Surface-mount technology machine operator to wave soldering machine operator
A surface-mount technology machine operator already meets 78% of what the wave soldering machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
25.5/ 100
1 How much of what a wave soldering machine operator is expected to do is already part of a surface-mount technology machine operator’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 wave soldering machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A wave soldering machine operator role treats 13 of its required skills as things a surface-mount technology machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble printed circuit boards
- ensure conformity to specifications
- ensure public safety and security
- inspect quality of products
- interpret circuit diagrams
- monitor machine operations
What stands in the way is 3 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A wave soldering machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a surface-mount technology machine operator background worth leading with.
- already held operate wave soldering machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prepare board for soldering handling and moving
- already held clean printed circuit board handling and moving
- already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assemble printed circuit boards handling and moving
- already held solder components onto electronic board constructing
All 25 carried skills, including the 13 the wave soldering machine operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 8 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 measure furnace temperature required
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- still to learn temperature scales required
- still to learn maintain furnace temperature required
- optional, not held test printed circuit boards optional
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held dispose of soldering waste optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a wave soldering machine operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain furnace temperature practise this
- 02 measure furnace temperature practise this
- 03 temperature scales 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held assemble printed circuit boards skill
- already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
- already held monitor machine operations skill
- already held operate wave soldering machine skill
- already held prepare board for soldering skill
- already held printed circuit boards knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read assembly drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held solder components onto electronic board skill
- already held IPC standards knowledge
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held check for solder defects skill
- already held clean printed circuit board skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held oversee logistics of finished products skill
- already held repair electronic components skill
- already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held surface-mount technology knowledge
- already held use CAM software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held printed circuit boards testing methods optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held dispose of soldering waste optional
- optional, not held test printed circuit boards optional
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held printed circuit boards testing methods optional
11 held skills the wave soldering machine operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role carry out shipping orders for parts skill
- not needed by the target role coat printed circuit board skill
- not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role microelectronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate SMT placement equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate automated optical inspection machine skill
- not needed by the target role provide power connection from bus bars skill
- not needed by the target role replace defect components skill
- not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
3 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 temperature scales required
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held printed circuit boards testing methods optional
Other moves recorded from surface-mount technology machine operator
- printed circuit board assembler 54% covered · moderate
- automated optical inspection operator 52% covered · moderate
- semiconductor processor 37% covered · substantial
- printed circuit board test technician 36% covered · substantial
Full index of moves from surface-mount technology machine operator
Common questions about this move
Can a surface-mount technology machine operator become a wave soldering machine operator?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A surface-mount technology machine operator already covers 78% of what a wave soldering machine operator is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 13 of which the wave soldering machine operator role treats as required.
What skills does a surface-mount technology machine operator need to become a wave soldering machine operator?
3 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is maintain furnace temperature.
How hard is the move from surface-mount technology machine operator to wave soldering machine operator?
Its learning distance is 25.5 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.