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“Materials Branch Chief” will not be replaced by robots.

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Job Description

Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 17-2131.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 97,050.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 46.00
Currently, there are 26,800 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Materials Engineers”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Materials Branch Chief”

Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
Teach in colleges and universities.
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
Design processing plants and equipment.
Plan and implement laboratory operations for the purpose of developing material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Supervise production and testing processes in industrial settings, such as metal refining facilities, smelting or foundry operations, or nonmetallic materials production operations.
Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives as necessary.
Review new product plans and make recommendations for material selection based on design objectives, such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
Modify properties of metal alloys, using thermal and mechanical treatments.
Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
Conduct training sessions on new material products, applications, or manufacturing methods for customers and their employees.
Replicate the characteristics of materials and their components with computers.
Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
Monitor material performance and evaluate material deterioration.
Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Write for technical magazines, journals, and trade association publications.
Guide technical staff engaged in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.

Related Technology & Tools

Flotation columns
Adhesion testers
Infrared monitors
Plasma-arc furnaces
Linear variable differential transformers LVDT
Electronic toploading balances
Temperature regulated shaking water baths
Benchtop centrifuges
Gyratory crushers
Calorimeters
Liquid conditioners
Compression testing machines
Extensometers
Lathes
Isodynamic separators
Mass spectrometers
Etching equipment
pH testers
Polarizing microscopes
Mechanical sieve shakers
Steam autoclaves
Flame photometers
Personal computers
Charpy impact testers
Ball mills
Differential thermal analyzers
Masonry cutters
Water-cooled saws
Melt spinners
Abrasion testers
Twin screw extruders
Water burets
Adiabatic bomb calorimeters
Laboratory vacuum pumps
Thermal analysis systems
Computerized numerical control CNC lathes
Sonometers
Laboratory pulverizers
Pit depth gauges
Laminators
Sample presses
Attritors
Strain gauges
Jaw crushers
Electrometers
Porosity indicators
Dataloggers
Filter presses
Rotating furnaces
Laser Doppler velocimeters LDV
Band saws
Optical emission spectrometers
Ultraviolet UV exposure units
Freeze-thaw test units
Laboratory blenders
Inert atmosphere box furnaces
Concrete test hammers
Analytical balances
Spectrometers
Microwave tube furnaces
Ultrasound inspection equipment
Heated walk-in environmental chambers
Gas detectors
Coordinate measuring machines CMM
Computer numerical controlled CNC milling machines
Ammeters
Ultrasonic dismembrators
Kneading compactors
Colorimeters
Molecular pumps
Diffractometers
Film thickness measurement systems
Slurry blenders
Fiberscopes
Tube furnaces
Cement mixers
Energy dispersive x-ray spectrometers EDS
Thermogravimetric analyzers
X ray fluorescence XRF analyzers
Stabilometers
Digital cameras
Muffle furnaces
Magnetic separators
Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectroscopes
Drying ovens
Viscosity meters
Atomic absorption AA spectrophotometers
Tension gauges
Twin-screw extruders
Roll crushers
Current versus voltage IV curve tracers
Hardness testers
Microwave sintering furnaces
Magnetic susceptibility balances
High-vacuum tensile testing chambers
Friction and wear testers
High pressure liquid chromatograph HPLC equipment
Screw-driven test machines
Digitizing oscilloscopes
Infrared cameras
Stereo microscopes
Laboratory microwave ovens
Ultrasonic baths
Specific gravity balances
Oscillating water tunnels
Atomic force microscopes
Gauss meters
Laboratory sample splitters
Drop weight impact towers
Counter-current mixers
Vibration analysis equipment
Spectrocolorimeters
Gas chromatographs GC
Durometers
Microwave autoclaves
Polishing machines
Laboratory test sieves
Jar mills
Load frames
Fume hoods
Balling drums
Hydraulic presses
Safety glasses
Reflectometers
Accelerometers
High tension separators
Turbidimeters
Differential scanning calorimeters
Solid state laser systems
Safety gloves
Laboratory glove boxes
Electrostatic separators
Wind tunnels
Rod mills
Accelerated weathering machines
X ray fluorescence XRF spectrometers
Spectrophotometers
Holding jigs
Optical compound microscopes
Acoustic impediography equipment
Solvent dryers
Vacuum coating systems
High temperature material testing systems
Permeability measuring devices
Binocular compound microscopes
Hot blenders
Impact testers
Micromanipulators
Sanding machines
Vacuum evaporators
Pycnometers
Lapping wheels
Graphite element furnaces
Electron microprobe analyzers EMPA
Injection molding machines
Particle size analyzers
Solar simulators
Gel permeation chromatographs GPC
Deionizers
Tensile testers
Vacuum furnaces
Scanning electron microscopes SEM
Microscope photo attachments
Ultrasonicators
Servohydraulic test machines

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