3D printing technician to industrial tool design engineer
A 3D printing technician already meets 44% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.9/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of a 3D printing technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the industrial tool design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An industrial tool design engineer role treats 13 of its required skills as things a 3D printing technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- adjust engineering designs
- create solutions to problems
- design drawings
- design prototypes
- identify customer's needs
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial tool design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a 3D printing technician background worth leading with.
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
All 14 carried skills, including the 13 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- still to learn use specialised design software required
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an industrial tool design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 industrial tools study this
- 03 mechanical engineering study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
24 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D printing process knowledge
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
- not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- not needed by the target role clean equipment skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role maintenance of printing machines knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintenance operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role manual draughting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor manufacturing quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
- not needed by the target role operate printing machinery skill
- not needed by the target role printing materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing on large scale machines knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role prosthetic devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role use manual draughting techniques skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a 3D printing technician become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A 3D printing technician already covers 44% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 13 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a 3D printing technician need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from 3D printing technician to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 59.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.