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Mechanical Engineering Associate

What is a mechanical engineering associate?
What does a mechanical engineering associate do?
What work is carried out by a mechanical engineering associate?
Is mechanical engineering associate a good career choice?
What skills must a mechanical engineering associate develop?
What training and qualifications are available for mechanical engineering associates?
What if I want more information?
What competencies do I required for this skill?

What is a mechanical engineering associate?

Mechanical engineering associates are persons within the mechanical engineering section of the industry who provide support to graduate mechanical engineers. Their work would cover mechanical designing of equipment from basic mechanical concepts through to the production of the job.

What do mechanical engineering associates do?

Mechanical engineering associates typically manage projects applying current technology to mechanical equipment (equipment that moves, heats, cools, generates power, etc)

Selecting or designing appropriate equipment for a manufacturing process.
Estimating the cost of projects.
Preparing design drawings and calculations, often on computer aided design ( CAD) programs.
Writing equipment specifications.
Managing a team of tradespeople machining or fabricating a project.
Supervising the installation and testing of a project and solving any performance or quality problems.
Investigating and developing methods to reduce operating costs of a process.
Developing equipment maintenance procedures.

What are some examples of work carried out by mechanical engineering associates

The range of equipment worked on is vast and varied, so most mechanical engineering associates specialise in one area for a few years. Some examples are:-

Equipment Manufacturing industry
Material handling equipment (belt conveyors, earth moving)
Power transmission equipment (gear boxes, to engines)
Consumer product packaging equipment
Hand tools (electric drills to electric sanders)
Engineering machinery (CNC lathes to grinders)
Automotive parts (gears to door handles)
Extruders, hydraulic presses, rolling mills, ovens, conveyors
Process industries
Pressure vessels, tanks, pipes, pumps, heat exchangers, refrigeration units
Building and Construction Industry
Air conditioning, refrigeration, lifts, escalators, earthmoving equipment
Power Generation Industry
Steam generations or boilers, turbines, generators
Petrol or diesel engines , air compressors
Transport industry - cars, buses, trucks, railway vehicles, aircraft, ships and boats.

Is mechanical engineering associate a good career choice

Yes, this is a very interesting career choice with a very hands on focus. The depth of work that can be undertaken in this area is extremely vast allowing all persons to fully satisfy their career options. Employment and career options for mechanical engineering associate are always available with a vast amount of diversification on offer.

Careers in this area may follow pure mechanical pathways or perhaps branch out into other manufacturing areas such as fluid power which is the study of hydraulic and pneumatic operated machinery as used with production machinery or robotics.

Other areas of consideration may be working purely within a drawing office or being a production planner.

Mechanical engineering associates use a range of skills so their job titles can vary considerably.

Director of a small air conditioning or repetitive machining company
Associate engineer in a design consultancy company
Design draftsperson or machine component designer
Technical officer
Engineering estimator
Production manager
Purchasing officer
Maintenance engineer
Material tester
Sales engineer
Technical author

What skills must a mechanical engineering associate develop?

A mechanical technologist must possess the knowledge :-

Of how to shape, machine and weld different materials such as steels , plastics and aluminium.
Of how to produce engineering drawings using both computer aided drafting and manual drafting techniques.
To understand how machines, shafts, gearboxes, bearings, electric motors work.
To calculate mathematical computations for stresses of parts.
How machinery is controlled by programmable logic controllers.
To communicate with and manage people, to manage projects and to develop and manage project budgets.

What training and qualifications are available for mechanical engineering associates?

Mechanical engineering associates are trained to the level of Advanced Diploma. To study in the Advanced Diploma you must have a Higher School Certificate or be a mature aged person (over 21 years), possess some mechanical aptitude and have a reasonable understanding of maths.

University credits may be granted from the study if you wishes to study further in your studies.

What if I want more information?

For further advice related to Mechanical engineering associate as a career you could contact:-

Engineering Skills Centre at Sydney Institute, Ultimo (TAFE NSW)
Manufacturing and Engineering Division, TAFE NSW
ACTU (Australian Council Of Trade Unions)