Mechanical engineer to industrial tool design engineer
A mechanical engineer already meets 49% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.3/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of a mechanical engineer’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 12 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- define part requirements
- design drawings
- design prototypes
- industrial engineering
What stands in the way is 12 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 20 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 mechanical engineer background worth leading with.
- already held determine production capacity information skills
- already held define part requirements information skills
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 20 carried skills, including the 12 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 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 identify customer's needs required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- still to learn use CAD software required
- still to learn use specialised design software required
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- 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 inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- still to learn CAD software required
3 further areas 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 identify customer's needs practise this
- 02 industrial tools study this
- 03 CAD software 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 20 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held define part requirements skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held determine production capacity skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment 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
72 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role build machines skill
- not needed by the target role building automation knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate mechatronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role design a domotic system in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role design a solar absorption cooling system skill
- not needed by the target role design automation components skill
- not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
- not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop mechatronic test procedures skill
- not needed by the target role disassemble engines skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electric current knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role fluid mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather technical information skill
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect engine rooms skill
- not needed by the target role install automation components skill
- not needed by the target role install mechatronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role instruct on energy saving technologies skill
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
32 further entries not listed here
6 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 CAD software required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Other moves recorded from mechanical engineer
- fluid power engineer 66% covered · moderate
- robotics engineer 59% covered · moderate
- aerodynamics engineer 57% covered · moderate
- rotating equipment engineer 57% covered · moderate
- container equipment design engineer 55% covered · moderate
- mechanical engineering technician 55% covered · moderate
- packing machinery engineer 54% covered · moderate
- aerospace engineering drafter 52% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a mechanical engineer become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mechanical engineer already covers 49% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 12 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is identify customer's needs.
How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 55.3 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.