Materials Engineers

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Automotive Sheet Metal Engineer; Ceramic Engineer; Extrusion Engineer; Materials Development Engineer; Materials Research Engineer; Metallurgical Engineer; Metallurgist; Process Engineer; Textile Engineer

Tasks

• Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
• Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
• Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
• Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
• Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
• Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
• Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
• Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
• Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
• Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives, as necessary.
• Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
• Supervise production and testing processes in industrial settings, such as metal refining facilities, smelting or foundry operations, or nonmetallic materials production operations.
• Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
• Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
• Replicate the characteristics of materials and their components, using computers.

Knowledge

• Engineering and Technology
• Production and Processing
• Mathematics
• Physics
• English Language
• Chemistry
• Computers and Electronics
• Design
• Mechanical

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• Mathematics
• Science
• Critical Thinking
• Active Learning
• Monitoring
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Near Vision
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Speech Clarity
• Number Facility
• Flexibility of Closure
• Perceptual Speed
• Visualization
• Selective Attention
• Speech Recognition