The Top 5 Industries for Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Jim Lovell was an astronaut during the Apollo era. He famously commanded Apollo 13, the magnificent moon-shot failure.

Guenther Wendt was not an astronaut. He was the launch pad leader, a member of the elite astronaut preparation crew that actually got the astronauts into their space vehicles.

Wendt was one of the last earthlings the astronauts saw and shook hands with before leaving the planet. It has been said that wherever Guenther Wendt, so went America's space program. Wordplay aside, keep this distinction between astronaut and astronaut preparation crew in mind as we consider mechanical engineers, and mechanical engineering technicians. 

What do Mechanical Engineering Technicians Do?

Mechanical engineering technicians work side by side with mechanical engineers to design, test, develop and build answers to complicated production challenges in many industries.

Mechanical engineers are inventive individuals, but they rely on mechanical engineering technicians to make real their inventions. The engineer designs a practical solution to a problem, and the technician builds it. Mechanical engineers may fancy themselves the astronauts of the engineering world, but their inventions would never get off the ground without the work of the mechanical engineering technicians. 

Mechanical engineering technicians build, repair, run and improve complex equipment that may exist at the intersection of many disciplines: 

• Mechatronics
• Fluid mechanics
• Hydraulics
• Metallurgy
• Electronics
• 3D printing
• Software
• Computer programming
• Materials handling

What is the Work of a Mechanical Engineering Technician Like?

Mechanical engineering technicians are equipped through strong education and natural talents to work in many fields. Geographically, opportunities tend to cluster around industrial centers such as Houston, home not only to major petroleum plants but also NASA's Johnson Space Center. Detroit, the automotive capital, is also a gathering spot for mechanical engineering technicians. 

The work they perform includes:

• Preparing layouts and drawings of needed parts and the means of assembling them
• Evaluating others drawings or designs to confirm mechanical engineers' specifications
• Planning, producing and assembling new or revised parts for products from industrial machinery to aerospace devices
• Setting up and conducting tests of trial units or parts, and testing production units

In addition to being present at the birth of new mechanical technology, and performing crucial roles in designing and assembling it, mechanical engineering technicians also troubleshoot and repair problems with early testing models of equipment. This means they have to know many skills, from mechanical aptitude to problem solving. 

 

Learning By Doing with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology

Learning to become a qualified mechanical engineering technician requires hands-on training and guidance under experts in the field. Attend ECPI University and, in as little as 2.5 years, you could gain all the skills you need for a future in machining, automation, transportation or, yes, aerospace. You may not become an astronaut, but you could become part of the science and engineering community that gets Americans to Mars. Contact ECPI University today to learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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