Profession electrical drafter

Electrical drafters support engineers in the design and conceptualisation of electrical equipment. They draft, with the support of specialised software, the specifications of a varied number of electrical systems such as voltage transformers, power plants, or energy supply in buildings.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative
• Artistic / Realistic

Knowledge

• Electricity

  Understand the principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.

• Mathematics

  Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.

• Design drawings

  Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.

• Electrical wiring diagrams

  The visual schematic representation of an electrical circuit, its components, and the connections between these components.

• Technical drawings

  Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.

• Electrical equipment regulations

  The national and international regulations with regards to the use and manufacture of electrical equipment on the workfloor. These regulations provide rules and guidelines on topics such as general risk management, electrical equipment manufacture, electrical equipment testing, electrical equipment installation, warning labels, and certificates.

• Manual draughting techniques

  Techniques used for creating detailed drawings of designs by using specialised pencils, rulers, templates and scales.

• Electrical equipment components

  The essential components of a certain electrical product, such as electrical wires, circuit breakers, and switches.

• Electricity principles

  Electricity is created when electric current flows along a conductor. It entails the movement of free electrons between atoms. The more free electrons are present in a material, the better this material conducts. The three main parameters of electricity are the voltage, current (ampère), and resistance (ohm).

• Electrical engineering

  Understand electrical engineering, a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

• CAD software

  The computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.

Skills

• Draw blueprints

  Draw layout specifications for machinery, equipment and building structures. Specify which materials should be used and the size of the components. Show different angles and views of the product.

• Interpret electrical diagrams

  Read and comprehend blueprints and electrical diagrams; understand technical instructions and engineering manuals for assembling electrical equipment; understand electricity theory and electronic components.

• Abide by regulations on banned materials

  Comply with regulations banning heavy metals in solder, flame retardants in plastics, and phthalate plasticisers in plastics and wiring harness insulations, under EU RoHS/WEEE Directives and China RoHS legislation.

• Use CAD software

  Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.

• Ensure material compliance

  Ensure that the materials provided by suppliers comply with the specified requirements.

• Liaise with engineers

  Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.

• Process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006

  Reply to private consumer requests according to REACh Regulation 1907/2006 whereby chemical Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) should be minimal. Advise customers on how to proceed and protect themselves if the presence of SVHC is higher than expected.

• Design prototypes

  Design prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.

• Design electrical systems

  Draft sketches and design electrical systems, products, and components using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and equipment. Draw panel arrangement layouts, electrical schematics, electrical wiring diagrams, and other assembly details.

• Create technical plans

  Create detailed technical plans of machinery, equipment, tools and other products.

• Use technical drawing software

  Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.

• Model electrical system

  Model and simulate an electrical system, product, or component so that an assessment can be made of the viability of the product and so the physical parameters can be examined before the actual building of the product.

• Customise drafts

  Edit drawings, schematic diagrams, and drafts according to specifications.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB