SIWES Report for Mechatronics Engineering Students: Structure, Tasks and Sample

Mechatronics sits between mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. That's great for learning, but it makes the SIWES report harder to write. One week you're tightening a coupling on a conveyor, the next you're testing a sensor or editing a PLC program. If you just list everything, your supervisor won't see a clear story.

Here's how to organise it. Follow your department's format first, and rename sections if your supervisor wants different headings.

What makes a Mechatronics report different

• Show the link between parts. For example: "The proximity sensor detects the bottle, sends a signal to the PLC, and the PLC triggers the pneumatic cylinder." That one sentence shows you understand a mechatronic system.
• Name the controller. Say if you worked with a PLC, microcontroller (such as Arduino), or a drive, and what it controlled.
• Be specific about measurements. State what you measured (voltage, current, speed, pressure) and with which instrument. Use only values you took or were given.
• Include safety. Lock out and tag out, PPE, and electrical safety belong in the report.
• Include one detailed account of a key task, with an aim, tools, steps, result and lesson.

Where mechatronics students usually train

Placements differ, but common ones are:

• Manufacturing and bottling plants
• Automation and electrical contractors
• Maintenance units in factories
• Telecoms and electronics workshops
• Robotics or engineering training centres
• Oil and gas service companies

Use the SIWES Finder to look for places that fit your course.

Tasks you can write about

Pick the ones you actually did.

Mechanical side

• Preventive maintenance of conveyors, gearboxes, belts and bearings
• Assembly and alignment of shafts, couplings and pulleys
• Pneumatic and hydraulic circuits (cylinders, valves, tubing)
• Workshop practice: drilling, grinding, welding, lathe work

Electrical and electronics side

• Reading wiring and circuit diagrams
• Wiring motor starters, contactors and relays
• Fault finding with a multimeter
• Soldering and testing circuit boards

Control and software side

• PLC programming (ladder logic) and testing
• Microcontroller projects (Arduino or similar)
• Sensor installation and calibration (proximity, ultrasonic, temperature)
• HMI or SCADA screens
• Variable speed drive setup

Others

• Robotics and CNC machine operation
• Troubleshooting production-line stoppages
• Keeping maintenance logs

Chapter by chapter

Chapter One: Introduction

Cover the background of SIWES, aims and objectives, and scope. Keep it short. See how to write SIWES Chapter One.

Chapter Two: Profile of the organisation

Company name, location, history, what it makes or does, departments and an organogram. Mark the unit you were attached to. See the organogram guide.

Chapter Three: Work done

Organise by phase or system, not by date. For example:

1. Safety induction
2. Electrical wiring and motor control
3. PLC programming and testing
4. Sensors and pneumatic systems
5. Maintenance and troubleshooting

For each, explain what you did, in what order, with which tool, and what happened.

Example (fictional, for style only):

During the third week I helped to troubleshoot a bottle-filling line that kept stopping. I checked the inductive proximity sensor at the filling station with a multimeter and found that the signal wire had loosened at the terminal. I re-terminated the wire, confirmed the sensor LED came on when a metal plate was placed in front of it, and observed the PLC input light turn on. The line then ran normally. I learned that many control faults come from loose connections and not from the controller itself.

Chapter Four: Equipment and tools used

List every tool and explain it in three or four sentences: what it is, what it does, how you used it. Examples to consider:

• Digital multimeter
• Clamp meter
• Soldering iron
• PLC and its programming software
• Arduino board and IDE
• Proximity and temperature sensors
• Contactors, relays and overload protection
• Pneumatic cylinders and solenoid valves
• Lathe, drilling machine and welding machine
• Oscilloscope (if you used one)

Chapter Five: Summary, problems and recommendations

Give a summary of the training, the problems you faced (limited access to equipment, supervision gaps, power outages), how you handled each, a conclusion and practical recommendations.

See our SIWES technical report format guide for the general layout.

Common mistakes

• Listing tasks without links. Show how the sensor, controller and actuator work together.
• Copying the company's manual. Write what you did, not what the manual says.
• No measurements. Mention readings, settings or tests.
• Skipping safety.
• Mixing up Chapter Three and Four. Work done goes in three, tools go in four.
• Copying a sample. Your supervisor expects your own work.

Getting a first draft

If you have your tasks but struggle to turn them into chapters, the MonoEd SIWES Report Generator can write a first draft in your school's format from a short description of what you did. You can read Chapters One and Two free before you decide to unlock the rest.

The SIWES Logbook helps with your weekly entries.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What should a Mechatronics SIWES report contain?

A cover page, certification, acknowledgement, abstract or overview, table of contents, then chapters on introduction, company profile, work done, equipment used, and summary with recommendations. Your school may use four or five chapters.

How do I describe PLC work?

Say what the PLC controlled, which inputs and outputs you used, what the program did in simple steps, and how you tested it. A short ladder logic explanation in words is enough.

Can I include circuit or ladder diagrams?

Yes, if they're yours or you're allowed to use them. Label each figure and explain it. Don't include confidential company drawings without permission.

What if my placement was only mechanical or only electrical?

Write what you actually did, then link it to the other half of mechatronics where it fits. A conveyor repair connects to the sensors and drives that control it.

Is there a sample I can compare with?

See our mechanical engineering SIWES report sample and the electrical engineering technical report for related structure.