Engineering is an extremely broad field. Whichever area in which you specialize, though, there are myriad opportunities for growth and success. Indeed, engineering careers are amongst the most lucrative in the US, be they electrical, mechanical, civil, or beyond. Preparing for such a career can involve a great deal of education – but it also requires a practical understanding of some key tools of the trade.
Of course, every engineer can – and should – source an extensive set of basic power tools from a supplier like RS Americas. However, the practice of engineering involves engaging with a much wider and more diverse set of tools, from boundary-pushing innovations to indispensable software provisions. What are some of these more specialized tools and how have they become a key part of the average engineer’s toolset?
3D Printer
Engineering is about, amongst other things, innovation. Innovation breeds new technology and infrastructure, where innovations in material engineering have paved the way to new inventions and hitherto impossible modes of making. The most recent paradigm shift in engineering relates to a new tool or toolset, which practically every engineer from bedroom tinkerers to construction industry heavyweights has engaged at one point or another: the 3D printer.
Conventional and commercial 3D printers utilize plastic filaments, a heating array, and an actuated nozzle to ‘print’ plastic designs in three dimensions. These have been used to engineer parts that would be otherwise impossible to manufacture by hand, as well as to speed up the design and manufacture of bespoke pieces for one-off builds or projects. The technology has since expanded beyond tabletop filament work, however, with new large-scale designs enabling the 3D-printing of wholesale structures using specialist concretes.
CAD Software
3D printers do not exist in a vacuum, though. To print a bespoke design, an engineer needs first to design it. While the architect’s table still has a place in contemporary engineering practice, almost all modern design and modeling work is done via CAD software.
CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design, referring to several software solutions that enable the drawing-up of everything from blueprints to interactive 3D models of products. While not a tangible tool, CAD is a tool that nonetheless talks to many other processes in engineering, including 3D printing and other forms of manufacturing.
Hand Tools
As sophisticated a tool set as the average engineer enjoys, there is no discounting the sheer importance of the very basics: screwdrivers, spanners, socket sets, and saws. As touched upon, engineering is an extremely broad school – one that covers everything from large-scale infrastructure to small-scale problem-solving.
While a spanner won’t do much for the construction of a new freeway, it absolutely will for the repair of an essential engine or assembly required in its construction. Hand tools never run out of battery, nor require updates to function as they should; without them, engineers would not have the powers they do.
