Mechanical maintenance engineer job simulation
A mechanical maintenance engineer job simulation is practice at keeping machinery running safely. In a simulated board and packaging mill you place vibration readings in zones, work out shaft alignment corrections, judge a cavitating pump, isolate a hydraulic press that stores energy, plan a lift and write a bearing failure root cause analysis. It uses documents and calculations, so nothing real is at risk. It is practice, not employment.
Days 1 to 5 are free. No card to start.
You join Wyreside Board and Packaging Ltd (simulated company), a corrugated board and carton converter, maintenance department in Preston. Days 1 to 5 are free, with about 9 h 20 min of tickets. Premium continues to day 20. It is practice, not employment.
- Days 1 to 5 free
- About 9 h 20 min of tickets
- At a simulated company
- Works in your browser
The project
You join Wyreside Board and Packaging Ltd (simulated company)
You are the junior maintenance engineer at a board and packaging mill. In four weeks you place a vibration round in its zones, work out a laser alignment, check a lubrication schedule, judge a rattling pump and a belt drive, read an oil report and refuse to leave a guard off. Then a hydraulic baler leaks with stored energy in an accumulator, a crane is past its examination, the only cooling water pump seizes for the third time and a gearbox overheats at night. You write the change, the root cause analysis and the method statement, and hand over a condition-monitoring plan. The skill is to be safe first, evidence-based second, and useful to production third.
- Maintenance Managercompany
- Senior Maintenance Fittercompany
- Reliability Techniciancompany
- Maintenance Plannercompany
- Health and Safety Advisorcompany
- Stores Controllercompany
- Production Managerclient
- Shift Team Leaderclient
- Hydraulic Service Engineervendor
- Lifting Equipment Engineervendor
Look inside
What the simulator looks like
Start in the workplace, with the team around you. 
Today: the morning email and your tickets for the day. 
Work: every ticket, by day, with its status. 
A ticket, written the way a colleague would write it. 
A project document with its number, revision and status. 
Ask a colleague. They are AI colleagues: they help you think, they do not hand out answers.
Screenshots from the simulator. Company, people and data are fictional. Portraits are AI-generated.
Meet the team
The colleagues you work with
- HTHelen TattersallMaintenance ManagerSimulated colleague, company side
- DTDelroy TullochSenior Maintenance FitterSimulated colleague, company side
- AYAisha YardleyReliability TechnicianSimulated colleague, company side
- RSRuth StanhopeMaintenance PlannerSimulated colleague, company side
- ESEwa SzymanskiHealth and Safety AdvisorSimulated colleague, company side
- BSBarry SutcliffeStores ControllerSimulated colleague, company side
- NTNaveen ThakrarProduction ManagerSimulated colleague, client side
- CWCraig WraggShift Team LeaderSimulated colleague, client side
Fictional people. Portraits are AI-generated.
What you walk away with
What you walk away with from the Mechanical Maintenance Engineer job simulation
Run a month in a mill maintenance team: condition monitoring, alignment, stored energy, lifting and a root cause analysis.
What you produce
- Condition round zone and action listCondition report
- Lubrication schedule reviewLubrication check
- Gearbox oil analysis noteCondition note
- A closed work order with findingsCMMS record
- Change request for a couplingChange controlPremium
- Root cause analysis of a bearing failureRCA reportPremium
- Method statement and risk assessmentRAMSPremium
- Condition-monitoring planCapstonePremium
Skills you practise
- Mechanical maintenance
- Safety and safe systems of work
- Machinery safety and guarding
- Condition monitoring (vibration, thermography, oil)
- Written communication
- Risk assessment
- Root-cause analysis
- Lubrication
Roles to look for
- Mechanical Maintenance Engineer
- Maintenance Fitter
- Multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer (mechanical bias)
- Reliability Technician
40 live openings on the UK jobs board, checked 22 Oct 2026. See the jobs
Your proof
- A certificate anyone can verify. Optional, and included in Premium.
- An entry on your EDWartens profile under Work experience, marked as a job simulation.
- A work record with your skill scores, with Premium.
Free courses that go with it
What you can talk about at interview
- You can explain how you placed vibration readings in zones and why the limit depends on the machine.
- You can walk an interviewer through isolating a hydraulic press with an accumulator, step by step.
- In Premium, you can talk through a root cause analysis you wrote and a lift you refused because of an overdue examination.
Day by day
Days 1 to 5, ticket by ticket
Day 1
about 2 h 10 min- Induction: isolation, stored energy and lifting rulesQuiz · 50 min
- Condition round: zone, action and temperature statusTable · 1 h 20 min
Day 2
about 2 h 40 min- Laser alignment: tolerance and foot correctionsCalculation · 1 h 20 min
- Check the draft lubrication scheduleDocument review · 1 h 20 min
Day 3
about 1 h 40 min- P-204 is rattling like gravelDecision · 40 min
- Belt drive checks on extraction fan F-310Calculation · 1 h
Day 4
about 1 h 10 min- Gearbox GB-301: oil analysis noteWriting · 1 h 10 min
Day 5
about 1 h 40 min- The guard is off and a lorry is waitingDecision · 40 min
- Close out work order WO-2026-021774Writing · 1 h
Premium: days 6 to 20about 22 h 25 min more
After day 5 the project goes on with a change request, site work, faults, a handover and a capstone reviewed by an engineer.
Day 6
about 1 h 50 min- Isolate baler BP-2: put the steps in orderTable · 1 h 50 min
Day 7
about 40 min- Hose spraying, 40 bales to goDecision · 40 min
Day 8
about 1 h 30 min- Check the PUWER guarding assessmentDocument review · 1 h 30 min
Day 9
about 1 h 40 min- Change request: spacer coupling on P-204Writing · 1 h 40 min
Day 10
about 1 h 20 min- NPSH available for P-204, clean and fouledCalculation · 1 h 20 min
Day 11
about 1 h 30 min- Lift plan loads for the M-301 motor changeCalculation · 1 h 30 min
Day 12
about 40 min- The crane has never dropped anythingDecision · 40 min
Day 13
about 1 h 50 min- Root cause analysis: P-204 bearing failureWriting · 1 h 50 min
Day 14
about 40 min- 02:40: gearbox GB-301 at 96 degreesDecision · 40 min
Day 15
about 1 h 30 min- Re-order points for the critical sparesTable · 1 h 30 min
Day 16
about 1 h 20 min- How long should the 6309 bearing last?Calculation · 1 h 20 min
Day 17
about 2 h- Method statement and risk assessment: BP-2 accumulatorWriting · 2 h
Day 18
about 4 h- Capstone: condition-monitoring plan for the converting hallHand-in · 4 h
Day 19
about 1 h 10 min- Reliability of P-204: MTBF, availability and costCalculation · 1 h 10 min
Day 20
about 45 min- A conversation about your own workViva · 45 min
Real documents
The documents you will work with
- WBP-HSE-001Machinery safety rules, isolation and lifting
- WBP-CMR-041Condition monitoring round, week 41: readings and limits
- WBP-ALN-007Laser alignment report, pump P-204 and motor M-204
- WBP-LUB-000Lubricant register and relubrication rules
- WBP-LUB-014Lubrication schedule, converting hall, draft
- WBP-PMP-204Pump P-204 datasheet and duty readings
- WBP-FAN-310Extraction fan F-310: drive data and belt inspection sheet
- WBP-OIL-0412Oil analysis report, gearbox GB-301
- WBP-LOG-009Your notes from the F-310 belt change, day 5
Documents that arrive in Premiumchange requests, records, handover
- WBP-HYD-003Baler BP-2: hydraulic circuit data and isolation points
- WBP-RA-022PUWER guarding assessment, infeed of line CL-3
- WBP-MOC-001Management of change: coupling on pump P-204
- WBP-PMP-204Pump P-204 datasheet, coupling changed
- WBP-CAL-031Pump P-204 suction conditions and NPSH check
- WBP-LFT-011Lift plan: replace motor M-301 in bay 2
- WBP-RCA-027Incident file: P-204 drive-end bearing failure
- WBP-SPR-001Critical spares list and re-order rule
- WBP-PM-001Preventive maintenance plan, converting hall, revised after RCA-027
- WBP-CMP-001Condition monitoring plan: requirements
- WBP-HOV-001Maintenance handover pack requirements
Tools
In the industry, and here
| In the industry | Here |
|---|---|
| Vibration meter, thermal camera, laser alignment kit, grease gun | Readings, reports and alignment numbers given in documents that you check and calculate from |
| CMMS work orders and close-out notes | Work orders and close-out notes as documents and tickets |
| Permits, isolation procedures, lift plans and risk assessments | Draft procedures to review and method statements to write |
| Spreadsheets for spares, reliability and bearing life | Tables and calculations you complete and have checked |
Standards
The standards the work follows
- PUWER 1998
- LOLER 1998
- ISO 20816-3 (vibration severity)
- BS EN ISO 4413 (hydraulics, basics)
- BS EN ISO 14120 and 14119 (guards and interlocks)
- ISO 281 (bearing life)
Prepare
Free courses that get you ready
Your proof, optional
A certificate you can verify
Job Simulation Certificate
Your name
completed the Mechanical Maintenance Engineer job simulation at Wyreside Board and Packaging Ltd (simulated company). Graded score band shown on the real certificate.
- Number
- EDW-JS-0000
- Verify
- edwartens.com/verification
- A graded, verifiable certificate with your score and band
- A public verification page and QR code
- One-click add to LinkedIn as a licence or certification
- It is a training certificate. It is not employment, and the company is simulated
Optional: ₹499 in your currency
On your profile
How it shows on your profile
Work experience
Mechanical Maintenance Engineer (job simulation)
Wyreside Board and Packaging Ltd (simulated company)
9 h 20 min active hours logged · Your dates
Verified, with the certificateA job simulation is a realistic training project at a simulated company. It is not employment, an internship or a work placement. Hours are active hours the learner logged on EDWartens.
About the Mechanical Maintenance Engineer role
Vibration zones and bearing temperature, worked through
Overall vibration velocity in mm/s rms is a first screen for rotating machinery. ISO 20816-3 gives general guidance by machine group and by how rigid the support is, with four zones from A (as new) to D (severe enough to cause damage). The same reading can be acceptable on one machine and a warning on another.
In the simulation you place six readings from a monthly round in their zones, give the action for each and judge the housing temperature against alert and alarm limits. Then you use each machine's own baseline to set better alert levels.
Laser alignment: offset, angle and shims
Misalignment loads the bearings and the coupling. A laser report gives the offset at the coupling and the angle between shafts. From those you work out the offset at the motor feet and the shims to remove or add, then check them against a tolerance that depends on speed.
The project gives you a pump and motor at 1480 rpm and a soft foot reading. Curing soft foot first is part of the answer, because the numbers are wrong if the foot moves when the bolt is tightened.
Cavitation and NPSH: why a hot pump rattles
A centrifugal pump cavitates when the pressure at the impeller eye falls below the vapour pressure of the liquid. NPSH available must stay above NPSH required by a margin. Hot water has a high vapour pressure, so the margin is small and a blocked strainer can remove it.
You calculate NPSH available with a clean and a fouled strainer, decide what to tell the shift when a pump rattles like gravel, and see why closing the suction valve is the wrong cure.
Stored energy, guarding and lifting in UK practice
Hydraulic accumulators keep a circuit pressurised after the pump stops, and a raised platen can fall. PUWER 1998 requires isolation from every source of energy for maintenance, so the order of steps matters: stop, make the load safe, lock with your own lock, prove, discharge and read zero.
You put the isolation steps of a baler in order, refuse a request to find a leak with cardboard, review a guarding assessment for planted faults and decide what to do when a crane is past its LOLER thorough examination.
Bearing failure root cause and the handover
A bearing that fails three times in 17 months is a system problem. The project gives you an incident file, a bearing life calculation and a reliability calculation, and asks for a root cause analysis with owners and dates. You look at the evidence first and the fix second, which is what a reliability engineer expects.
The capstone is a condition-monitoring plan for six critical assets, with techniques, limits, responses and a first-month calendar. A viva checks that you can explain your own work.
Keep going
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See the Commissioning Engineer job simulation
Last reviewed 19 Oct 2026. Practice, not employment.
Questions
Quick answers
What does a mechanical maintenance engineer do?
They keep pumps, fans, gearboxes, hydraulic systems and lifting equipment working by planned maintenance, fault finding and condition monitoring, and they record what they find so the next shift can carry on. They also work safely around stored energy, guarding and lifting.
What is shaft alignment and why does it matter?
It is lining up the centrelines of two coupled shafts. Misalignment loads the bearings and the coupling and shortens their life, so it is measured, usually with a laser, and corrected with shims and sideways moves.
What is cavitation in a pump?
Vapour bubbles form when the pressure at the impeller inlet falls below the liquid's vapour pressure and then collapse, pitting the impeller and damaging bearings. It usually sounds like gravel and is a suction side problem.
What is stored energy and why is stopping the pump not enough?
Energy can remain after the power is off, for example in a hydraulic accumulator, a raised platen or a loaded spring. Isolation means every source is made safe, locked and proved at zero.
What are PUWER and LOLER?
They are UK regulations from 1998. PUWER covers the safe provision and use of work equipment, including guarding, maintenance and isolation. LOLER covers lifting equipment, including planning of lifts and thorough examination.
Do I need a 3D lab for this?
No. The work is mechanical, so you use reports, drawings and calculations, and compare your answers with worked solutions.
Do I need to be a fitter or a mechanical engineer?
No. The simulation teaches the order of work, the numbers and the safety rules, but it does not make you authorised to work on machinery. Always follow the rules of your own employer and country.
Is the mill a real one?
No. Wyreside Board and Packaging is a made-up company and the site is simulated. The documents, readings and situations follow what a junior maintenance engineer meets.
How long does it take?
The free week is about nine hours over five days. The full Premium edition runs over twenty working days and about thirty-two hours, at your own pace.
Does it use a 3D lab?
No. The work is mechanical, so you work from reports, drawings and data, and calculate the answers yourself. Every calculation shows its working afterwards.
What do I get at the end?
A work record with scores by task and skill, which shows on your EDWartens profile under Work experience, marked as a job simulation.
Is the Mechanical Maintenance Engineer job simulation free?
Yes, to start. Days 1 to 5 are free. The certificate and the Premium edition are optional and are priced on this page in your currency.
Does it count as work experience?
It shows on your EDWartens profile under Work experience, marked as a job simulation. It is not employment. A job simulation is a realistic training project at a simulated company. It is not employment, an internship or a work placement. Hours are active hours the learner logged on EDWartens.
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Days 1 to 5 are free. No card to start.