Have you ever wondered who designed your smartphones, laptops, washing machines, cars, etc., so strong and durable? The answer is mechanical design engineers. Mechanical design engineers form the core of product design, where they ensure that the design is structurally robust, safe to use, compliant with regulations, and ergonomical.
Mechanical design has been there as a profession for hundreds of years. From designing earlier machines, tools, and products of the industrial revolution to modern consumer products, mechanical design engineers have remained at the forefront of industrial design, development, and innovation.
In this article, you will learn what is mechanical design, how you can start your career in mechanical design, the benefits of starting a career in mechanical design, the top professional avenues in mechanical design, the future of mechanical design, and much more.
What is mechanical design?
Mechanical design is an engineering domain that integrates mechanical engineering, design engineering, engineering drawing, creativity, ergonomics, material science, and many other fields.
In mechanical design, students learn to design, analyze, test, and evaluate mechanical systems and sub-systems. Students also learn to create new design concepts and application of various design principles and technologies to create effective design solutions.
Mechanical design engineers are experts at using computer-aided design (CAD) to develop, improve and analyze designs. They create the technical documentation and reports related to designs.
What are the primary job responsibilities of mechanical design engineers?
As professionals, mechanical design engineers have many responsibilities like-
- Engaging with clients to define their design requirements and explain to them various design plans.
- Conducting research for creating new design concepts and keeping track of the latest developments in design fields.
- Creating designs using CAD, CAM, 3D CAD, and various other programs.
- Conducting computer simulations, experiments, and tests to analyze and improve the design.
- Developing prototypes for real-world testing.
- Documenting and reporting the design, its specification, and test results. Creating manuals.
- Managing project budgets, details, timelines, and resources.
- Maintaining communication and coordination with other teams.
Why can Mechanical Design be the right career choice for you?
Below are some of the best reasons to plan for a career in Mechanical design-
- Most versatile skill development
As a mechanical design professional, you would have expertise in various industry-relevant skills like- CAD software skills, designing skills, team management, organisational skills, etc. Apart from that, students will also be well versed in engineering principles and their applications in design.
- Good pay and compensation
Salaries and packages for Mechanical design professionals vary across firms, cities and experience. The average base pay as per glassdoor is Rs. 4,05,545, which is comparable to other engineering domains. Moreover, as the students become more experienced in the profession and their skills, salaries also rise exponentially.
- Opportunity to innovate
Innovation and creativity are crucial to success in a mechanical design career. As competition is rising, companies are pushing their designs to the limits of efficiency and performance. Mechanical design professionals will have the opportunity to develop their skills to the absolute zenith.
- Opportunity to serve the society
Mechanical design professionals design critical medical devices, medical implants, consumer products, machines, etc., which contribute to society’s and the economy’s general well-being. So apart from just earning, you will also contribute to making this world a better place.
How to make a career in Mechanical Design?
- Education
To build up a career in mechanical design, students need to pursue BE/BTech in mechanical engineering, BTech in design engineering, or MTech in mechanical design. To gain admission into desirable colleges and domains, students need to pass and score a good rank in engineering entrances like IIT JEE, BITSAT, VITEEE, etc., or in Gate for MTech.
Since mechanical design is closely linked to manufacturing enterprises, students can find good engineering colleges in Osmanabad, Delhi, Pune, etc., which are the major industrial town of India. Joining good BTech colleges in Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, etc., situated in major financial and industrial centres, provides students with a good start, good learning, training, and ample job opportunities.
Some of the finest colleges in India for Mechanical engineers are- IITs, NITs, BITS Pilani, CEG, TERNA Osmanabad, etc.
Students should try their best to learn and understand the engineering principles, applications, and materials. Apart from that, students should also build up their knowledge of the latest mechanical design trends, products, technological developments and emerging mechanical design concepts. Further, students should try to score high to make their profiles shine.
- Skill development
Joining a good college is not enough students need to learn and master various industry-relevant skills to get a good job offer. Following are the tips to ensure the best skill development-
- Focus on mastering AutoCAD, Rhino, SolidWorks and other relevant software.
- Focus on soft skills like verbal and communication skills, writing skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, presentation skills, attention to detail, etc.
- Learn business fundamentals to make your profile versatile.
- Students should develop a portfolio of designs to best showcase their design skills. Having a portfolio improves your job prospects.
- Gather certifications. Certifications add immensely to your credentials. Students should obtain certificates in AutoCAD, etc.
- Internship and placement
Having developed sufficient technical acumen, finding a good internship and job will not be a hard nut to crack. Before applying for internships, students should make sure that their resume is well prepared and have a good portfolio of designs to present.
For internships, students can look for opportunities on LinkedIn, Indeed, etc., and even directly apply to companies. Students can even take the help of placed seniors to get an internship offer. Internships should be taken seriously as they help get hands-on experience and the opportunity to interact with people working in the industry. Internships often turn into full-time job offers, so it’s better to get an internship offer from your target companies.
Placement opportunities are generally provided by colleges. Students should also look for off-campus options, like applying on LinkedIn or directly to the company. Students with good technical and soft skills, portfolios, and project experience can easily sail through interviews.
This article best summarises why and how students can build up a lucrative and promising career in Mechanical design. Students should definitely benefit from it to know about a promising career option.
