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2.1% Chance of Automation

“Plastics Engineer” 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 “Plastics Engineer”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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