Printed circuit board assembler to surface-mount technology machine operator
A printed circuit board assembler already meets 68% of what the surface-mount technology machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.5/ 100
1 How much of what a surface-mount technology machine operator is expected to do is already part of a printed circuit board assembler’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 surface-mount technology machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface-mount technology machine operator role treats 13 of its required skills as things a printed circuit board assembler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble printed circuit boards
- clean printed circuit board
- coat printed circuit board
- electronics
- ensure conformity to specifications
- ensure public safety and security
What stands in the way is 5 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 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface-mount technology machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a printed circuit board assembler background worth leading with.
- already held coat printed circuit board working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held clean printed circuit board handling and moving
- already held operate SMT placement equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prepare board for soldering handling and moving
- already held operate wave soldering machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 23 carried skills, including the 13 the surface-mount technology machine operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 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 inspect quality of products required
- still to learn monitor machine operations required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- still to learn report defective manufacturing materials required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held operate automated optical inspection machine optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic systems optional
- optional, not held repair electronic components optional
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held carry out shipping orders for parts optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface-mount technology machine operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect quality of products practise this
- 02 monitor machine operations practise this
- 03 quality standards 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 23 skills that carry over
- already held assemble printed circuit boards skill
- already held clean printed circuit board skill
- already held coat printed circuit board skill
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
- already held operate SMT placement equipment skill
- already held prepare board for soldering skill
- already held printed circuit boards knowledge
- already held read assembly drawings skill
- already held solder components onto electronic board skill
- already held surface-mount technology knowledge
- already held IPC standards knowledge
- already held check for solder defects skill
- already held dispose of hazardous waste skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held microelectronics knowledge
- already held operate wave soldering machine skill
- already held oversee logistics of finished products skill
- already held replace defect components skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held carry out shipping orders for parts optional
- optional, not held operate automated optical inspection machine optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic systems optional
- optional, not held repair electronic components optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
25 held skills the surface-mount technology machine operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D printing process knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply through-hole technology manually skill
- not needed by the target role clean components during assembly skill
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role electrochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role electroplating knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrated circuits knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain microelectronics 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 meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role microprocessors knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
- not needed by the target role operate insertion mount machine skill
- not needed by the target role operate precision machinery skill
- not needed by the target role operate printing machinery skill
- not needed by the target role pack electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role printed circuit boards testing methods knowledge
- 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 semiconductors knowledge
- not needed by the target role test microelectronics skill
- not needed by the target role test printed circuit boards skill
- not needed by the target role through-hole technology knowledge
1 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 quality standards required
Other moves recorded from printed circuit board assembler
Common questions about this move
Can a printed circuit board assembler become a surface-mount technology machine operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A printed circuit board assembler already covers 68% of what a surface-mount technology machine operator is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 13 of which the surface-mount technology machine operator role treats as required.
What skills does a printed circuit board assembler need to become a surface-mount technology machine operator?
5 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is inspect quality of products.
How hard is the move from printed circuit board assembler to surface-mount technology machine operator?
Its learning distance is 34.5 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.