Profession optomechanical engineer

Optomechanical engineers design and develop optomechanical systems, devices, and components, such as optical mirrors and optical mounts. Optomechanical engineering combines optical engineering with mechanical engineering in the design of these systems and devices. They conduct research, perform analysis, test the devices, and supervise the research.

Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.

Personality Type

• Investigative / Realistic
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• 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.

• Engineering principles

  The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.

• Optomechanical engineering

  Subset of mechanical engineering specialised in optical systems and products, such as binoculars, microscopes, telescopes, and spectrometers, as well as optomechanical components, such as optical mounts and optical mirrors.

• Optical glass characteristics

  The characteristics of optical glass such as refractive index, dispersion, and chemical properties.

• Optical engineering

  Subdiscipline of engineering that deals with the development of optical instruments and applications, such as telescopes, microscopes, lenses, lasers, fibre optic communication, and imaging systems.

• Mechanical engineering

  Discipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.

• Refractive power

  Refractive power or optical power is the degree to which an optical system, such as a lens, converges or diverges light. Diverging lenses possess negative refractive power, while converging lenses possess positive refractive power.

• Optical manufacturing process

  The process and different stages of manufacturing an optical product, from design and prototyping to the preparation of optical components and lenses, the assembly of optical equipment, and the intermediate and final testing of the optical products and its components.

• Physics

  The natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.

• Optical components

  The components and materials necessary for building optical instruments, such as lenses and frames.

• Optomechanical components

  Components that possess mechanical and optical features, such as optical mirrors, optical mounts, and optical fibre.

• Optical instruments

  The characteristics and usage of optical instruments such as lens-meter, to determine refractive power of lenses such as glasses.

• Optics

  The science that studies the elements and reaction of light.

• Design drawings

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

• Optical equipment standards

  The national and international quality and safety standards and regulations with regards to the use and manufacture of optical equipment, including optical materials, optical components, optical systems, ophthalmic equipment, optomechanical equipment, optical measuring equipment, photographic equipment, and optoelectronic equipment.

• Types of optical instruments

  Possess information on the types of optical instruments and lenses, such as microscopes and telescopes, as well as on their mechanics, components, and characteristics.

Skills

• Model optical systems

  Model and simulate optical systems, products, and components using technical design software. Assess the viability of the product and examine the physical parameters to ensure a successful production process.

• Develop optical test procedures

  Develop testing protocols to enable a variety of analyses of optical systems, products, and components.

• Approve engineering design

  Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

• Read engineering drawings

  Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.

• Perform data analysis

  Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.

• Record test data

  Record data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptional or unusual input.

• Operate precision measuring equipment

  Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.

• Conduct quality control analysis

  Conduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.

• Prepare production prototypes

  Prepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.

• Conduct literature research

  Conduct a comprehensive and systematic research of information and publications on a specific topic. Present a comparative evaluative literature summary.

• Analyse test data

  Interpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.

• Test optical components

  Test optical systems, products, and components with appropriate optical testing methods, such as axial ray testing and oblique ray testing.

• Adjust engineering designs

  Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.

• Perform scientific research

  Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.

• Report analysis results

  Produce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as potential interpretations of the results.

• Design optical prototypes

  Design and develop prototypes of optical products and components using technical drawing software.

• Operate scientific measuring equipment

  Operate devices, machinery, and equipment designed for scientific measurement. Scientific equipment consists of specialised measuring instruments refined to facilitate the acquisition of data.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB