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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 Engineer”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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Microsoft Visual Basic
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Fault detection isolation and recovery FDIR software
Digital image correlation DIC software
ANSYS Multiphysics
MTS Testworks
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PTC Creo Parametric
Autodesk AutoCAD
National Instruments LabVIEW
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Fused deposition modeling FDM rapid prototyping systems
Web browser software
Presentation software
Graphics software
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