Mechanical Engineering Technicians picture    Mechanical Engineering Technicians image

Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Mechanical engineering technicians assist engineers with developing, designing, manufacturing and testing consumer products, tools, industrial machinery and other types of equipment. Mechanical engineering technology is a wide field and mechanical engineering technicians work on a wide array of products. Many mechanical engineering techs work in design and development.

Mechanical technicians work on the tools and machines that are utilized to make products. They work with tiny parts and large parts. Some mechanical technicians have a speciality. Some mechanical technicians spend a lot of their time preparing drawings and layouts of products being developed. They often use testing equipment, complex instruments and gauges.

Some of the common job titles include mechanical designer, mechanical technician, research and development technician, process technician, engineering lab technician and engineering technical analyst.

Responsibilities

  • Help install, operate and maintain machinery used to manufacture products
  • Evaluate testing methods to determine if changes should be made
  • Make cost estimates
  • Help solve production problems
  • Make detailed drawings
  • Record and analyze data
  • Test machinery and parts
  • Study manufacturing processes to determine if they can be performed better or in a less expensive way
  • Evaluate project instructions and blueprints to determine test specifications, objectives and procedures

Job Characteristics

Mechanical engineering technicians usually work 40 hours per week. They usually work in manufacturing plants and offices. Creativity is beneficial for those that are involved with design work. Engineering technicians are usually part of a team, thus the ability to work well with others and good communications skills are important.

Employment Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a 6 percent employment growth for mechanical engineering technicians from 2006 to 2016 which is slower than the average for all occupations. Mechanical components and products are becoming increasingly complicated and the demand for improving these components and products should create employment growth for mechanical engineering technicians. However, foreign competition in manufacturing and design services is expected to limit the growth for the occupation. In addition, the median annual earnings for mechanical engineering technicians in 2008 was $48,130.

Education, Certification, and Licensing

Most employers prefer applicants that have at least an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology or engineering technology. Most associate degree programs that have been accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) include at least college algebra and trigonometry along with one or two basic science courses.

For some jobs in the field, such as tool design, apprenticeship programs are provided that combine on-the-job-training and classroom learning. It usually takes two to four years to finish an apprenticeship program.

Beneficial courses for mechanical engineering technician students include thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and mechanical design. Graduates of ABET accredited programs are typically recognized as having an acceptable level of competence in the subjects of science and math and also technical courses that are required of the occupation.

A large number of public and private schools provide technical training and the type and quality of training varies significantly. Students may want to ask potential employers for their school preferences. Students should also ask a school representative about the types of jobs graduates have acquired.

Technical institutes usually provide a substantial amount of technical training through application and practice, however they usually offer less general education and theory than community colleges. A number of colleges offer bachelor's degrees in engineering technology, however graduates of these programs are usually employed as technologists or applied engineers and not as technicians.

Employers typically don't require engineering technicians to be certified, however engineering techs that have certification may have a competitive advantage. The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies offers certification programs for several engineering technology specialties.

Resources

Major Employers

The primary job sectors are machinery manufacturers, tool manufacturers, engineering services; navigational measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing; aerospace products and parts manufacturing, and government agencies.

Schools for Mechanical Engineering Technicians are listed in the Browse Schools Section.

Mechanical Engineering Technicians Skills

Below are the skills needed to be mechanical engineering technicians according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Skill NameImportanceCompetence
Reading Comprehension3.884.12
Active Listening3.623.62
Critical Thinking3.623.75
Operation Monitoring3.623.25
Complex Problem Solving3.53.25

Mechanical Engineering Technicians Abilities

Below are the abilities needed to be mechanical engineering technicians according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Ability NameImportanceCompetence
Oral Comprehension44.12
Written Comprehension44.12
Near Vision3.884
Problem Sensitivity3.884
Deductive Reasoning3.754.12

Mechanical Engineering Technicians Knowledge

Below are the knowledge areas needed to be mechanical engineering technicians according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Knowledge AreaImportanceCompetence
Engineering and Technology4.515.13
Design4.325.13
Mechanical4.15.13
Mathematics3.864.43
Computers and Electronics3.44.28

Mechanical Engineering Technicians Work activities

Below are the work activities involved in being mechanical engineering technicians according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work ActivityImportanceCompetence
Getting Information4.714.76
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.64.29
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.594.58
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.525.4
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment4.55.16

Mechanical Engineering Technicians Work styles

Below are the work styles involved in being mechanical engineering technicians according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work StyleImportance
Attention to Detail4.46
Analytical Thinking4.24
Dependability3.96
Initiative3.87
Persistence3.73

Metro Areas Sorted by Total Employment for
Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Listed below are the 10 largest metro areas based on the total number of people employed in Mechanical Engineering Technicians jobs , as of 2019

   
Metro AreaTotal EmploymentAnnual Mean Salary
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn3,060$59,050
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim1,650$69,340
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land1,520$69,350
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale840$59,700
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington750$62,730
Pittsburgh670$58,110
Cleveland-Elyria600$57,610
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue580$69,870
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis550$56,010
San Diego-Carlsbad520$55,280

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Total employment and salary for professions similar to mechanical engineering technicians

Source : 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov; O*NET® 24.3 Database, O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, onetonline.org

We have some additional detailed pages at the state level for Mechanical Engineering Technicians.

Numbers in parentheses are counts of relevant campus-based schools in the state; online schools may also be available.