This is the front entrance of Wallan Engineering. I enter through here or a side entrance every morning. I also water the plants pictured When you enter through the front entrance you are greeted by two beautiful motorcycle my mentor had when he was 17. if you look along the wall you will also see three giant hollowed palm trees for decoration, and the beautiful wooden staircase. the entire building was designed and built by my mentor and a small group of construction workers. Notice also the beautiful hand railing that was made in house. The attention to detail throughout this area is amazing Upstairs there is a few offices and a break room. To the left is the conference room where I did most of my computer work and drafting for projects. On the left is a high view of the workshop. The workshop is located behind the offices and the largest open area in the building. It houses around 50 machines and depending on the day has around 10 workers on site. There is an extension on the workshop called the fitters room, which is where you find all the hand tools, nuts and bolts, washers and other bits you would expect to find in a workshop. Because the company deals with international clients like the United States, They must have a full set of imperial size hardware and tools as well as there native metric sets. The whole back wall of red bins is filled with every diffrent size piece of hardware you can think of. On the right is a vintage Ford F-100 Truck imported from the united states, converted to right hand drive, and swapped to a larger falcon V-8 motor that has been modified to run on propane. There are three of these trucks at the shop all painted in matching Wallan green. They are company vehicles that are prefect for carrying large pieces of metal and are one of the only large trucks available in Australia capable of carrying this much weight. Also they are very efficient when ran on propane and can be refueled off of a gas line at the shop. This machine is the water jet cutter. It works to create the same result as the maker space laser cutter, only this machine sprays a combination of water and minerals at 65,000 psi down to the width of a human hair. It is an brilliant machine used to cut things that are simply to intricate to be cut by a human. I only got to use this machine once when cutting a locking device for chain link. Here is the TIG welder that I used when learning how to weld. As I have said many times, welding is absurdly difficult even with amazing equipment like this. On the left is the Torch, which is the part that you hold, and the the pink ceramic insulator holds in the Tungston, the part you actually use to weld. On the left is the cart that holds the welding unit itself, as well as the gas canister that provides the gas to the end of the torch to prevent fires and allow for a cleaner weld. I really enjoyed learning how to use this tool, despite how difficult it was immediately jumping to the most difficult form of welding. These are some photos of my project that I worked on over my internship here. It is a waterproof computer table and cabinet made for a large local business. You can see the whole process of designing and building this product on my "Project" blog post. I was also lucky enough to be able to take a weekend trip with my mentor to Tasmania. We flew into Hobart in his plane and visited Port Arthur, a part of Australia that was inhabited 100 years before the country was, and a place on the southern coast called the Devils Bridge. Both were unbelievably beautiful and I have never experienced anything quite like them.
Overall I have learned so much at my internship and experienced so much just being in another country. It has been an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
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I believe my work as an intern was meaningful to my education not only because of the specific skills I learned about being a fabricator, but because of the work ethic and attitude I was taught to have. Living with my mentor was an interesting experience because it allowed me to get along with him on a personal level, which is not an opportunity many have especially when working with someone so talented. Overall I learned a lot about every aspect of what a fabricator does from specific metalworking skills to what it really means to have a creative mindset and wanting to get things done. Over the course of my Internship I learned that my work ethic was not to the standard that my colleagues worked at and that if I was going to make a lasting impact on anyone I would really have to step up and work hard. I feel that I got better at maintaining working throughout the day after a while, even with the time change making me tired at random times. I really developed an appreciation for the work ethic of my colleagues and the work that the company produces. I dont think a lot of people understand how difficult the process of producing something from scratch that fits and operates perfectly is. There is so many people involved from the inception of the concept and drawing to the build and final measurements. I always thought there was some machine that could just weld miters and make a custom sized cabinet in five minutes, but there is such an important process involved and it could not happen without the dedicated talented people that I had the opportunity of working with. Beside the amazing work ethic displayed by my colleagues I really hope that I can someday pick up on some of their skills like welding. I have done some ok welding and learned a lot about the concept in my time here, but some of the welds that are done by people who have been doing it for 20+ years could be considered art. It is difficult to explain this to someone who has never atempted it, but welding is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to learn because the materials and the welder are always changing, your hand has to be very steady, and you have to plan ahead so you don't end up melting through your job or even burning yourself. It may not sound like much, but there is so much to it and it is so difficult to do on a professional level let alone making it look good. It is one thing to imagine having to wake up at 6am and work, but it is even worse to do it for real. As much as career days and internship classes taught me about the real world and working, nothing could prepare me for actually doing it. There is no second chances and there is no getting out of it. You either work or you get fired.I luckily was not fired, but I worked long days and did things that others did not want to do for an entire month. But I would not trade that for anything. Getting the opportunity to work in a real world environment with people you have never met before and really see that the mistakes and efforts you make have an effect on an entire company is something that I feel really helped me on my path to finding what I want to do with my life. Since the start of my internship I have lent a hand in everything from water jet cutting to watering plants. But I have been put to task of overseeing the completion of two tables commissioned by a local company. The tables themselves were made of 316 steel angle iron and had to be a very specific size as well as waterproof. I have been involved in the entire process of making these tables and I feel it is a good representation of what Wallen Engineering does on a daily basis The process of custom metal fabrication always begins with discussing the needs of the customer and then contrasting them with the knowledge of the metal worker. In this case, the customer wanted a table that would fit inside an enclosed area that held computers. The table had to be water resistant to avoid rust, so we sugessted that they use angle iron instead of flat bar. The final consensus is roughly drawn with dimensions and given to the cad designer. I was lucky enough to receive a full lesson from the cad designer and was able to design this table on my own. It may not look like much in this form, but this is the wireframe of the table with exact proportions and measurements. It is very important to start the design process with a solid base so that you can ensure the product will be made to the proper specifications. The CAD software I was using is called Solid Works, and it allows to convert your measured base and structured lines into an exact replica of your product down to the type of metal. So in this case I chose to make the design out of 65x65x6 316 angle iron with miters on all edges and slots cut into the bottom cross beams so that they would weld on easier. It was a bit tricky to figure out how to use the software even know what I was trying to do was on the simpler side. But CAD engineering is a very important part of the process of fabrication because it allows you to foresee issues with angles, cuts or welds before any material is used. It also allows for a single part to be made to prefect specification on site if anything were to happen to the product when in the hands of the costumer. Next, I sourced the materials that we did not already have by calling our metal supplier. The supplier happened to have the exact dimension and material that we needed, so we drove and picked it up. The angle iron came in 10 foot long lengths and needed to be cut to the lengths needed for the table, so I used this stationary bandsaw to cut it. This tool was not extraordinarily difficult to use, but it can easily overheat or cut too fast causing the material to be ruined. so after some practice I set a stop and began cutting the lengths to size. Once the pieces are all cut I had to make sure there was no warping or blade angle so that the pieces would be the correct size and fit together as intended. Also the pieces needed to be "de burred" so that the edges will weld together and the edges wont be sharp enough to hurt the welder. The hardest part of this process would have to be the welding. Coming into this internship I was really excited to learn about welding and even get a chance to try it out. I was ecstatic when on one of my very first days I was able to weld some scrap pieces together and get some practice. I was incredibly humbled by just how difficult it was. Even with practice it is incredible tedious and so difficult to make it look prefect. So with a newfound respect for the welder we began discussing how the table was going to come together and decided to add a fitted top piece of sheet metal to make the structure more ridged. After the welder had welded the angle iron together and attached the top piece and bottom feet, the only thing left to do was grind off the excess welds and clean and coat the product to ensure it is waterproof and looks professional. The customer added that they wanted to have wheels and a top add on piece made from sheet metal, so that will be added on as well before delivery.
Advocacy is an important part of the workplace because it allows individual people to make sure they are doing the best that they can. I need to advocate myself in my workplace because there were a lot of machines and working strategies that I did not know about but were crucial to completing my tasks. One thing that I have had to constantly ask for clarification with is when I receive a design request sheet that is unclear with metal types or uses the metric system. This in not always a problem but getting familiar with the metric system was difficult. I am trying my best to follow the "How to be a Good Intern" guide because I am very respectful and friendly with everyone and try my best to help them with anything they need. Overall I think I have been advocating for myself very well considering how successful I have been in an environment I am so unfamiliar with.
For my internship project I want to create something that displays the skills that I learned with welding and other small scale metal work tactics. I have mainly focused on two major projects: One is a table that is being built for a farm that I have been cutting pipes and measuring out. The other is a metal dome with pipes coming out of it designed to spray heat onto plasterboard to help the drying and curing process. This commission is an exact replica of one that was made a few years ago, except this one will be made with aircraft grade metals rather than mid grade steel. I think the pipe dryer would be a good project to show because I have done quite a bit of work on it and I learned so much about heat damage and metal durability, witch is such a important part of this job. I feel that this project could really help me acquire important skills because it is such an important and high profile project. Some skills I have used to get to this point on the project are using measuring tools like calipers to get very precise with my sizing, and operating machinery that is strong enough to cut through this very expensive and strong metal in a way that will not stress or damage it. I think the person I will need the most support from is my mentor, because he is overseeing this project, but also my colleges who are working hard every single day with there hand to make sure it get done.
Mentor Interview:
My job title is the manager of operations at Wallen Engineering. My main job is to oversee the projects that are currently being worked on and help them reach completion, a well as designing parts and working on the factory floor. I ended up doing this job because I have always had a passion for making things with my hands. I started my apprenticeship when I was 14 and I have been a tradesmen ever since. The most important skill that is needed to be a tradesmen is perseverance, because if you cant work through problems you are not doing your job. A typical work day starts at 6;30 am where you check in and find out what needs to be worked on for the rest of the day. There is a smoke break and a lunch break. the day ends around 4. The purpose of this company is to provide manufacturing and fabrication of custom metal products. One very important thing to do if you want to be successful is ask for help from your peers so that you can ensure the best result. Reflection: One connection that this internship makes to school is how much I need to stay on to of what I am currently working on and what I need to do in the future. I have mainly been doing basic jobs that are considered easy by a master tradesmen, such as cutting pipe, welding tacks, threading things, and cleaning. I really feel that I am grasping the concept of welding, witch is one of the most important skills for a tradesmen to have. Commuting is easy besides waking up at 5;30 am, because my uncle drives me. I am now in Melbourne Australia starting my real internship! The most striking thing about this workplace is how well everyone organizes themselves and follows directions considering how loosely structured the actual workday is. My colleagues are very driven people who are really good at staying focused. It struck me how hard and long they can work between breaks. I am very surprised at the level of skill needed to be a professional welder. I knew it was a challenging task, but after attempting it for myself it proved to be something extraordinarily difficult. I enjoyed trying it but have a newfound respect for the actual art welding at this level. I worry a little bit that I am over my head with some of my assigned tasks. They are really giving me actual work to do. Learning the skills by trial and error are neccesary and I learn from my mistakes. I continue to work at them knowing that practice makes prefect. I am hoping that my efforts will help me be proficient in my tasks and teach me a new skill I currently don’t have.
Unfortunately I was not able to do my career day with my mentor because he is in Australia, However I did spend the day at the Skatexs warehouse in oceanside. A typical day here involves fulfilling orders placed by customers, which also requires building and assembling skateboard components. Also the company is starting a youtube channel, so we looked into what makes a popular youtube skate video and made a presentation. The policies are pretty lenient as far as dress code but tardiness is not accepted.
Overall my career day was a good experience that gave me insight into what it is like to pack orders and make sure customers get their products. I wish I could have learned more about how the cnc machines and cad programs are used to cut custom skateboards but it was really fun and interesting to experience something like this for the first time from this perspective. |