Electrician kipia what is it. Instrumentation and automation: instrumentation and automation. Universities for studying

Explanation of instrumentation and automation - this is an adjuster of instrumentation and automation. This is a specialist who installs electrical circuits and devices of a wide variety of automation systems. Specialists in this profession are highly qualified workers, unlike mechanics and instrument technicians. The degree level in this specialty begins to count from four. Such employees are required in production, factories and other facilities where it is necessary to set up automatic lines, instruments, automated production, dispatch communications and other systems.

Profession training and required qualities

A person with a technical education who has completed special training courses can apply for the position. Studying is carried out on the basis of vocational schools or in commercial educational centers. Upon completion, a person usually receives a second or third category in his specialty. There are eight categories in total. Instrumentation mechanics can undergo training not only in educational institutions, but also directly at the production site, improving their skills by passing exams to their boss.

When applying for a job, applicants are required to have such qualities as excellent vision, concentration, the ability to do painstaking work, good coordination of movements, spatial imagination and the ability to distribute attention. Detailed information about the duties, rights and other functions of the employee, as well as a breakdown of the instrumentation and control systems, can be found in the job description drawn up by the company management.

General provisions of the instructions

A specialist in this profession is considered a worker. To obtain a position, the applicant must receive special professional education. Typically, employers do not have any special requirements for work experience. The director of the organization can hire or remove an adjuster. In the course of performing his duties, the employee must be guided by regulatory and methodological materials, the company's charter and instructions received from management.

Knowledge

The job description of an instrumentation mechanic implies that he must know the following:

how they are structured, what they are used for and on what principle they operate all the devices, instruments and mechanisms that he must repair;
he must understand how the components and elements of radio-electronic equipment are structured and by what principle they interact, and by what means and methods they can be checked using electrical diagrams;

it is important to understand the diagrams of simple control units of a simple type, the basic properties of insulating and conductive materials;
the worker must know how resistance is measured in a variety of chain links;
must understand the properties of alloys, metals and other resources used in repairs.

Other knowledge

The job description of an instrumentation mechanic implies that he knows:

what are control and measuring instruments and universal devices used for and according to what rules are they used;
system of tolerances, fits, roughness parameters, types of oils intended for corrosion protection and the basics of electrical engineering.
how parts are heat treated, how temperature can affect measurement results;
deciphering the symbols of thermal circuits, mechanics, radio engineering, heating engineering;
and other knowledge necessary to carry out the work assigned to the employee.

Functions

The job description of an instrumentation mechanic implies that he is obliged to:

carry out repair work;
regulate and test simple magnetoelectric, electromagnetic, optical-mechanical and heat measuring devices;
engage in repair, assembly, testing, installation and removal of circuits from devices of medium complexity of various types.

He must carry out:

metalworking, determine the causes of breakdowns in devices and eliminate malfunctions;
carry out installation of simple and complex connecting circuits;
carry out testing of instruments intended for measuring electrical voltage.

Its functions also include electrical adjustment of components and main power supplies of radio devices, special equipment and electronic computers.

Responsibilities

An instrumentation mechanic must inspect, adjust and test analytical, standard, carriage and technical weights, cutting and measuring tools, dies and fixtures. In addition, he must certify and brand them after all tests and inspections, paint the devices, solder using various solders, including silver, copper, etc. They should configure the automation units.
The employee’s responsibilities also include heat treatment and finishing of parts, determining the level of hardness of metals, as well as carrying out a full check of the equipment for operability, for which control and measuring equipment is used. At the end of the verification activities, the employee is required to take oscillograms. In addition, he configures and commissions telemechanics, electromechanics and relay protection devices.

Other responsibilities

In addition to the above, the responsibilities of an instrumentation mechanic include identifying and troubleshooting equipment entrusted to the employee to carry out repair work on it. During inspections and tests of equipment, the employee is required to calculate the absolute and relative errors. He is also tasked with drawing up defect reports and filling out passports for instruments and automatic equipment.

Rights

Upon entering the workforce after training, an instrumentation and automation mechanic receives the right to social guarantees provided for by the current legislation of the country. He also has the right to demand that management provide him with special protective clothing, shoes and other means of ensuring safe work. He may demand from his superior that he provide him with assistance if necessary in the performance of his official duties.
He has the right to demand the creation of normal working conditions, including the provision from the organization of a workplace, equipment, tools and inventory that complies with the norms and rules. If an employee is injured during work or develops an occupational disease, he has the right to demand financial support for treatment and social assistance from the company.

Depending on what rank the instrumentation mechanic has received, he has the right to receive information about all management decisions relating to his direct activities. If an employee has suggestions on how to make his work more effective, he has the right to express his ideas in this regard to his superiors. The employee has the right to request all the necessary documents, tools and other materials in person or on behalf of his immediate superior that he needs to complete the assigned tasks. He also has the right to improve his qualifications.

Responsibility

The job description of an instrumentation mechanic assumes that the employee is responsible for failure to fulfill the duties prescribed in the instructions, or for poor quality work done. He may be held liable for any violations of administrative, criminal or labor codes in accordance with the laws of the country, as well as for causing material damage to the company due to errors made during work. He is also responsible for the safety of the tools issued to him, equipment and other materials belonging to the company.

They were related because they were stored close to each other in the warehouse and were treated similarly. These are all such good-quality boxes standing on warehouse shelves, and in them, beautifully packaged in preservative lubricant, are spare parts from equipment that works for the company every day, hourly, every minute, every second. But spare parts are not used every day, but only when they are needed. Tools and accessories are also all the necessary things specific to a given production, and some of them are already in use on machines or with machines. And new ones are taken from the warehouse only when the old ones wear out or break.

What is instrumentation

Instrumentation and control instruments are associated with specific activities in production, which involve measuring various parameters of a product, or a technological process, or some conditions.

What is instrumentation and automation

With the automation of production, a lot of new things began to appear in instrumentation. This is especially true for production automatic, and not automated. These two words differ from each other only in that in automated, human participation is assumed, and in automatic, everything is done by machines. Car factories have entire assembly lines where everything is assembled by robots. Entire automated sections, lines, workshops began to appear at different factories... And this has not surprised us for a long time. Without such automation it is no longer possible to produce entire groups of goods. For example, integrated circuits are made completely automatically, simply because a person is already there and cannot help in any way: what is produced is visible only under a microscope.

The role of a person comes down to periodically measuring some parameters. That's why we added one letter. The abbreviation KIP began to look like KIPiA. The second “and” is a conjunction. Decoding of the abbreviation: “Instrumentation and automation.”

It is clear that now the walls of those former spare parts and instrumentation warehouses have long “moved apart,” figuratively speaking. To store all the spare parts for robots and boxes with devices, no matter how diverse, just as bizarre, a rack or two is no longer enough, and Aunt Masha the storekeeper, who issues them for weekly or monthly preventive maintenance. Now, in the factories of companies producing high-tech equipment, there is an “Instrumentation and Control Automation” service everywhere, which should ensure the uninterrupted operation of all devices and all automation. Actually, this is the basis for ensuring the operation of the production itself. Because as soon as a glitch sneaks into the service, everything will come to a standstill. Some tiny part from a small device is missing, they forgot to order and buy it - that’s all. The company may face huge losses.

Work of the Kipovets service

The nature of the work of the service is for the most part different from the nature of the rest of continuous production. The economy of modern enterprises is diverse and multifaceted, and measuring instruments are available everywhere. Therefore, the instrumentation and automation service consists of divisions. Some Kipovians (Kipia-vtsy? - this abbreviation did not catch on because it does not sound) are engaged in electrical measuring instruments, others are engaged in chemical analysis and instruments associated with them, and others are engaged in gas analyzers, pressure meters (manometers), and temperature.

The specifics of the duties also vary: some are engaged in checking instruments in metrological services, others carry out periodic measurements for preventive purposes, others are on duty at automation control panels around the clock in shifts, monitoring the norms of all equipment parameters. If these are furnaces in a boiler room, then it is necessary that the instruments correctly display temperature, pressure, and the quality of fuel combustion, and that the automation reacts normally to all deviations. Likewise in other cases. The task of such a KIP worker is to react in time to equipment failure and take action. Usually the automation itself turns on the device to replace the faulty one, then the KIPovets must ensure that this disabled unit is replaced with a suitable one and send the damaged one for repair. The instrumentation service may also have a repair department. It receives such damaged blocks and can repair them on its own. It’s easy to change if you have your own spare parts base - a microcircuit, a resistor, a capacitor. Or send it for repair to other organizations.

Kipovtsy differ “by rank”. The lowest rank of a labor worker is an instrumentation mechanic. A mechanic can work in instrumentation of any direction and on any basis. If he works with pipes, then he is a pipeline fitter, if he works with electricity, then he is an electrician, if he works with mechanics, then he is a mechanic. And he can work in any of the departments of this service. Beginning Kipovites usually immediately become mechanics. But even a born electronics engineer can proudly wear this title all his life.

For repairs and adjustments, they usually hire a full-time unit - an instrumentation and control equipment adjuster. The decoding here is simple, this is exactly the repair service inside the instrumentation itself. Specialists of a wider profile, since they can deal with everything that is found in modern complex devices: there are sensors on different physical bases, electronic circuits that require diagnostics and re-soldering, and microcontrollers that need to be reprogrammed or re-flashed. Beginners, of course, are not placed here, but in order to gain experience, an instrumentation mechanic may well help the service technician.

Master of Instrumentation and Automation. It is clear that the master is usually involved in organizing the work of a group of Kipovites. But this is usually an experienced specialist, and training his wards and sharing his wealth of experience with them is part of his responsibilities.

Instrumentation engineer. This is the final authority in the service. A circuit analyzer who knows the latest successful circuit solutions and follows progress in his field. Of course, helping adjusters in difficult cases. It is his responsibility to select data that can help solve problems, using the entire arsenal of modern information technology.

Equipment

The equipment includes both the measuring instruments themselves and all the equipment that supports the measurement process. And also all the necessary material: consoles, tables, observation windows. The measurement process is provided by electricity, which means that this necessarily includes power supplies, wiring, switchboards, and automatic shutdown. Most often, the equipment is much more complex and sophisticated than the measuring instruments themselves. In addition, recording or recording equipment, as well as communication and storage equipment, are used to record readings.

Devices

Devices are made to measure certain physical properties; they differ according to physical principles:

Physical property meters: temperature (thermometers, thermocouples, temperature sensors); flame (flame control).
Meters for liquid or gaseous media: pressure (pressure gauges, pressure gauges); liquid level (level gauges); liquid or gas flow (flow meters).
Electrical meters: voltmeters, ammeters, meters, transformer voltmeters, bridges, magazines, ohmmeters, high-frequency meters.
Chemical meters: analyzers, gas analyzers, pH meters.
Radiation instruments: Geiger counters, dosimeters, detectors.
Executive automatic devices: electric igniters, manipulators, servomotors.

Service examples

Control in gas pumping stations is simple, but the physical parameters of the pumped gas must be controlled: pressure, temperature. This depends on many factors, and therefore there are appropriate instrumentation for the operation of the compressor unit, the operability and safety of the line on a given segment (between stations). Automatic control and diagnostic equipment is aimed at this task, which also needs to be maintained.

The nature of the physical environment with which they have to deal (electric currents and voltages) suggests that Kipovites here must be entirely electricians. Yes, electricians, and even with qualifications to work in conditions of high, ultra-high and ultra-high voltages, lethal to humans. Only the scale of the structures still obliges them to be high-rise installers. And in transformers, the circulating oil of the cooling system also adds the specificity of working with high-temperature liquids and petroleum products.

Conclusion

We are now completely surrounded by devices. In everyday life, automation works in washing machines, stoves, irons, and so on. Moreover, the further you go, the smarter the automation becomes. There is already the concept of “smart apartment”, “smart home”, “smart site protection”, “smart vacuum cleaner”.

Not only does all this work before our eyes, it can already receive commands from the Internet and act on them. Willy-nilly, every owner, and maybe his even more advanced children, become a little Kipovites. Which can sometimes push them to choose a profession.

At the mere mention of the word “locksmith,” a person comes to mind who primarily performs mechanical work. In his hands you can see a screwdriver, a file, a wrench and even a sledgehammer. The instrumentation mechanic also gets to use all these tools, since the equipment that has to be repaired, adjusted and maintained is very diverse.

Here you can find the finest, almost clockwork mechanisms, heating furnaces, water valves, injection mechanisms of large injection molding machines or variable frequency electric drives. Therefore, a wide variety of tools are required: from microscopic clock screwdrivers to pipe wrenches of the latest issue.

When laying various communication lines, for example, to connect sensors, a sledgehammer and even a crowbar are often used. Without this tool, it is absolutely impossible to make a hole in a brick, let alone a concrete wall. True, recently these prehistoric tools have been replaced by modern electrified hammer drills, grinders and other tools. But, nevertheless, sometimes you have to use both a crowbar and a sledgehammer.

It often happens that some part made of sheet metal simply breaks in a mechanism. To restore this part, you need to replace it, but if there is no spare, then, if possible, make a new one. To do this, it is enough to pick up a hammer, a chisel, a file, maybe even a drill with a drill bit and quickly make at least a temporary replacement, for which you can at least sketch out a sketch of the future part by hand with a pencil. If an instrumentation mechanic has such skills, then he simply has no price!

The ability to work with hammers and screwdrivers is not all that one should be able to do real instrumentation mechanic. First of all, he must know the basic laws of electrical engineering and have an electrical safety group of at least III, know how a transistor works, logical or. Knowledge of microcontroller technology will also come in handy, and if you have the skills to program microcontrollers, then this is very good, even wonderful.

When you first enter a large industrial production, you can see a huge number of sensors, devices, buttons and light bulbs, which in one word are called “automation”. In any self-respecting production process, the technological process cannot do without control and measuring equipment. The operator controls the progress of the process according to data received from a variety of devices involved in production.

The second point when instrumentation is required is the inspection of finished products by employees of the technical control department. After all, the product must be of high quality, and without certain devices it is impossible to control the quality. And here the accuracy and performance of the control and measuring equipment is important, because the quality and compliance of the products with GOST, OST or TU will depend on these readings. Responsible for the performance of instruments and automation in production. Such large industries as chemical, petrochemical, engineering, oil refining, wood processing, food and many others cannot do without this profession.

To ensure the required product quality, accident-free operation and safety of technological processes, it is necessary to monitor the serviceability of all instrumentation and automation. For this reason, the need arose for the profession of a mechanic in the repair and adjustment of instrumentation and automation. A related profession that instrumentation and automation mechanics often master is the operator of technological installations. Technology is constantly evolving, which means that an instrumentation mechanic must also keep up with the times and improve his knowledge. Many inventions and rationalization proposals in the field of equipment operation are introduced by instrumentation mechanics. After all, they work with instruments constantly and already know how best to use this or that sensor in order to obtain the most accurate measurements.

Why is the profession “instrumentation mechanic” in demand and popular? Large productions always bring a stable high income, so people in this profession receive a decent salary, they are valued in the team for their significant contribution to production. Instrumentation mechanics are quite in demand on the labor market, since not a single high-tech production can do without repairmen. But this profession also implies increased responsibility: after all, the quality of the products depends on the accurate operation of the instruments. The profession is quite complex and dangerous, because devices often fail and can cause emergency situations. Production is constantly being improved, new devices are appearing, which means that a mechanic must understand not only old equipment, but also constantly improve his knowledge and develop in order to understand any equipment involved in the technological process. The profession is a technical specialization, so you need to have a fairly accurate understanding of electrical and automated circuits, as well as understand drawings.

A mechanic for the repair and operation of instrumentation and automation is a general specialist capable of maintaining, repairing and operating automatic equipment and all instrumentation and instrumentation available in production. But devices are not only operated and repaired. They are also subject to periodic inspections and state verifications within the time limits established by the passport. The main task of the instrumentation and automation repair department is to monitor the verification schedule, provide devices for state verification and ensure the operability of all electrical and automatic lines and systems of installed equipment. In order to promptly identify and repair breakdowns, a mechanic must not only know the operating principle of the equipment, he must fully understand the essence of the entire technological process. This comes with experience in this particular production. The work of an instrumentation mechanic takes place in various conditions. There is no specific connection to one workplace. This may include installation work to install new equipment, work on site to troubleshoot problems, and monitoring the operator’s console to determine the cause of equipment failure. Kipovtsy work both individually and in teams. It all depends on the task at hand. Installation of bulky equipment is usually done collectively, and minor problems are fixed independently.

When choosing a profession as an instrumentation mechanic, you should remember that there are medical contraindications: for example, hearing or vision impairment, mental disorders. After all, working with electricity is very dangerous for the health of the worker himself and the surrounding personnel. We should not forget that there is a huge financial liability for the entrusted equipment. A mechanic is a hard physical job, since the work has to be performed in various conditions, often not very comfortable - standing, at a height, on a ladder, bending under equipment. There are harmful factors in production buildings: noise, air pollution, elevated temperatures. When working as a mechanic, you can expect to move up the career ladder, from a regular mechanic to a site or even building foreman.

Engineers with higher education, work experience and good health are responsible for the maintenance, operation and repair of instrumentation and control systems. They look for faults, train staff, ensuring smooth operation of both equipment and the enterprise. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in physics and mathematics (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).

Short description

The engineer is responsible for safe and correct work and maintenance of instrumentation and control systems; he must have experience, higher education, and a tendency to do monotonous technical work. His schedule is unpredictable, because today an engineer can work in an office equipped with air conditioning, and tomorrow he will be forced to go to another region, where he will have to work for 12 hours under the scorching sun.

The profession is complex and dangerous, more suitable for men than women, because the employee must meet the following requirements:

good vision and hearing;
excellent motor skills, no tremor;
excellent physical health. A specialist with chronic diseases may not be allowed to work;
technical mindset.

A qualified engineer applying for a good vacancy must have an excellent level of training, having knowledge of electrical engineering, physics, automation, instrumentation, systems, etc. Without these engineers, no enterprise can function normally, so there is a demand for specialists just huge.

Features of the profession

A complex technical profession requires serious training, so most often future engineers first work as mechanics, gaining the necessary experience, and only then take professional retraining courses and enter a university. The following works are in the field of interests of an instrumentation engineer:

installation of equipment;
searching for breakdowns and their causes, eliminating detected faults;
work with personnel (training, lectures, safety precautions);
schedules for maintenance, repair, replacement of equipment and components;
performing work necessary for the normal functioning of the equipment;
working with contractors, checking the quality of purchased equipment;
introduction of modern technologies;
development of technological schemes, modernization, design;
breakdown analysis: causes, solutions, prevention;
monitoring the work of junior personnel performing maintenance, commissioning, purchasing components, etc.;
training new employees.

An instrumentation and automation engineer must know the specifics of planning production work, understand the principles of enterprise functioning, be able to work with computer technology, have the makings of a manager, and the abilities necessary to train employees. In case of mistakes made, he bears financial responsibility; the level of wages depends on the status of the company in which the engineer works.

Pros and cons of the profession

pros

There are few instrumentation and automation engineers on the service market, so young specialists will quickly find work.
Rapid career growth, because an engineer can head the instrumentation and control department, become a chief engineer or a power engineer. You can take a leadership position at the age of 30-35 years.
A universal profession.
The work of an engineer is paid much better than the work of a mechanic.
You can get higher education at any age.
Available retraining courses, practice abroad.
Constant development.
Stable work.
Nice team.

Minuses

Large range of responsibilities.
It is difficult to get a job without proper experience.
The profession is not suitable for people with a humanitarian mindset.
The risk of errors is high, which will lead to equipment downtime or failure.
There is a possibility of getting injured at work, but such situations most often occur with engineers who do not follow safety precautions.
Long working hours, unpredictability.

Important personal qualities

Working with instrumentation and automation leaves a serious imprint on the character of a specialist. An untimely identified breakdown can cause a fire or work-related injury, so the engineer must be careful and careful; he is responsible not only for the equipment, but also for the lives of many people. He must have a penchant for exact sciences, self-development, the ability to quickly make decisions and feel people is important.

Training to become an instrumentation and automation engineer

Young students who have studied at universities that have faculties of industrial automation, instrument engineering, and information and measuring technology can become an instrumentation and automation engineer. A future engineer, entering a university, takes exams in mathematics, physics, computer science and the Russian language. The list may be different, depending on the chosen faculty and university; it is better to start preparing for tests in grades 8-9, because they are quite difficult

You can undergo training at a technical school to become an instrumentation mechanic, after which you need to obtain work experience and enroll in professional retraining courses. In some cases, permission to work at height is required; electrical safety group III is required. The engineer will have to attend courses again in the future to improve his category. He will travel to other countries to get acquainted with the equipment of a certain manufacturer and undergo training.