Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering employs an in-depth knowledge of physics, among other more complex fields, such as thermodynamics, in the designing of various mechanical devices. These include electricity generators, automobiles, home appliances, etc. Note that some of these fields may have their own specialized engineers, such as automotive engineers (for cars).

Mechanical Engineers often work for the companies that manufacture these devices, in their design laboratories. There, or in an individual company's equivalent facility, new products are designed. Often, the company's planning team will provide the engineering team with a list of requirements, and perhaps guidelines pertaining to budget, etc. It is then the job of the mechanical engineers to implement various techniques, based on their acquired expertise, to design the product - matching the specifications asked by the company. This process requires these engineers to have undergone very advance academic study, and to have an aptitude for their field.

Consider a company that produces microwaves. They want to design a new model that will cook food faster, while reducing power consumption (as incentive for consumers to favour their brand) and manufacturing costs. The mechanical engineer/s would need to know what design changes, perhaps substitutions of radioactive ingredients, could be made to improve the effectiveness of the device. Additionally, they would need to come up with ways, based upon prior knowledge, to reduce the amount of electricity required to trigger the elements that make the microwave work. This could involve complex re-wiring, which would, in turn, require potentially months of paper design work before a prototype of the new model could be constructed.

Intricate tasks, such as the example given above, are why mechanical engineers must be so highly trained, and are in such high demand. Good mechanical engineers can be among the highest paid employees in a manufacturing company, because of the highly specialized nature of their jobs - as well as the potentially disastrous consequences of minor errors on their part.

Mechanical Engineers are also involved in the testing phase, after a prototype is completed. This requires similarly advanced of expertise as this is usually the final step before a company goes to full production. The engineers working at this end stage need to be able to spot problems, possibly invisible to the untrained eye, but that could cause trouble later on when the product is mass produced. These engineers are also relied upon to catch any errors made during the design phase, before the final product is approved. Failure, by the mechanical engineers, to do this effectively, could result in accidents, and resulting lawsuits, if a defective product goes to market. Given these stakes, mechanical engineers deserve the relatively high salaries they are paid.