A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installat ...

machinery A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolec ...

, especially

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works with machinery.

Duties

Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, diesel mechanics,

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

and

refrigeration Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...

mechanics, auto mechanics,

bicycle mechanic A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Classification and wages The New York State Department of Labor describes bicycle repair as a "realistic" occupation, meaning an occupation ...

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

mechanics, race car mechanics, aircraft mechanics, and other areas. There are also mobile mechanics who work on heavy equipment that will come to you if there is an issue that must be resolved at the location of the machine. A mechanic is typically

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

by a

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

or regional government power. Mechanics may be separated into two classes based on the type of machines they work on, heavyweight and lightweight. Heavyweight work is on larger machines or

heavy equipment Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large con ...

, such as tractors, construction equipment, and trailers, while lightweight work is on smaller items, such as automobiles.

Types of mechanics

# Automotive mechanics, also known as auto mechanics, specialize in repairing and maintaining

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

s, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles. They work on engines, transmissions, brakes, steering and suspension systems, and other mechanical components of vehicles. # Truck mechanics specialize in repairing and maintaining

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

s, such as

tractor unit A tractor unit, also known as a truck unit, lorry unit, power unit, prime mover, ten-wheeler, semi-tractor, semi-truck, semi-lorry, tractor cab, truck cab, lorry cab, big rig tractor, big rig truck or big rig lorry or simply a tractor, truck, ...

box truck A box truck—also known as a box van, cube van, bob truck or cube truck—is a chassis cab truck with an enclosed cuboid-shaped cargo area. On most box trucks, the cabin is separate to the cargo area; however some box trucks have a door betwe ...

dump truck A dump truck, known also as a dumping truck, dump lorry or dumper lorry or a dumper for short, is used for transporting materials (such as dirt, gravel, or demolition waste) for construction as well as coal. A typical dump truck is equipped ...

s and

garbage truck A garbage truck is a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and transport it to a list of solid waste treatment technologies, solid waste treatment facility, such as a landfill, materials recovery facility, recycling center ...

s. They work on

diesel engines The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the die ...

, transmissions, air brakes, steering and suspension systems, and other mechanical components of trucks. #

Aircraft mechanic An aircraft mechanic, aviation mechanic or aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) is a tradesperson who carries out aircraft maintenance and repairs. AMTs inspect and perform or supervise maintenance, repairs and alteration of aircraft and aircr ...

s, also known as aviation mechanics, specialize in repairing and maintaining

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

, including planes and helicopters. They work on engines, landing gear, avionics, and other mechanical and electrical systems. # Marine mechanics specialize in repairing and maintaining boats and other

watercraft A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine. Types Historically, watercraft have been divided into two main categories. *Raf ...

. They work on engines, transmissions, propellers, steering systems, and other mechanical components of boats. # Industrial mechanics, also known as maintenance mechanics, work in industrial settings such as factories and manufacturing plants. They are responsible for maintaining and repairing machinery and equipment, including pumps, conveyors, and other mechanical systems. # Heavy equipment mechanics specialize in repairing and maintaining

such as bulldozers, excavators, and cranes. They work on diesel engines, transmissions, hydraulic systems, and other mechanical components of heavy equipment. #

Bicycle mechanic A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Classification and wages The New York State Department of Labor describes bicycle repair as a "realistic" occupation, meaning an occupation ...

s: Bicycle mechanics are tradesmen who specialize in repairing and maintaining

bicycles A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. ...

. They work on frames, wheels, brakes, gears, and other mechanical components of bicycles.

Automotive mechanics

Automotive mechanics have many trades within. Some may specialize in the

electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

diagnosis, while others may specialize in the

mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

aspects. Other mechanical areas include:

brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

and

steering Steering is the control of the direction of motion or the components that enable its control. Steering is achieved through various arrangements, among them ailerons for airplanes, rudders for boats, cylic tilting of rotors for helicopters, ...

, suspension, automatic or manual

transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

repairs, auto body repairs, or diagnosing customer complaints. Automotive mechanics require many years of training to become licensed. Countries like Canada have a governmental certification body that tests and maintains automotive mechanics' qualifications. The United States of America uses an organization that is called ASE. This organization provides independent testing of an automotive mechanic's skills with over 57 different tests that can be taken.

References

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