The constant companion of technological progress is standardization and metrology. What kind of profession allows a person to study these concepts and successfully introduce them into the production process?
Many universities located throughout the country offer applicants to master the specialization of standardization and metrology engineer. A description of the job responsibilities, specific features and “pitfalls” of the profession will be given in this article.
Standardization and metrology: what kind of profession?
This is the name of the specialty, having mastered it, a person can fulfill the responsibilities of assessing the quality of products, control the operating conditions of production equipment, and also develop and fix standards in standards that help save resources and maintain the safety of the production process.
Standards and standardization
The standard can be safely called one of the basic conditions necessary for the functioning of any society. It exists in almost every area of production and trade relations: from the extraction of raw materials to the organization of the process of implementation of the finished product. The most important standards are for science, medicine, economics, construction and industry.
The importance of standardization on an international scale is extremely high. Along with metrology and certification, it is inseparable from the process of globalization and urbanization. This is because the implementation of trade between different countries requires the conformity of products manufactured in a particular state with international norms and standards.
The study, analysis, generalization and formulation of the laws of production processes is the science of standardization. The goal of these actions is to achieve the highest possible efficiency and optimal flow of technological processes.
What is "metrology" and "certification"
Metrology is a science that studies measurements, methods that ensure their unity, and also means that contribute to their maximum accuracy. Many experts use metrological standards in their practical activities to obtain quantitative parameters of the studied objects with a given accuracy.
The adopted measurement system is absolutely necessary for all technical industries, as it is used to determine technological processes, their management and quality control of the finished product.
A comparison of product parameters (goods or services) with existing standards and regulations is called certification. It is being introduced to protect consumers from a low-quality product.
Who is involved in metrology and certification
The staffing levels of many enterprises include the position of standardization and metrology engineer. A person can begin to perform labor duties after studying at a higher educational institution.
Standardization and metrology: what kind of profession and what do such specialists do? They develop and apply regulatory, technical and methodological documents based on the State Standardization System. Their work helps to develop the national economy, increase production efficiency, product quality and, as a result, the standard of living of the population.
Where can I learn this profession?
“Standardization and metrology” is a specialty in which university students receive a set of knowledge and practical skills to perform the labor functions of an engineer in an enterprise or organization. Such specialists are invited to work by companies of various industries and services:
- Customs and tax inspection.
- Testing laboratories.
- Centers of standardization, metrology and certification.
- Companies that control product quality (trade inspection, sanitary and epidemiological surveillance).
- Organizations specializing in the introduction of new types of products.
- Patent Offices.
- Manufacturing enterprises.
You can study this profession in many educational institutions of Moscow and other cities, they work according to the program, which includes standardization, metrology (technical universities: Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, MSTU named after Bauman and others). After obtaining a diploma, you can count on the enrollment in the state of enterprises that work in the fields of engineering, chemical, pulp and paper and forestry.
You can start looking for answers to questions facing students of the Standardization and Metrology faculty (who should work and where to get jobs) in the process of attending the last courses. In most cases, they have the opportunity to combine education with work in their specialty.
Qualifications of a standardization and metrology engineer
When deciding to work in this area, a person should compare the traits of his character and ability with a list of qualities that a competent engineer should possess:
- Ability to accurate and thorough calculations.
- The presence of ingenuity.
- Ability to show technical creativity and innovation.
- Developed logical thinking.
- Possession of a broad outlook.
- The mindset that can be described as analytical.
- Independent and original thinking.
- The ability to really assess the situation.
- The ability to clearly follow instructions and maintain labor discipline.
The correspondence of one’s character and temperament to the chosen profession should be considered even before entering the Department of Standardization and Metrology.
Career prospects
The career of specialists in this area can develop in accordance with a variety of scenarios: they have the opportunity to conduct teaching activities, work abroad or in customs. In addition, enterprises of the oil and oil refining industries can not do without graduates of the Department of Standardization and Metrology. Whom to work, the specialist decides.
Among the most popular positions are the controller and quality manager , standardization and certification engineer , auditor, metrologist and appraiser. A separate place in this list is occupied by the center engineer. This organization provides a number of specific services to a wide variety of customers. Work at the FMC is often associated with conducting product tests, issuing certificates and other documents.
Standardization and Metrology Engineer: Production and Technology Activities
The professional duties of this specialist include performing a fairly large number of functions. They can be divided into the following categories:
- Production and technological.
- Organizational.
- Research.
- Design.
The responsibilities that relate to production and technical are that the specialist develops and implements measures designed to improve product quality. He also improves existing standards and develops new ones, checks the conformity of product certificates, studies and improves the level of measurement accuracy and the reliability of control measures.
Other functions of a standardization and metrology engineer
In the framework of organizational and managerial activities, this specialist performs the following types of work:
- Plans and organizes activities related to standardization and certification.
- Regularly checks the standards and specifications used in production.
- Monitors the implementation of the list of requirements for manufactured products.
- Estimates the level of marriage and takes measures to eliminate and prevent it.
- Organizes control of the assessment of the quality characteristics of the product.
- Draws up plans, in accordance with which the introduction of new measuring equipment.
- It controls the materials that enter the company, and also tests the finished product.
Speaking about the research functions of standardization and metrology engineers, we mean the need for planning measures for measuring, testing and controlling the quality of the product.
Also, these professionals are engaged in the creation of various theoretical models, on which the study of the qualitative characteristics of the product is based and the technological processes are analyzed.
The activities of engineers related to the design include the development of design and technical documentation, the creation of new methods for quality management (or improvement of applied ones), the selection of optimal solutions to problems, the preparation of specific documents (technical conditions, standards, methods, instructions).
From the above list of duties, the high level of responsibility that imposes on the employee the specialty “Standardization and Metrology” becomes apparent. What kind of profession, it is better to find out before admission, since it requires considerable patience, endurance and intelligence.
Advantages and disadvantages of the specialty
When deciding to become a standardization and metrology engineer, the existence of positive and negative aspects of this position should be taken into account.
The undoubted advantage that Standardization and Metrology (specialty) has is the opportunity to get a job in an interesting industrial or scientific field. After all, these specialists are in demand everywhere where they use measuring equipment. Including, in the international labor market.
True, the presence of harmful factors, such as difficult working conditions, vapors, noise and others, is part of the everyday work of the graduates of the Standardization and Metrology faculty.
What kind of profession, what is its specificity and features is weighed by the applicant himself, since only he is responsible for building his future.