About This Career

Operates, tests, maintains, or adjusts unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment. May operate unmanned submarines, aircraft, or other equipment to observe or record visual information at sites such as oil rigs, crop fields, buildings, or for similar infrastructure, deep ocean exploration, or hazardous waste removal. May assist engineers in testing and designing robotics equipment.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Manufacturing Production Process Development pathway.

A person in this career:

• Tests performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges.
• Installs or programs computer hardware or machine or instrumentation software in microprocessor-based systems.
• Reads blueprints, schematics, diagrams, or technical orders to determine methods and sequences of assembly.
• Modifies, maintains, or repairs electrical, electronic, or mechanical components, equipment, or systems to ensure proper functioning.
• Inspects parts for surface defects.
• Installs electrical or electronic parts and hardware in housings or assemblies, using soldering equipment and hand tools.
• Verifies part dimensions or clearances to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.
• Fabricates or assembles mechanical, electrical, or electronic components or assemblies.
• Aligns, fits, or assembles component parts, using hand or power tools, fixtures, templates, or microscopes.
• Produces electrical, electronic, or mechanical drawings or other related documents or graphics necessary for electromechanical design, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel