Industrial robot controller to robotics engineering technician
An industrial robot controller already meets 25% of what the robotics engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.2/ 100
1 How much of what a robotics engineering technician is expected to do is already part of an industrial robot controller’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 robotics engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A robotics engineering technician role treats 8 of its required skills as things an industrial robot controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble robots
- automation technology
- inspect quality of products
- record test data
- robotic components
- robotics
What stands in the way is 21 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. A robotics engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial robot controller background worth leading with.
- already held assemble robots handling and moving
- already held install software working with computers
- already held replace machines information skills
- already held robotic components engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held set up automotive robot working with computers
- already held maintain robotic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 14 carried skills, including the 8 the robotics engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 49 missing skills fall into 11 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 control engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn mechatronics required
- optional, not held electric drives optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held optoelectronics optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn assist scientific research required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- optional, not held simulate mechatronic design concepts optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
- still to learn monitor machine operations required
- still to learn read assembly drawings required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
- still to learn align components required
- still to learn fasten components required
- optional, not held assemble mechatronic units optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- still to learn test mechatronic units required
- still to learn perform test run required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a robotics engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow standards for machinery safety practise this
- 02 test mechatronic units practise this
- 03 adjust engineering designs practise 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 assemble robots skill
- already held automation technology knowledge
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held robotic components knowledge
- already held robotics knowledge
- already held set up automotive robot skill
- already held set up machine controls skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held install software skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held maintain robotic equipment skill
- already held replace machines skill
- already held sensors knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn develop computer vision system required
- optional, not held assemble hardware components optional
- optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- still to learn automatic control system required
- optional, not held computer science optional
- optional, not held hybrid control systems optional
- optional, not held transmission technology optional
- still to learn follow standards for machinery safety required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held calibrate mechatronic instruments optional
28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assemble mechatronic units optional
- optional, not held calibrate mechatronic instruments optional
- optional, not held electric drives optional
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held simulate mechatronic design concepts optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held assemble hardware components optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held computer science optional
- optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
- optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
- optional, not held hybrid control systems optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held optoelectronics optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- optional, not held transmission technology optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
19 held skills the robotics engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust manufacturing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role assemble sensors skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain control systems for automated equipment skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor automated machines skill
- not needed by the target role optimise financial performance skill
- not needed by the target role optimise production skill
- not needed by the target role perform machine maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
- not needed by the target role solve technical problems skill
- not needed by the target role supply machine with appropriate tools skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
20 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 automatic control system required
- still to learn control engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn mechatronics required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held electric drives optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held computer science optional
- optional, not held hybrid control systems optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held optoelectronics optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- optional, not held transmission technology optional
Other moves recorded from industrial robot controller
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial robot controller become a robotics engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An industrial robot controller already covers 25% of what a robotics engineering technician is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 8 of which the robotics engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial robot controller need to become a robotics engineering technician?
21 required skills are missing, plus 28 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is follow standards for machinery safety.
How hard is the move from industrial robot controller to robotics engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 79.2 out of 100, which is the career change 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.