What does a mechanical engineer do?
Mechanical Engineers oversee the development of various mechanical devices in different industries. Most of the responsibilities will revolve around crafting, improving, or designing technologies by utilizing extensive expertise in the subject; they identify and detect errors, provide in-depth analysis, and resolve issues. They are often in designated offices, but they can also work on-site and travel if necessary. Furthermore, Mechanical Engineers usually function in a group or team setting, often supervised by personnel in higher positions.
Mechanical engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real mechanical engineer resumes:
- Manage machine shop and Sr. Machinist/Toolmaker.
- Lead the implementation of Syteline MRP software.
- Manage component work orders and failure test scheduling to parts as per DFMEA with design team.
- Use of PLM software tools such as WindChill to manage data, revisions, iterations and approvals.
- Lead a brainstorming session for review with supplier & management and follow through the successful implementation of a corrective action.
- Attain SolidWorks CSWP certification and maintaining proficiency within CREO & AutoCad
- Project include circuit design, characterization and VERILOG models.
- Utilize 3-D cad software tool to help resolve product design issues.
- Perform FEA analysis of components and sub-assemblies before fabrication using SolidWorks ANSYS.
- Perform construction administration to ensure installation of mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing systems adhere to construction documents.
- Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
- Perform FEA evaluations of components and assemblies utilizing ANSYS DesignSpace for durability and reliability prediction to meet product duty cycle.
- Provide HVAC and plumbing design engineering and field construction support for industrial manufacturing facilities additions and renovations both in-house and on-site.
- Complete place-and-route work on a few functional unit blocks and the clock-and- reset-unit.
- Design include all mechanical, electrical, and PLC and stepper system programming.
Mechanical engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Mechanical Engineers are proficient in CAD, Solidworks, and Mechanical Systems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Mechanical Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CAD, 10%
Created methodology to predict cable and harness requirements by importing electrical engineering data into mechanical CAD system.
- Solidworks, 9%
Utilized skills in three-dimensional computer-aided design software (SolidWorks) to facilitate completion of computer models and drawing packages for manufacture.
- Mechanical Systems, 6%
Design and test prototype optical mechanical systems for large aperture telescope *Develop maintenance procedures and operator manuals *Responsible for general telescope maintenance
- Mechanical Design, 5%
Developed new products, provided mechanical designs for progressively stamped and injection molded components, for micro-miniature connector products.
- HVAC, 5%
Provided HVAC and plumbing design engineering and field construction support for industrial manufacturing facilities additions and renovations both in-house and on-site.
- Plumbing, 4%
Coordinated lab activities including plumbing, instrumentation, execution of testing, collection and analysis of data and assembly of components.
Most mechanical engineers use their skills in "cad," "solidworks," and "mechanical systems" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential mechanical engineer responsibilities here:
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a mechanical engineer to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Additionally, a mechanical engineer resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "sole co-op trusted with using pdm program for organizing and storing designs, inventories, purchases, etc. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform mechanical engineer duties is listening skills. Mechanical engineers responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Mechanical engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed product specific boms and communicated the materials through detailed solidworks (cad) drawings. "
Math skills. mechanical engineers are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to mechanical engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." A mechanical engineer resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "used research, analytical, conceptual and planning skills, particularly mathematical modeling and computer-aided design. "
Mechanical skills. For certain mechanical engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "mechanical skills." The day-to-day duties of a mechanical engineer rely on this skill, as "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what mechanical engineers do: "used fea and cfd for thermal, mechanical, and fluid design projects. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for mechanical engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of mechanical engineers all the time, as "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." An excerpt from a real mechanical engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a mechanical engineer does: "included mockup and concept modeling in icepak computational fluid dynamic (cfd) software to develop custom thermal solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most mechanical engineers are:
- CDM Smith1,657 mechanical engineers jobs
- The Aerospace Corporation77 mechanical engineers jobs
- Honeywell59 mechanical engineers jobs
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Compare different mechanical engineers
Mechanical engineer vs. Product design engineer
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, mechanical engineer responsibilities require skills like "solidworks," "mechanical systems," "plumbing," and "fire protection." Meanwhile a typical product design engineer has skills in areas such as "design concepts," "nx," "pro-e," and "plastic injection." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Product design engineers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $116,796. In contrast, mechanical engineers make the biggest average salary, $84,748, in the energy industry.product design engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than mechanical engineers. In fact, product design engineers are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Mechanical engineer vs. Development engineer
A Development Engineer is responsible for the development and validation of products, systems, and components. They are also responsible for quality control of work and continuous improvement of engineer activities.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real mechanical engineer resumes. While mechanical engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," "hvac," and "plumbing," development engineers use skills like "java," "python," "c #," and "software development."
On average, development engineers earn a higher salary than mechanical engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, development engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $105,648. Whereas mechanical engineers have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $84,748.In general, development engineers achieve higher levels of education than mechanical engineers. They're 5.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for mechanical engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
Mechanical engineer vs. Product engineer
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, mechanical engineers are more likely to have skills like "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," "plumbing," and "engineering design." But a product engineer is more likely to have skills like "c++," "continuous improvement," "data analysis," and "java."
Product engineers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $90,301. Comparatively, mechanical engineers have the highest earning potential in the energy industry, with an average salary of $84,748.product engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to mechanical engineers. Specifically, they're 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mechanical engineer vs. Process engineer
A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
Types of mechanical engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
