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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”

Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
Plan and implement laboratory operations for the purpose of developing material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
Monitor material performance and evaluate material deterioration.
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.
Teach in colleges and universities.
Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives as necessary.
Design processing plants and equipment.
Write for technical magazines, journals, and trade association publications.
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.
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.
Guide technical staff engaged in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Replicate the characteristics of materials and their components with computers.
Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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