RecordMove

Wave soldering machine operator to automated optical inspection operator

A wave soldering machine operator already meets 45% of what the automated optical inspection operator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From wave soldering machine operator

Partial match

To automated optical inspection operator

14 You already bring

8 Still to learn

35 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

56.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an automated optical inspection operator is expected to do is already part of a wave soldering 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 automated optical inspection operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An automated optical inspection operator role treats 8 of its required skills as things a wave soldering machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

ensure conformity to specifications
inspect quality of products
interpret circuit diagrams
monitor machine operations
printed circuit boards
read assembly drawings

What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An automated optical inspection operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a wave soldering machine operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held through-hole technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held surface-mount technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
already held interpret circuit diagrams information skills
already held read assembly drawings information skills

All 14 carried skills, including the 8 the automated optical inspection operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 21 missing skills fall into 10 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn electronic equipment standards required
still to learn electronics required

optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
optional, not held integrated circuits optional
optional, not held microelectronics optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional

02 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required

still to learn analyse images required
still to learn operate automated optical inspection machine required

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn communicate test results to other departments required

optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held research equipment needs optional
optional, not held write inspection reports optional

04 business, administration and law 1 required

still to learn quality assurance procedures required

05 health and welfare 1 required

still to learn automated optical inspection required

06 management skills 1 required

still to learn meet deadlines required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an automated optical inspection operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 14 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
already held inspect quality of products skill
already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
already held monitor machine operations skill
already held printed circuit boards knowledge
already held read assembly drawings skill
already held read standard blueprints skill
already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
already held IPC standards knowledge
already held keep records of work progress skill
already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
already held surface-mount technology knowledge
already held through-hole technology knowledge
already held write records for repairs skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 handling and moving 2 supplementary

optional, not held remove defective products optional
optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional

08 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held maintain test equipment optional

09 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held check system parameters against reference values optional

10 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held waste removal regulations optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
optional, not held check system parameters against reference values optional
optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
optional, not held integrated circuits optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
optional, not held microelectronics optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held remove defective products optional
optional, not held research equipment needs optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
optional, not held write inspection reports optional

19 held skills the automated optical inspection operator role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
not needed by the target role assemble printed circuit boards skill
not needed by the target role check for solder defects skill
not needed by the target role clean printed circuit board skill
not needed by the target role dispose of soldering waste skill
not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
not needed by the target role maintain furnace temperature skill
not needed by the target role measure furnace temperature skill
not needed by the target role operate wave soldering machine skill
not needed by the target role oversee logistics of finished products skill
not needed by the target role prepare board for soldering skill
not needed by the target role printed circuit boards testing methods knowledge
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role repair electronic components skill
not needed by the target role solder components onto electronic board skill
not needed by the target role temperature scales knowledge
not needed by the target role test printed circuit boards skill
not needed by the target role use CAM software skill

10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn automated optical inspection required
still to learn electronic equipment standards required
still to learn electronics required
still to learn quality assurance procedures required
optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
optional, not held integrated circuits optional
optional, not held microelectronics optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional

Index

Other moves recorded from wave soldering machine operator

Full index of moves from wave soldering machine operator

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a wave soldering machine operator become an automated optical inspection operator?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A wave soldering machine operator already covers 45% of what an automated optical inspection operator is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 8 of which the automated optical inspection operator role treats as required.

What skills does a wave soldering machine operator need to become an automated optical inspection operator?

8 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is analyse images.

How hard is the move from wave soldering machine operator to automated optical inspection operator?

Its learning distance is 56.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.