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Engineering and Inspection Careers
Production/Quality
Controls
Inspectors
Mechanical Engineers
Industrial Engineers
Fabricator/Design
Production/Quality Control
Inspectors
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Inspect, test, sort, sample, or weigh nonagricultural raw materials or
processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for
defects, wear, and deviations from specifications. May use precision
measuring instruments and complex test equipment.
These workers monitor or audit quality standards for virtually all
manufactured products, including motor vehicles, electronic components,
computers, and structural steel. As quality becomes increasingly important
to the success of many production firms, daily duties of inspectors have
changed. In some cases, their titles also have changed to
quality-control inspector or a similar name, reflecting the growing
importance of quality
The idea is to guarantee the quality of the goods produced. There are many
ways to test for quality: by sight, sound, feel, smell, or even taste to
locate imperfections such as cuts, scratches, bubbles, missing pieces, misweaves,
crooked seams, dimensions, color, weight, texture, strength, or other
physical characteristics of objects. Machinery testers generally verify
that parts fit, move correctly, and are properly lubricated; check the
pressure of gases and the level of liquids; test the flow of electricity;
and do a test run to check for proper operation. Some jobs involve a quick
visual inspection; others require a longer, detailed one.
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers are involved at every
stage of the production process. Some inspectors examine materials
received from a supplier before sending them to the production line.
Others inspect components, subassemblies, and assemblies or perform a
final check on the finished product. Some inspectors set up and test
equipment, calibrate precision instruments, repair defective products, or
record data.
Inspectors mark, tag, and note problems. They may reject defective items
outright, send them for repair or correction, or fix minor problems
themselves. If the product is acceptable, inspectors may screw on a
nameplate, tag it, stamp it with a serial number, or certify it in some
other way.
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers record the results of
their inspections, compute the percentage of defects and other statistical
measures, and prepare inspection and test reports. Some electronic
inspection equipment automatically provides test reports containing these
inspection results. When defects are found, inspectors notify supervisors
and help analyze and correct the production problems.
Because quality control is a key to the success of a manufacturing firm,
inspection is more fully integrated into the production process. There are
many ways this is done:
Teams of inspection and production workers jointly review and improve
product quality.
There is the use of self-monitoring production machines, which ensures the
output is produced within quality standards.
There are also automated inspections using advanced vision systems, which
use machinery installed at one or several points in the production
process. Inspectors in these firms calibrate and monitor the equipment,
review output, and perform random product checks.
Tools
Used:
Micrometers, calipers,
alignment gauges, and other instruments are used to check and compare the
dimensions of parts against the parts' specifications. Electronic
equipment, such as measuring machines, which use sensitive probes to
measure a part's dimensional accuracy are also used. Voltmeters, ammeters,
and oscilloscopes to test insulation, current flow, and resistance are
other inspection tools.
In
general inspectors need good mechanical aptitude, math and communication
skills, and good hand-eye coordination and vision. Inspectors must be able
to read blueprints.
Primary Job
Functions:
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Product Inspection -
Inspecting and evaluating the quality of products.
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Testing - Conducting
tests to determine whether equipment, software, or procedures are
operating as expected.
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Problem
Identification - Identifying the nature of problems.
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Information Gathering
- Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information.
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Mathematics - Using
mathematics to solve problems.
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Operation
Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a
machine is working properly.
Job Skills:
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Category Flexibility
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See details of
objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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Recognizing a Problem
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The ability to match
or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and
brightness.
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The ability to
quickly and accurately compare letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or
patterns.
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Written
Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas
presented in writing.
Job
Titles:
-
Testers
-
Graders
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Sorters
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Samplers
- Weighers
Job Skills:
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Category Flexibility
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See details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the
observer).
-
Recognizing a Problem
-
The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including
shades of color and brightness.
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The ability to quickly and accurately compare letters, numbers, objects,
pictures, or patterns.
- Written
Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas
presented in writing.
Starting Wage:
$22,000
Senior Wage:
$48,000
Job Growth Outlook:
Average, but
employment is expected to decline long-term, reflecting the growth of
automated inspection and the redistribution of quality-control
responsibilities from inspectors to other production workers.
Degree Needed:
High School/On-the-job
training
More Career Info: The
following link will take you to
America's Career Info Net where information was gathered. You
will be able to find Wage and Occupational trends for this career or a
career very similar.
Mechanical Engineers
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An extremely technical,
challenging and fast paced career opportunity. Mechanical engineers plan,
design and oversee the development, installation, operation and
maintenance of machinery.
Type of Work:
Perform
engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and
other mechanically functioning equipment. They conduct research to solve
practical engineering problems and improve efficiency.
Tools Used:
Use
computer-aided design (CAD) to assist in design and drawing, blue prints,
electric circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and
software
Primary Job Functions:
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Design new machines,
equipment or systems taking into account cost, availability of
materials, strength and maintenance requirements, appearance and impact
on the user and on the environment
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Carry out research in the use of different types
of fuel and energy, materials handling, heating and cooling processes,
the storage and pumping of liquids and gases, and environmental controls
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Use computer-aided
design (CAD) to assist in design and drawing
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Undertake the design
and construction of resource development projects such as offshore
platforms, onshore gas plants and iron ore mining facilities
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Supervise the
operation of manufacturing process plants such as vehicle and electrical
appliance production plants, coal handling installations, power
stations, and sewerage and Water supply pumping stations
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Specify, select,
install and manage the maintenance of factory production and machinery
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Set up work control
systems, e.g. testing of equipment to ensure that standards of
performance, quality, cost and safety are met
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Act as consultants,
carrying out studies about possible changes or improvements and
estimating costs of products for clients.
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Mechanical engineers
may specialize in areas such as research and development, engineering
design, production, and plant and maintenance.
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Mechanical engineers
frequently work closely with other professionals, at times pooling
expertise on particular projects, e.g. with architects in designing
air-conditioning plants.
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Mechanical engineers may work in production
plants, in offices, and outdoors when involved in construction projects.
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Mechanical engineers
are involved in a wide range of industries including aviation, power
generation, manufacturing, refrigeration and air-conditioning,
transportation and mechanical handling.
Job Skills:
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Interested in
technical and engineering activities
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Able to identify,
analyze and solve problems
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Able to communicate
well, both orally and in writing
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Interested in
computing and technical design
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Practical and
creative
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Able to work without
supervision
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Able to accept
responsibility
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Knowledge of
equipment, tools, mechanical devices, and their uses to produce motion,
light, power, technology, and other applications.
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Knowledge of numbers, their operations, and
interrelationships including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus,
statistics, and their applications.
Job Titles:
Starting Wage: $46,000
Senior Wage: $86,000 +
Job Growth
Outlook:
13%
Degree Needed:
College/Bachelors
More Career
Info: The following link will take you to
America's Career Info Net. You will be able to find Wage
and Occupational trends for this career or a career very similar.
Industrial Engineers
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Type of Work:
Design, develop, test,
and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production
processes including human work factors, quality control, inventory
control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production
coordination.
Tools Used: computers
Primary Job Functions:
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Mathematics
- Knowledge of numbers, their operations, and interrelationships
including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their
applications.
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Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of equipment, tools, mechanical devices, and their uses to
produce motion, light, power, technology, and other applications.
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Production and Processing
- Knowledge of inputs, outputs, raw materials, waste, quality control,
costs, and techniques for maximizing the manufacture and distribution of
goods.
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Administration and Management
- Knowledge of principles and processes involved in business and
organizational planning, coordination, and execution. This includes
strategic planning, resource allocation, manpower modeling, leadership
techniques, and production methods.
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Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, principles, tools and instruments
involved in the production and use of precision technical plans,
blueprints, drawings, and models.
Job
Skills:
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Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
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Information Gathering
- Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information.
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Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related
documents.
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Critical Thinking
- Using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
different approaches.
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Idea Generation
- Generating a number of different approaches to problems.
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Judgment and Decision Making
- Weighing the relative costs and benefits of a potential action.
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Systems Evaluation
- Looking at many indicators of system performance, taking into account
their accuracy.
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Writing
- Communicating effectively with others in writing as indicated by the
needs of the audience. Written
Comprehension
- The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in
writing.
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Written Expression
- The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others
will understand.
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Oral Comprehension
- The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas
presented through spoken words and sentences.
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Oral Expression
- The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others
will understand.
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Deductive Reasoning
- The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to come up
with logical answers. It involves deciding if an answer makes sense.
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Fluency of Ideas
- The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a given topic. It
concerns the number of ideas produced and not the quality, correctness,
or creativity of the ideas.
-
Mathematical Reasoning
- The ability to understand and organize a problem and then to select a
mathematical method or formula to solve the problem.
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Number Facility
- The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and
correctly.
Starting Wage: $47,000
Senior
Wage: $86,000
Job Growth Outlook:
5%
Degree Needed:
College/Bachelors
More Career Info: The following
link will take you to
America's Career
Info Net.
You will be able to find Wage and Occupational trends for this career or a
career very similar.
Fabricator/Design
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Type
of Work:
Performs
various types of production fitting, welding, and assembly in a work cell.
Primary Job Functions:
-
Refer to blueprints
and/or routing instructions to determine the:
-
Correct manufacturing
sequence, process and procedure for assignment
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Correct jig or
fixture application
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Correct CNC program
if applicable
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Correct material,
part or assembly
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Maintain organization
of part bins and material racks
Tools
Used:
Various types of production equipment including but
not limited to saws, CNC and manual and machining equipment, hydraulic
press, computers, grinders, fork lift, floor operated cranes and hoists,
jigs, fixtures, clamps, various measuring and marking devices, ordinary
hand tools, portable power tools, belt grinders, bins, shelves, labels,
push carts, etc.
Job Titles:
Starting Wage: $15,000
Senior Wage:
$54,000
Job Growth Outlook:
3-9% This reflects the increasing
automation and the shift of fabrication to countries with lower labor
costs.
Degree Needed:
Fabricators are
normally entry-level employees and require a high school degree. Those
with a background in math, science, and computers may advance to
programmers or operators of more highly automated production equipment.
More Career Info:
The following link will take you to
America's Career
Info Net.
You will be able to find Wage and Occupational trends for this career or a
career very similar.
Fabricator
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