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Piping designer vs mechanical engineer

The differences between piping designers and mechanical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a piping designer and a mechanical engineer. Additionally, a mechanical engineer has an average salary of $75,352, which is higher than the $57,853 average annual salary of a piping designer.

The top three skills for a piping designer include autocad, p id and equipment layout. The most important skills for a mechanical engineer are CAD, solidworks, and mechanical systems.

Piping designer vs mechanical engineer overview

Piping DesignerMechanical Engineer
Yearly salary$57,853$75,352
Hourly rate$27.81$36.23
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs48,195105,618
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a piping designer do?

A Piping Designer supervises and designs the construction of marine crafts and floating structures. They utilize computerized drafting systems, such as computer-aided drafting (CAD).

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.

Piping designer vs mechanical engineer salary

Piping designers and mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Piping DesignerMechanical Engineer
Average salary$57,853$75,352
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $92,000Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying CityBenicia, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companye-Tech SolutionsMeta
Best paying industryProfessionalEnergy

Differences between piping designer and mechanical engineer education

There are a few differences between a piping designer and a mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:

Piping DesignerMechanical Engineer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityMichigan Technological University

Piping designer vs mechanical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between piping designers' and mechanical engineers' demographics:

Piping DesignerMechanical Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 87.8% Female, 12.2%Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between piping designer and mechanical engineer duties and responsibilities

Piping designer example responsibilities.

  • Communicate ownership responsibilities across department platforms to achieve 3D modeling of HVAC, steel & other equipment for project success.
  • Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
  • Develop detailed 2-D engineering drawings using AutoCad, PDMS,77494 and NavisWorks.
  • Create piping and instrumentation diagrams using AutoCAD.
  • General knowledge and use of NavisWorks program.
  • Used PDS to design and fix model.
  • Show more

Mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

  • 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
  • Show more

Piping designer vs mechanical engineer skills

Common piping designer skills
  • Autocad, 20%
  • P Id, 8%
  • Equipment Layout, 8%
  • IDS, 6%
  • Refinery, 4%
  • Isometric Drawings, 4%
Common mechanical engineer skills
  • CAD, 10%
  • Solidworks, 9%
  • Mechanical Systems, 6%
  • Mechanical Design, 5%
  • HVAC, 5%
  • Plumbing, 4%

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