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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 “Research Engineer”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

Dassault Systemes CATIA
IBM Notes
National Instruments LabVIEW
Web browser software
Image analysis systems
Microsoft Office
Autodesk AutoCAD
Presentation software
Digital image correlation DIC software
Minitab
Microsoft PowerPoint
MTS Testworks
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Visio
Computer aided design CAD software
Microsoft Outlook
PTC Creo Parametric
C++
Microsoft Excel
Word processing software
Data entry software
ANSYS Multiphysics
Microsoft Visual Basic
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
Stereolithography SLA rapid prototyping systems
QMC CM4D
Fused deposition modeling FDM rapid prototyping systems
Microsoft Visual Basic.NET
SAP
Fault detection isolation and recovery FDIR software
Graphics software
Microsoft Word