mechatronics group.

My Background After secondary school I completed a technical trade education as a service technician of heavy vehicles. After 5 years experience in this area I was motivated to widen my horizon. The choice fell on Mechatronics at UiA for several reasons - the geographical location was good for me, as well as the adapted study program for students with a trade background (the Y-path).

Mechatronics at UiA is a very interesting study program, another argument is the positive student environment, many social activities at "Luftslottet" and skilled teachers and students who contribute to a good social environment. I finished my studies at UiA in 2008 and started working at Aker MH the next summer, only 3 weeks after completing my Bachelor thesis at the company Origo Enginering in Kristiansand.

What does Aker MH do
Aker MH belongs to the Aker Solutions group of companies. Aker MH is a supplier of drilling equipment to the oil and gas industry and has recently delivered several large drilling packages flere store riggpakker with varied and advanced equipment. Aker MH is a world-leader on advanced technology, control systems and safety for the employees.

What do I do at Aker MH
I work at Aker MH at Dvergsnes in Kristiansand. Min job at Aker MH as a mechanical product engineer is to follow up the technical aspects of a delivery, from the order is received from the customer to ex-works, which means that the customer takes over the responsibility for the machine and the production phase of the equipment is over. I work in the department for rotating equipment and concentrate for the time being on the DDM (Derrick Drilling Machine). This machine has the task of turning the drill string, lead mud into the drill string, handle pipes and connect the pipes as the drill string is pushed into the ground. The DDM is a complex machine with several critical tasks on a drilling installation. That is why a high quality of the DDM parts is required. There are also strict standards and guidelines which ensure a high quality on these products.

Product Engineer, what is it and which tasks do I have
Mechanical product engineer is someone who coordinates, designs and/or improves existing design for MH equipment. The job consists of assembling a package, depending on the customer's wishes, which ends up as a complete product. I collaborate with modellers, hydraulic, electrical and control system engineers and it is the role of the mechanical product engineer to use all these resources to deliver the required quality at the agreed time and price. The multi-disciplinary foundation you get from the UiA study program Mechatronics is worth a lot in this setting.

How do I like the job
Personally I feel lucky to have this job which gives me options to develop my technical skils, socially and as a person. There are many new impressions when starting a new job like this and the responsibility may feel overwhelming at times, but Aker MH has many skilled people who contribute knowledge and experience. My daily work is at times very varied - it consists of engineering, meetings, documentation and at times a lot of travelling, both onshore and offshore. The tasks I work with are very varied, even within the same product since some of the products are quite complex and are design to solve many different tasks.

Career Options
Aker MH gives the employees a large choice of career options, including all advantages and disadvantages of working in a large company. You will experience developing high technical skills in your field of expertise, and there are many disciplines to choose from. Some examples are mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, control systems, project management etc. There are also good possibilities to get more responsibility as you develop technical and social skills.

Torstein Haga - 03.april 2009

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