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Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Related: Aerospace Engineering & Operations Technologists & Technicians  Calibration Technologists & Technicians  Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technologists & Technicians  Industrial Engineering Technologists & Technicians  Robotics Technicians 
Industries: Manufacturing  Professional, Science, & Technical 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Set up prototype and test apparatus and operate test controlling equipment to observe and record prototype test results.
    • Prepare equipment inspection schedules, reliability schedules, work plans, or other records.
    • Assemble or disassemble complex mechanical systems.
    • Conduct failure analyses, document results, and recommend corrective actions.
    • Assist engineers to design, develop, test, or manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, or other equipment.
    • Review project instructions and blueprints to ascertain test specifications, procedures, and objectives, and test nature of technical problems such as redesign.
    • Calculate required capacities for equipment of proposed system to obtain specified performance and submit data to engineering personnel for approval.
    • Prepare parts sketches and write work orders and purchase requests to be furnished by outside contractors.
    • Conduct statistical studies to analyze or compare production costs for sustainable and nonsustainable designs.
    • Review project instructions and specifications to identify, modify and plan requirements fabrication, assembly and testing.
    • Analyze energy requirements and distribution systems to maximize the use of intermittent or inflexible renewable energy sources, such as wind or nuclear.
    • Prepare parts sketches and write work orders and purchase requests to be furnished by outside contractors.
    • Estimate cost factors including labor and material for purchased and fabricated parts and costs for assembly, testing, or installing.
    • Assist mechanical engineers in product testing through activities such as setting up instrumentation for automobile crash tests.
    • Record test procedures and results, numerical and graphical data, and recommendations for changes in product or test methods.
    • Assist engineers to design, develop, test, or manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, or other equipment.
    • Interpret engineering sketches, specifications, or drawings.
    • Prepare specifications, designs, or sketches for machines, components, or systems related to the generation, transmission, or use of mechanical or fluid energy.
    • Read dials and meters to determine amperage, voltage, electrical output and input at specific operating temperature to analyze parts performance.
    • Evaluate tool drawing designs by measuring drawing dimensions and comparing with original specifications for form and function using engineering skills.
    • Assist engineers to design, develop, test, or manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, or other equipment.
    • Conduct failure analyses, document results, and recommend corrective actions.
    • Provide technical support to other employees regarding mechanical design, fabrication, testing, or documentation.
    • Design specialized or customized equipment, machines, or structures.
    • Prepare layouts of machinery, tools, plants, or equipment.
    • Set up and conduct tests of complete units and components under operational conditions to investigate proposals for improving equipment performance.
    • Prepare specifications, designs, or sketches for machines, components, or systems related to the generation, transmission, or use of mechanical or fluid energy.
    • Design molds, tools, dies, jigs, or fixtures for use in manufacturing processes.
    • Test machines, components, materials, or products to determine characteristics such as performance, strength, or response to stress.
    • Draft detail drawing or sketch for drafting room completion or to request parts fabrication by machine, sheet or wood shops.
    • Analyze test results in relation to design or rated specifications and test objectives, and modify or adjust equipment to meet specifications.
    • Conduct failure analyses, document results, and recommend corrective actions.

    Skills

    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    Knowledge

    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    Education

    Education
    Associate's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    73980/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    35.57/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    1,140
    Yearly Projected Openings
    130

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Innovation
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Achievement Orientation

    Tools

    • Accelerometers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air compressors
    • Ammeters
    • Amplifiers
    • Analytical balances
    • Anemometers
    • Angle grinder
    • Belt sander
    • Bench scales
    • Benchtop centrifuges
    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Boring machines
    • C clamps
    • Calipers
    • Calorimeters
    • Claw hammer
    • Comparators
    • Compression testers
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Cutting die
    • Cylinder gauge
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Dynamometers
    • Extruders
    • Fatigue testers
    • Flow sensors
    • Flow transmitters
    • Force or torque sensors
    • Forklifts
    • Form tools or toolbits
    • Fume hoods or cupboards
    • Fused deposition modeling machine
    • Gage block set
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Go or no go gauge
    • Goggles
    • Graphics tablets
    • Hacksaw
    • Hardness testers
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • Hole gauge
    • Horizontal turning center
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Impact testers
    • Induction heaters
    • Injection molding machines
    • Inverted microscopes
    • Laboratory benches
    • Laminated object manufacturing machine
    • Levels
    • Lifter plate
    • Load frame
    • Loadcells
    • Locking pliers
    • Longnose pliers
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal band sawing machine
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Metal markers or holders
    • Metal polishing machine
    • Metal slitting saw
    • Metal testing instruments
    • Microcontrollers
    • Micrometers
    • Microprocessors
    • Mill saw file
    • Milling machines
    • Multimeters
    • Notebook computers
    • Nut drivers
    • Offset screw driver
    • Oscilloscopes
    • Personal computers
    • Photoelastic testing instruments
    • Pitch measuring instruments
    • Plasma cutting machine
    • Plotter printers
    • Pneumatic impact wrenches
    • Polarimeters
    • Polishing machines
    • Positioning jig
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power saws
    • Pressure indicators
    • Pressure sensors
    • Protective gloves
    • Protractors
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rotameters
    • Rulers
    • Scanners
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Scroll saw
    • Selective laser sintering machine
    • Shear strength testers
    • Shears
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Signal conditioners
    • Signal generators
    • Sine bar
    • Slip or groove joint pliers
    • Socket sets
    • Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
    • Spectrometers
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Strain gauges
    • Stripping tools
    • Surface grinding machine
    • Tape measures
    • Taper gauge
    • Taps
    • Temperature transmitters
    • Tension testers
    • Thermal differential analyzers
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Thread counters or gauges
    • Three dimensional printing machine
    • Torsion testers
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Tumblers or polishers
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Twin screw extruder
    • Ultrasonic examination equipment
    • Universal milling machine
    • Utility knives
    • Vacuum molding machines
    • Vacuum pumps
    • Vertical machining center
    • Vibration testers
    • Water baths
    • Wave soldering machine
    • Welder torch
    • Welding masks
    • Wire cutters

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Development environment software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Industrial control software
    • Internet browser software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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