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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”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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Microsoft SharePoint
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Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Office
IBM Notes
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Fused deposition modeling FDM rapid prototyping systems
C++
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