Product Design Engineer | Duties , Responsibilities

What is Product Design Engineer

Product design engineers, also known as industrial designers, combine their knowledge of design, engineering, and manufacturing processes to create functional products. They may conduct tests in order to determine whether their products meet all requirements, then document the results. Product design engineers must often meet with members of various departments within their companies in order to review prototypes or discuss required design modifications. The majority of entry-level positions require applicants to hold bachelor’s degrees in fields related to engineering, architecture, or industrial design. Creative problem solvers who enjoy designing useful items may do very well at this career.

Job Duties
It is important that product design engineers be familiar with, and adhere to, their company’s product standards and specifications, so that they may design quality products that represent the company brand. They must also keep trends and the needs of consumers in mind when designing products. Product design engineers may also be responsible for making improvements or updates to existing design and development standards. Professionals may also need to understand how their decisions affect product cost, performance, and quality.

Product Design Engineer Skills

Resourceful and innovative, a successful Product Design Engineer is an effective problem-solver with strong decision-making skills. They are creative and have a careful eye for detail. Above all, Product Design Engineers work well as part of a team, and are able to drive people to create quality products in a timely and cost-effective manner. In addition to these general skills and personality traits, employers are seeking Product Design Engineer candidates with the following skills.

Core skills: Based on job listings we looked at, employers want Product Design Engineers with these core skills. If you want to work as a Product Design Engineer, focus on the following.

• Experience with mechanical design work and knowledge in manufacturing processes
• Ability to read and interpret blue print documents
• Knowledge and experience with utilization of CAD/3-D Modeling Software
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, such as Excel
• Good sketching and concept generation skills
• Ability to understand complex mathematical relationships that underpin mechanical analysis

Advanced skills: While most employers did not require the following skills, multiple job listings included them as preferred. Add these to your Product Design Engineer toolbox and broaden your career options.

• Product knowledge and thorough understanding of materials, linear and nonlinear behavior of materials, fatigue and corrosion
• Experience with various plastic fabricating processes
• Experience in use of lean tools to help develop new processes, layouts and flow
• MRP/ERP/QAD experience