Design engineer
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A Design Engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines - Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering are the basic three. The Design Engineer is responsible for the design and development of new products, equipment or facilities.
The Design Engineer is distinguished from the designer / drafter by virtue of the fact that a Design Engineer sets the direction of the design effort. The Designer/Drafter is usually directed by the Design Engineer. The Design Engineer usually leads the project. He/she works with Industrial designers and Marketing to develop the product concept and specifications. He/she then directs the design effort from that point. Products are usually designed with input from a number of sources ( Manufacturing, Purchasing, Tool Making, Packaging Engineering, etc.)
The Design Engineer may direct a team of designers to create the CAD files necessary for prototype and production. However, with the advent of solid modeling software ( SolidWorks or Pro-Engineer, for example) the Design Engineer may create the files his or herself.
The next step in the Design Engineer's responsibility is Prototyping. A model of the product is created and reviewed. Prototypes are usually functional and non-functional. Functional prototypes are used for testing and the non-functional are used for form and fit checking. This stage is where design flaws are found and corrected and tooling, manufacturing fixtures and packaging are developed.
Once the design is finalized (which may take more than one iteration)the next step is Pre-production. The Design Engineer, working with a Manufacturing Engineer and a Quality Engineer reviews an initial run of components and assemblies for design compliance. This is often determined through SPC (Statistical Process Control). Variations in the product are correlated to aspects of the process and eliminated. The most common metric used is the Process Capability Index (CP and Cpk). A Cpk of 1 is considered the baseline acceptance for full production go-ahead.
The Design Engineer may follow the product and make requested changes and corrections throughout the life of the product. This is referred to as "Cradle to Grave" engineering.
A Design Engineer is typically expected to have the following qualifications: A BS degree in engineering or science from an accredited institution; experience or knowledge in manufacturing and fabrication methods; A thorough understanding of Statistical Quality Control; An understanding of Marketing and Project Management.
Students interested in pursuing a career in Design Engineering should include Analytical Geometry or Pre-Calculus and Physics into their High School curriculum.
