WHAT DO MATERIALS ENGINEERS DO ?

Materials engineers create new materials and improve existing materials. Materials engineers are involved in the extraction, development, processing, and testing of the materials used to create a diversity of products, from computer chips and television screens to golf clubs and snow skis. They work with metals, ceramics, plastics, semiconductors, and combinations of materials called composites to create new materials that meet certain mechanical, electrical, and chemical requirements. They also are involved in selecting materials for new applications.

There are numerous new developments within materials engineering that make it possible to manipulate and use materials in various ways. The performance of all products is limited by the materials used to produce them. Materials engineers understand the relationship between the properties of a material and its internal structure - from the macro level down to the atomic level.

Most materials engineers specialize in a particular material. For example, metallurgical engineers specialize in metals, while ceramic engineers develop ceramic materials and the processes for making ceramic materials into useful products.

Materials engineers who work with metals are called metallurgical engineers. Those who work with nonmetallic materials, such as glass, clay, and fiberglass, are called ceramic engineers.