Team Knowledge – Richard Gater

Richard Gater joined the Status team in 2010, holding the dual role of Applications Engineer and Trainer. Richard’s passion for engineering started from a very early age, sparking a journey that has blended curiosity and technical expertise. We took some time out to chat with him about his role and get an insight into his work.

When did you realise you wanted to work in engineering?

I have been interested in the engineering behind how things work from a very early age. My father’s workshop was my playground, where he’d create, restore, and fix things. I would perch on his workbench, wide-eyed and eager to lend a hand. I’d tinker with parts and on one occasion, when I was six years old, I took it upon myself to dismantle his brand-new electric drill. I laid all the component pieces out proudly along his workbench for his ‘approval’, but as you may have guessed, he wasn’t best pleased! My passion for unravelling the mysteries of gadgets and gizmos only grew. By the time I hit 10, I was already a pro at fixing broken clocks and watches. The thrill of discovery and the joy of understanding how things tick have been my constant passion since those early days.

What do you do?

Simply put, my role involves inspecting customers components from all industry sectors, Aerospace, Defence, Formula 1 and Nuclear, to name just a few.  I often receive very complex engineering drawings from customers and write programs using PC-DMIS software to control the Coordinate Measuring Machines. These machines inspect the components to ensure they meet the specifications outlined in the engineering drawings.

Beyond inspection, a significant part of my job involves providing training to our customers on how to use PC-DMIS software. This is probably my favourite part of the job. PC-DMIS is such a powerful and engaging tool and I get quite a buzz showing others what it can do. Our training programs are quite diverse, catering to everyone ranging from beginners to those with advanced skills, so it’s always great to see who comes through the door and how we can showcase their skills.

We’ve recently incorporated a course focusing on introducing trainees to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), and the feedback has been great. It focuses on it exploring the principles of measurement before we get to the CAD stage and involves hands on measuring. It’s fulfilling to witness the genuine interest and enthusiasm among participants as they explore and grasp the intricacies of these tools.

What are the challenges?

PC-DMIS is a vastly evolving software that undergoes continuous evolution, and at times, it can be a challenge to keep up with its updates, especially with my…somewhat seasoned brain. But as we say at Status “Every day’s a school day”!

We also have a big responsibility of guaranteeing and making sure every component part is precisely measured correctly first time, every time. There is no room for error.

What’s the best part of your job?

I’m proud to be one of the longest serving engineers at Status with 14 years under my belt. Despite our small size at Status, I genuinely love working and socialising with all my colleagues, they really are a great bunch!

Working across diverse industry sectors means that each day introduces a new type of component, along with its unique challenges. The variety makes every day so dynamic and different.

Through conducting many training courses, I have the privilege of meeting incredible individuals and love showing them what PC-DMIS can do.