Machines assembly technique and materials in electronics production

Your trade combines raw strength and precision. The machines do the heavy work, but it is your knowledge of soil, concrete and stone that determines whether the result lasts. Knowing your materials and operating your machines safely is what separates a professional from someone who just digs.

The excavator is the workhorse of the site, digging out, loading soil and lifting materials. Rubber-wheeled loaders and dumpers move and distribute soil and gravel. Many machines require that the operator has the right certificate. As a structure worker you learn both to work safely around the machines and in many cases to operate them, and you must always know where the machine's blind spots and range of motion are.

Compression is one of the trade's most important disciplines. Plate vibrators and rollers press soil and base layers together so it doesn't settle later. A properly compressed base is the prerequisite for foundations and pavements to hold. Compression is done in layers – you fill and compress a bit at a time because a thick layer cannot be properly compressed all the way down.

Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, sand and stone that hardens into a strong mass. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, which is why it is reinforced with steel that takes up the tensile forces – this is the principle behind reinforced concrete. The water-to-cement ratio is important: too much water gives weak concrete. Today concrete is often delivered ready-mixed on a truck with a rotating drum.

For paving, natural stone (sett, paving stones) and concrete stone/tiles are used in many forms. The stones are laid in a levelling layer and jointed with sand or special joints that lock them together. Edge stones and edge supports hold the paving in place at the sides. The choice of stone and pattern determines both the appearance and how much the paving can bear.

• 01Natural stone and concrete stone/tiles in different formats.
• 02Levelling layer in which the stones are set.
• 03Joint material that locks the stones together.
• 04Curb and edge support along the sides.

Precision requires good measuring equipment. Leveling instruments, lasers, and increasingly GPS control are used to set levels, slopes, and lines. String, spirit levels, and measuring tapes are still daily tools. A wrong slope cannot be seen with the naked eye, but it shows itself as soon as it rains – that's why you measure, you don't guess.