Mechatronics engineer Elisabeth Brandlmayr, who works in the tank workshop at the Army Logistics Center in Wels, talks about her tasks, unusual vehicles and systems.
Ms. Brandlmayr, what exactly is your area of responsibility?
As a mechatronics technician in the tank workshop, I’m mainly responsible for checking the circuit boards of the Leopard main battle tank. To do this, I remove the circuit boards from the vehicles myself down in the large workshop and then test them using a circuit board test bench …
… which automatically displays all errors?
No, the device shows me in which area it detects malfunctions, but I then have to carry out the detailed troubleshooting and – if possible – repairs myself. Nevertheless, the circuit board test bench is of course an enormous relief and speeds up the work considerably. Before we reinstall the repaired circuit boards in the Leopard, we check their function two rooms away in a reference test system that we have set up ourselves here in Wels.
Can this be used to determine whether individual parts and circuit boards are malfunctioning?
Exactly. We have displayed all the electronic components of a Leopard turret there, which to our knowledge is not available anywhere else. We can use it to check the functionality of circuit boards ourselves, as well as rangefinders and many other components. Without the test facility, we would have to commission expensive repairs from the manufacturers.
What exactly do you like about your work here at the Army Logistics Center?
I particularly like the complexity of the tasks and the fact that I have to deal with very unusual vehicles and systems. I can cover many areas here that are not available elsewhere, and that was also the reason why I started my apprenticeship here.
How did you find out about the tasks in your future field of work?
After two taster days, I was so enthusiastic that I wanted to start straight away; I have now completed my apprenticeship and am training apprentices myself.
You can also read the report from our visit to the army logistics center in Wels. Click here to read the other articles in our “5 questions to” series.
