What does a metallurgical engineer do?
A metallurgical engineer is responsible for evaluating the chemical and physical properties of alloys and metallic materials to be used for construction and other industrial purposes. Metallurgical engineers also design metals for automobile upgrades and designing alloys for electronics. They create cost-reduction initiative reports and improve extraction methodologies, supervising quality control procedures for high-quality deliverables. A metallurgical engineer inspects the quality of tools and equipment for the operations, strictly adhering to the safety standards and protocols of the organization to avoid potential hazards and delays in the workplace.
Metallurgical engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real metallurgical engineer resumes:
- Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
- Perform maintenance on robots and CNC machines that include programming and touch-ups.
- Increase awareness, utilization, and cost reductions associate with FCAW for structural and pipeline applications.
- Monitor welding activities, perform visual weld inspections, coordinate vendor NDE services, and initiate required welding documentation.
- Modify existing visual inspection and introduce new NDE methods to ensure up-to-date inspection technology and techniques are used to improve production.
- Review process and materials specifications for FAA 121 and FAA 145 certifications.
- Attend MRB daily meetings to assist in disposition of non-conforming parts and assemblies.
- Implement process and equipment changes, handle troubleshooting production issues, and have MRB authority to disposition nonconformances.
- Manage and successfully complete carbon/epoxy material qualification and gain approval from FAA to use in manufacturing of composite aircraft parts.
Metallurgical engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Metallurgical Engineers are proficient in Aluminum, Failure Analysis, and Corrective Action. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Metallurgical Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Aluminum, 7%
Improved consistency of hard aluminum tool/jig plate milling operation through implementation of SPC, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and sales.
- Failure Analysis, 6%
Perform metallurgical failure analysis of failed components, identify the root cause and prepare clear concise engineering document using metallurgical findings.
- Corrective Action, 5%
Performed material analyses and complex failure investigations, recommending corrective action to improve product life and product quality
- Technical Support, 5%
Provide technical support to various departments in metallurgy related activities.
- Continuous Improvement, 4%
Completed continuous improvement projects for potential areas for increased production, recovery and grade.
- ISO, 4%
Maintain ISO Certification and Direct procedure changes to support Quality Audit.
Most metallurgical engineers use their skills in "aluminum," "failure analysis," and "corrective action" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential metallurgical engineer responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a metallurgical engineer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "materials engineers often work on projects related to other fields of engineering." Additionally, a metallurgical engineer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "provided metallurgical analysis of new component designs for product development. "
Speaking skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling metallurgical engineer duties is speaking skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "while working with technicians, technologists, and other engineers, materials engineers must state concepts and directions clearly." According to a metallurgical engineer resume, here's how metallurgical engineers can utilize speaking skills in their job responsibilities: "completed and presented dozens technical reports to customers. "
Writing skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of metallurgical engineers is writing skills. This skill is critical to many everyday metallurgical engineer duties, as "materials engineers must write plans and reports clearly so that people without a materials engineering background can understand the concepts." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assist in writing supplier procedures in order to receive castings compliant with agma, astm, aws and other standards. "
Problem-solving skills. metallurgical engineer responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "materials engineers must understand the relationship between materials’ structures, their properties, how they are made, and how these factors affect the products they are used to make." This resume example shows what metallurgical engineers do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "researched and resolved customer complaints and product failures. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for metallurgical engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of metallurgical engineers all the time, as "materials engineers use the principles of calculus and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." An excerpt from a real metallurgical engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a metallurgical engineer does: "develop predictive mathematical models for use in rapid product development. "
The three companies that hire the most metallurgical engineers are:
- Arconic19 metallurgical engineers jobs
- Exponent9 metallurgical engineers jobs
- ZF Group4 metallurgical engineers jobs
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Compare different metallurgical engineers
Metallurgical engineer vs. Materials branch chief
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, metallurgical engineer responsibilities require skills like "aluminum," "failure analysis," "corrective action," and "technical support." Meanwhile a typical materials branch chief has skills in areas such as "logistics," "occupational safety," "product research," and "stock control." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Materials branch chiefs tend to reach lower levels of education than metallurgical engineers. In fact, materials branch chiefs are 5.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Metallurgical engineer vs. Process 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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that metallurgical engineer responsibilities requires skills like "aluminum," "failure analysis," "material selection," and "aerospace." But a process engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "project management," "troubleshoot," "statistical analysis," and "cad."
On average, process engineers earn a lower salary than metallurgical engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, process engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $87,797. Whereas metallurgical engineers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $81,478.In general, process engineers achieve similar levels of education than metallurgical engineers. They're 4.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Metallurgical engineer vs. Product engineer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from metallurgical engineer resumes include skills like "aluminum," "material selection," "aerospace," and "process control," whereas a product engineer is more likely to list skills in "cad," "product design," "project management," and "c++. "
Product engineers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $90,301. Comparatively, metallurgical engineers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $81,478.Most product engineers achieve a similar degree level compared to metallurgical engineers. For example, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Metallurgical engineer vs. Forensic materials engineer
Types of metallurgical engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
