Industrial designer to industrial tool design engineer
An industrial designer already meets 38% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
65/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of an industrial designer’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 9 of its required skills as things an industrial designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- design prototypes
- identify customer's needs
- industrial engineering
- manufacturing processes
- mathematics
What stands in the way is 15 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 16 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 an industrial designer background worth leading with.
- already held determine production feasibility information skills
- already held monitor production developments information skills
- already held build a product's physical model handling and moving
- already held use specialised design software working with computers
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 16 carried skills, including the 9 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 6 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 industrial tools required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- 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 estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
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 16 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software 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 use CAD software skill
- already held use specialised design software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held build a product's physical model skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held determine production feasibility skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held monitor production developments skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held determine production capacity 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 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
51 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to new design materials skill
- not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
- not needed by the target role build jewellery models skill
- not needed by the target role calculate design costs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
- not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design package 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 develop jewellery designs skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
- not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
11 further entries not listed here
8 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 design drawings required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Other moves recorded from industrial designer
- ergonomist 81% covered · adjacent
- furniture designer 46% covered · substantial
- product development engineering drafter 44% covered · moderate
- design engineer 41% covered · substantial
- engine designer 41% covered · substantial
- automotive designer 38% covered · substantial
- container equipment design engineer 36% covered · substantial
- tooling engineer 36% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial designer become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An industrial designer already covers 38% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 9 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial designer need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
15 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from industrial designer to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 65 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.