Potential Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 68

career connection mechatronics

THE SYSTEM

APPROACH

The average growth rate for Mechanical Engineering Technicians is

5 % from

2012 to 2022 .
The median annual wage for a Robotic Technician in Alabama is

$ 49,799 per year

The median annual wage for a Mechatronic Technician in Alabama is

$ 55,191

Did you know that automated manufacturing is one of the fasting growing industries in the Southeast ?
This means Alabama manufacturers are seeking workers with the skills required to maintain and troubleshoot their increasingly complex production lines . The need for technicians with the knowledge to install and service equipment for automated processes is ever-growing !
Electrical , mechanical , sensors , robotics , programming … under traditional training methods , students would learn about each of these fields separately , resulting in students misunderstanding the relationships between the different technical subsystems .
Mechatronics , however , teaches the student to look at the entire system and understand it as a whole . Students learn about the overall function of the system , and then learn about the subsystems . Finally , they learn about the components in each subsystem and how they work together . This means that from the very beginning , students are looking at the big picure , understanding the entire process from beginning to end . This type of training and education provided in Mechatronics courses serves to make workers more attractive to today ’ s manufacturers .
Automobile manufacturers in particular have a variety of robots operating on their manufacturing lines , and companies are seeking workers with the skills and hands-on experience required to configure , program , utilize and maintain them in accordance with industry standards .
Lawson State Mechatronics
With so many automobile manufacturers in the Southeast looking for workers with the skills to operate and maintain hundreds of robots on their manufacturing lines , it ’ s important to seek out an education that provides this System Approach learning . Mechatronics students receive that hands-on experience with ABB , FANUC , KUKA , Mitsubishi or Motoman robots when they choose to specialize in Robotics as part of the Manufacturing degree .
Students who complete the Mechatronics short certificate will also be eligible to take the Siemens Mechatronics System Certification Program . Siemens is one of the world ’ s leading manufacturers of mechatronic and automated systems , and has over twenty years of experience in Mechatronics education and over 100 years in technical education .
Glossary
Mechatronics Technician : Repairs , tests , adjusts and install automated mechanical systems
Robotics Technician : Builds , maintains , repairs and tests robotic and robotics-related automated production systems
36 | Spring 2017
Sources : www . bls . gov / ooh / architecture-and-engineering / mechanical-engineering-technicians . htm and www . salaryexpert . com