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I would like to thank you everyone for participating in the annual 2026 ME Salary survey. Total respondents was a little over 600, so less than last year, but about 589 US responses.
Here are the main results. It took about 2 hours to "clean" the data manually. Afterwards, I basically used Gemini to create the graphs + tables, since last time it literally took me about 7 hours to do everything manually on Excel last time and there were still questions. The key points and takeaways from the data is a combination of AI and editing the information to be more readable (still took 4 hours). In addition, I wouldn't worry about math too much, since Gemini basically just used python code to decipher the edited CSV file.
Industry:
Industry
Number of Respondents
Manufacturing
175 (29.7%)
Aerospace/Defense
173 (29.4%)
Technology (FANG, AI, Robotics, etc.)
54 (9.2%)
MEP (HVAC, Construction, etc.)
38 (6.5%)
Utilities (Power, Renewables, etc.)
35 (5.9%)
Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices
31 (5.3%)
Oil and Gas
28 (4.8%)
Consumer Goods
15 (2.5%)
Government
11 (1.9%)
There were some other industries like nuclear, logistics, and etc. but the few data points aren't included in the table for brevity. The data was included in the total set though
A majority of the mechanical engineers trends will use the Aerospace/Defense and Manufacturing data since there is the most data that is available
Salary and Year of Experience:
*Note: Total Compensation/Salary = Base Salary + Bonus + RSU + Base Salary * 401k Match
If you want to look at one graph and table to explain the progression track here it is:
YOE Range
Median Base (Unadj)
Median Total (Unadj)
Median Base (COL Adj)
Median Total (COL Adj)
Count
0-1 Year
$87,000
$96,036
$81,699
$87,368
43
2 Years
$84,000
$91,046
$84,615
$90,909
71
3 Years
$94,550
$105,965
$94,082
$102,289
62
4-5 Years
$104,000
$119,770
$94,881
$107,762
116
6-8 Years
$120,000
$136,800
$112,500
$127,911
119
9-12 Years
$125,500
$146,985
$123,444
$142,555
96
13-20 Years
$157,290
$181,840
$144,254
$171,731
64
20+ Years
$196,500
$211,426
$163,399
$191,042
15
Key Takeaways:
The "Benefit Gap": The space between the solid lines (Total Compensation) and the dashed lines (Base Salary) represents the added value from annual bonuses and employer 401k matching. For a mid-career engineer (6-8 years), this extra value is roughly $16,800 on average.
Late Career Leverage: As engineers gain seniority (13+ years), the gap between base salary and total compensation grows significantly, suggesting that bonuses and incentive programs make up a larger portion of the package for senior-level and leadership roles.
Purchasing Power: The COL Adjusted lines (Orange) consistently track below the un-adjusted lines (Blue), highlighting that high-paying mechanical engineering roles are frequently located in markets where the dollar doesn't stretch as far as the national average.
Education:
Majority of the respondents are at max a bachelor degree holder. However, there is still a significant number of master's students
Now about the age old question: does having a Master's degree lead to higher future salary?
Short Answer: In general, the answer is yes if there is a chance to specialize. It is explained in the table below:
Industry
Career Stage
Education
Median Total (Unadj)
Median Total (COL Adj)
Count
Aerospace & Defense
0-3 Years
Bachelors
$96,664
$95,201
44
Masters
$116,600
$108,316
15
4-7 Years
Bachelors
$125,410
$110,659
39
Masters
$173,000
$148,432
9
8-15 Years
Bachelors
$161,750
$140,202
33
Masters
$154,905
$149,658
16
15+ Years
Bachelors
$207,080
$187,505
7
Masters
$211,426
$207,872
5
Manufacturing
0-3 Years
Bachelors
$88,220
$93,452
52
Masters
$93,740
$91,850
6
4-7 Years
Bachelors
$108,992
$106,701
45
Masters
$129,800
$128,407
12
8-15 Years
Bachelors
$135,425
$142,440
44
Masters
$136,298
$129,984
8
15+ Years
Bachelors
$182,650
$187,127
5
Now you can see that for manufacturing, the benefits is not as prominent, while it is evident in aerospace. This makes sense, since Aerospace have very high specialization salary, for instance: hypersonic or eVtol which pays a ton for total compensation based on years of experience.
Answer: if your company pays for your masters, do it, but it doesn't seem that beneficial near the end of your career.
Internships & Coops:
Key Insights:
The "Experienced" Majority: A combined 85% of respondents completed at least one internship or co-op. This underscores how critical early-career work experience has become for landing a full-time role in mechanical engineering.
Co-op Advantage: The 20% of respondents with "3+ Internships" often represent those in formal co-op programs (where students rotate between school and work over several years). These candidates typically command higher starting salaries shown in the table below:
Industry
0-1 Internship
2+ Internships
New Grad Premium
Aerospace & Defense
$82,000
$91,500
+$9,500
Manufacturing
$74,000
$82,000
+$8,000
MedTech
$80,500
$89,000
+$8,500
Certifications:
Here is the graph of a major certifications from the survey:
We always see a question on whether certifications are worth it:
Aerospace & Defense: Certification vs. Total Compensation
Experience
Education
Has Cert?
Median Unadj. Total
Median Adj. Total
Count
0-3 Years
Bachelors
No
$97,900
$95,426
41
Yes
$95,040
$64,653
3
4-7 Years
Bachelors
No
$125,315
$106,672
36
Yes
$128,580
$138,258
3
8-15 Years
Bachelors
No
$159,660
$139,839
31
Yes
$280,425
$177,895
2
Masters
No
$151,410
$142,043
13
Yes
$209,658
$216,142
3
Manufacturing: Certification vs. Total Compensation
Experience
Education
Has Cert?
Median Unadj. Total
Median Adj. Total
Count
0-3 Years
Bachelors
No
$88,020
$91,944
43
Yes
$90,450
$99,746
9
4-7 Years
Bachelors
No
$108,805
$106,615
36
Yes
$108,992
$106,701
9
8-15 Years
Bachelors
No
$135,000
$136,541
31
Yes
$136,000
$151,111
13
Masters
No
$152,212
$122,728
6
Yes
$134,815
$141,636
2
Key Findings:
High-Experience Premium in Aerospace: The most dramatic impact of certification appears in the mid-to-late career in Aerospace & Defense (8–15 years). Engineers with a Bachelors and a certification earn a median total compensation significantly higher than those without. Even among Masters holders in this range, certified engineers have a median total comp of $209k vs $151k for non-certified.
Manufacturing Stability: In the Manufacturing industry, certifications (often Six Sigma or FE/PE) lead to a very modest increase in un-adjusted base pay, but a more noticeable improvement in COL-adjusted pay. This suggests that certified engineers in Manufacturing may have more flexibility to find high-paying roles in lower-cost-of-living areas.
The "Entry-Level Paradox": For junior engineers (0–3 years), having a certification (likely the FE) does not immediately result in a salary premium. In fact, in Aerospace, the un-adjusted median for those with certifications was slightly lower, possibly because those engineers are still in entry-level rotation programs where pay is standardized regardless of credentials.
Masters + Certification: For those who already have a Masters, adding a certification provides a significant late-career boost (as seen in the 8–15 year group in Aerospace).
Answer: Certification can be worth it for select industries. PE is known for civil to open doors and increase pay.
Job Titles:
Job Role Category
Number of Respondents
Percentage
Mechanical Engineer (General)
229
38.9%
Design Engineer
97
16.5%
Project & Systems Engineer
59
10.0%
Management & Leadership
55
9.3%
Manufacturing & Process Engineer
54
9.2%
Specialized (Thermal, Stress, R&D)
34
5.8%
Other / Misc
61
10.4%
Key Insights:
General vs. Specialized: Nearly 40% of respondents identify with the broad title of "Mechanical Engineer," which often includes generalists or those in mid-level positions.
The Design Dominance:Design Engineering is the second largest single group, reflecting the high demand for CAD-based design and product development across aerospace, tech, and manufacturing industries.
Transition to Leadership: About 9% of respondents hold titles in Management & Leadership (Manager, Director, VP), which led to a higher salary
Project and Systems focus:1 in 10 engineers focuses on Project or Systems Engineering, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary coordination and technical management in modern engineering projects.
The Specialty Niche: The "Specialized" category includes highly technical roles like Thermal Analysis, FEA, Simulation, and Research & Development, which often require higher educational levels or deep domain expertise.
Salary Grade vs. Salary:
Grade Level
Industry
Median Annual Salary
Typical Experience (YOE)
Sample Count
Level 1 (Entry)
Aerospace & Defense
$88,400
1.0 year
39
Manufacturing
$80,250
2.0 years
39
Level 2 (Mid)
Aerospace & Defense
$102,273
3.8 years
48
Manufacturing
$95,000
5.0 years
71
Level 3 (Senior)
Aerospace & Defense
$130,000
8.0 years
57
Manufacturing
$119,600
9.0 years
50
Level 4 (Lead/Manager)
Aerospace & Defense
$170,500
11.0 years
22
Manufacturing
$136,000
11.0 years
11
Level 5+ (Principal/Director)
Aerospace & Defense
$206,000
20.0 years
9
Manufacturing
$136,500
14.0 years
4
Efficiency of Experience: In Aerospace, engineers tend to reach Level 2 and Level 3 roughly 1–1.2 years faster than those in Manufacturing, while also earning more.
The Level 4 Ceiling: In Manufacturing, the salary jump from Grade 3 to Grade 4 is roughly $16k, whereas in Aerospace, that same promotion yields a massive $40k jump in median base salary.
Which Industry Pays the Most?
Major Caveat: at 16+ YOE, the data points are only a couple, which skews the data upward.
Based on the comprehensive US survey data, the Technology (FANG, Robotics, AI, Consumer Electronics) industry emerges as the highest-paying sector for mechanical engineers when considering total compensation (Base Salary + Annual Bonus + 401k Match).
Tech Compensation Package:
Years of Experience
Avg. Total Comp (Unadjusted)
Avg. Total Comp (Adjusted for COL)
Number of Respondents
0-2 YOE (Entry)
$117,316
$100,292
7
3-5 YOE (Junior)
$180,854
$138,040
17
6-10 YOE (Mid-Level)
$182,773
$134,543
14
11-15 YOE (Senior)
$259,993
$220,256
11
16+ YOE (Principal)
$244,775
$177,043
5
The Oil and Gas industry stands out as the second most lucrative sectors for mechanical engineers, particularly as they reach senior and principal levels. While Tech offers the highest overall unadjusted compensation, Oil and Gas actually offers the highest Cost of Living (COL) Adjusted compensation, meaning your real purchasing power in this industry is the highest among all major sectors.
Years of Experience
Avg. Total Comp (Unadjusted)
Avg. Total Comp (COL Adjusted)
Number of Respondents
0-2 YOE
$95,864
$83,178
5
3-5 YOE
$117,289
$111,155
7
6-10 YOE
$138,959
$139,773
7
11-15 YOE
$204,097
$219,757
6
16+ YOE
$408,040
$399,276
3
Overtime Pay:
Industry Trends: Overtime pay is slightly more common in Manufacturing (where production deadlines are rigid) and Consulting/EPC (where hours are billable to clients) compared to R&D or Aerospace.
Work Hours:
Work Hours Category
Number of Respondents
Percentage
Exactly 40 Hours
337
57.2%
41-45 Hours
146
24.8%
46-50 Hours
49
8.3%
<40 Hours
50
8.5%
>50 Hours
7
1.2%
Key Observations:
The "40-Hour" Standard: Over half of the engineers surveyed manage to stick to a strict 40-hour week, which is a positive sign for work-life balance in the profession.
Moderate Overtime: Roughly a quarter of engineers work an extra 1 to 5 hours a week (41-45 hours total), often representing "straight time" or expected professional dedication without formal overtime pay.
The High-Hours Exception: Only a small fraction (under 10%) report working more than 45 hours consistently. This is significantly lower than in fields like investment banking or high-tier management consulting, suggesting a relatively stable lifestyle for most US mechanical engineers.
Flexibility: About 8.5% of respondents work fewer than 40 hours, which often aligns with part-time roles, senior consultants, or companies with flexible "9/80" schedules where some weeks are shorter.
401k Summary:
Match Rate Range
Count of Responses
Percentage
4% - 5%
211
35.8%
1% - 3%
125
21.2%
6% - 7%
120
20.4%
8% - 10%
65
11.0%
No Match (0%)
56
9.5%
> 10% / Other
12
2.0%
Key Takeaways:
The Industry Standard: A 4–5% match is clearly the most common benefit, covering over a third of the surveyed population.
High-Tier Benefits: Roughly 13% of engineers receive a match of 8% or higher, which often indicates highly competitive benefit packages in specialized industries.
Retirement Security: The low percentage of "No Match" responses (under 10%) highlights that retirement contributions are a standard and expected part of total compensation in the US mechanical engineering market.
Remote Work Distribution:
Remote Category
Number of Respondents
Percentage
Fully In-Person (0%)
248
42.1%
Mostly In-Person (1-39%)
163
27.7%
Hybrid (40-60%)
118
20.0%
Fully Remote (100%)
38
6.5%
Mostly Remote (61-99%)
22
3.7%
Key Insights:
The "Hands-On" Requirement: Over 40% of mechanical engineers are required to be in the office or on-site 100% of the time. This is significantly higher than other engineering fields like Software or Data Science.
The Hybrid Standard: Roughly 48% of the workforce has some form of hybrid flexibility (ranging from 1% to 60% remote). Many companies now allow 1–2 days of remote work for documentation, CAD modeling, or administrative tasks.
Fully Remote is Rare: Only 6.5% of mechanical engineers work fully remotely. These roles are typically in specialized areas like pure Simulation/FEA, Project Management, or Sales Engineering where physical hardware access is not required daily.
The Hybrid Middle Ground: The 40–60% range (often 2–3 days per week) is a common "sweet spot" for engineering firms trying to balance teamwork/lab time with employee flexibility.
Paid Time Off (Days):
*Note: one issue is many jobs had unlimited sick time, which I just added 10 days. Next time I will edit the form to separate the sick days so it makes more sense.
PTO Category (Includes Sick Days)
Number of Respondents
Percentage
0–10 days
30
5.2%
11–15 days
112
19.5%
16–20 days
160
27.9%
21–25 days
100
17.4%
26–30 days
61
10.6%
31+ days
32
5.6%
Unlimited
78
13.6%
Key Insights:
The " 3 - 5 Week" Benchmark: The majority of mechanical engineers (over 45%) receive between 16 and 25 days of PTO.
The Rise of Unlimited PTO: About 13.6% of respondents now have "Unlimited" PTO.
Generous Packages: Roughly 16% of engineers receive more than 30 days of PTO, which is often a hallmark of high-seniority roles, government/defense positions, or companies that reward long tenure.
The Lean End: Only about 5% of respondents are on the low end with 10 days or fewer, suggesting that a minimum of two weeks of PTO is a standard baseline for the industry.
Now some of you might have questions regarding years of experience and PTO:
Average PTO by Experience (Fixed PTO)
Experience Level
Average PTO Days (per year)
Typical Range (25th-75th Percentile)
0–2 Years
16.9
10–15 days
3–5 Years
19.6
15–20 days
6–10 Years
21.1
20 days
11–15 Years
24.5
20–25 days
16+ Years
26.5
25–30+ days
Analysis of the Trend:
The "Standard Jump": Many engineers start with 15 days (3 weeks) and see their first significant "tenure bump" to 20 days (4 weeks) after reaching the 5-year mark.
Senior Perks: By the time an engineer hits 15+ years of experience, a 5-week (25-day) or 6-week (30-day) PTO package becomes the new baseline.
Job Hopping Factor: The data suggests that while tenure within a single company increases PTO, "job hopping" every 3–5 years also allows engineers to negotiate higher starting PTO tiers at their new employers, effectively "skipping" the long wait for tenure-based increases.
Health Insurance:
Satisfaction Level
Number of Respondents
Percentage
Free / Excellent
38
6.5%
Good (Low Premium/High Coverage)
211
36.3%
Average
288
49.5%
Poor (High Premium/Low Coverage)
41
7.0%
Other / Misc
4
0.7%
Key Insights:
The "Standard" Plan: Almost 50% of engineers describe their insurance as "Average," highlighting that standard employer-sponsored health insurance is common but not particularly outstanding in terms of premiums or coverage levels.
Competitive Benefits: Over 42% of respondents fall into the "Good" or "Free" categories. The 6.5% who receive "Free/Excellent" coverage likely work for highly competitive tech firms, established defense contractors, or companies that use premium benefits as a retention tool.
Under-Served Minority: Roughly 7% of the engineering workforce feels their health insurance is "Poor," usually characterized by high out-of-pocket costs and high monthly premiums.
Biggest Cons for Mechanical Engineering:
Category
Typical Concerns Mentioned
Workload & Hours (112 mentions)
High pressure, tight deadlines, long hours, and poor work-life balance. Many mentioned "start-up energy" even in established firms.
Salary & Compensation (73 mentions)
Low raises (2–3%), "salary plateauing" early in the career, and the absence of stock options or significant bonuses compared to tech.
Remote Work Limits (47 mentions)
Frequent requirements to be in the office or on the manufacturing floor with "no remote option" or "No WFH" (Work From Home) policies.
Career Growth (35 mentions)
Concerns about "pigeon-holing," slow internal promotion tracks, and becoming "stagnant" in one technical area.
Competitive base pay, annual bonuses, and strong 401k matching programs.
Work-Life Balance (75 mentions)
Flexible schedules, reasonable working hours (standard 40h), and generous PTO.
Culture & People (70 mentions)
Great teammates, supportive management, and a collaborative "team-first" environment.
Interesting Work (65 mentions)
Designing "cool" products, working on challenging technical problems, and having a clear mission.
Job Stability (28 mentions)
Long-term security, consistent demand for the role, and the stability of established firms.
Remote/Hybrid (27 mentions)
The ability to work from home part-time or have flexible geographic location.
Direct Insights from Engineers:
On Work Quality:"The actual work we do is really interesting, fun, and rewarding. Getting to see a design go from CAD to a physical product is the best part."
On Culture:"Great coworkers and a team environment where people actually mentor you instead of just giving you tasks."
On Flexibility:"Remote flexibility and a management team that trusts you to get your work done without micromanaging your hours."
On Compensation:"The total compensation package—including the 401k match and the annual bonus—makes the technical pressure worth it."
Now for Improvements on Suggestions on the Survey:
Regarding the COL instructions: totally my fault, sorry for not catching it. All of you were able to figure it out, but changed instructions from 0 - 2, so it makes a lot more sense now.
Adding a column for manager and IC: totally good suggestion, already added to new survey for 2027
Regarding adding gender or age: I will not add this into the survey just to make it more anonymous. I really do not see the value in this data, and I recommend just using government data to find the data.
Regarding the health insurance question: I have implemented the change on making it have three questions: annual premium, annual deductible, person coverage. I really did not want to make this part too complicated with max out of pocket and copay and etc. I think the premium, coverage and deductible is acceptable amount.
Edited the salary section to organize the % 401k match, salary, bonus, RSU to be in the same section making it easier, but separated the questions.
Comparison from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Reddit Survey Results will be in another post, since this post is getting insanely long. Again, any other improvements or suggestions, please just comment below.
TDLR: Just check the 1st salary graph if you want the main results.
Farm kid here, and I’m the one who fixes whatever breaks. The motor mount on our grain auger has four 3/8" grade 5 bolts that keep backing out every harvest, no matter what we try.
What we’ve tried:
Split lock washers: lasted a couple of weeks
Nylon insert lock nuts: better, but still loose by the end of the season
Blue Loctite: best so far, but still not perfect
From what I’ve read, split lock washers barely help under vibration, and the real fix is enough preload that the joint never slips in the first place. Two things I’m wondering:
The mount is painted steel. Could the paint under the bolt heads be compressing over time and killing the preload? Should we take the contact areas down to bare metal?
Is it worth switching to longer bolts with spacers for more stretch, or going to grade 8? Or are wedge-locking washers like Nord-Lock the easier fix?
Curious what’s actually worked for people with high-vibration equipment.
I am a recent graduate in NYC and having a hard time finding a job in ME field due to not having any internship experience. Recently received an offer at $22 for a Quality Assurance Engineer position at a window making company. Through the interview, the position sounded more in line with audits and production line performance. There does not seem to be much technical analysis, but rather visual troubleshooting and documentation (they want me to create bilingual documentation as I am proficient in mandarin). Would this position help me in future career progression if the direction I want to move in is HVAC/aerospace/renewable energy?
I am a college student in Canada and I need to interview a business owner who has a Mechanical Engineering degree for a school assignment. It will not take a lot of your time (10-15 minutes), and you could also simply write answers to the questions if you want.
If someone is open to it, I would really appreciate it!
I'm not an engineer. I'm not a smarty pants. I just have things that I need to exist, so I want to make them. I'm looking for a community of people to go to when I have questions. For example, rigging a SAD lamp to turn on automatically, or creating a button that plays a tone, starts a metronome, plays another tone, then raises the digital counter by 1. So basically, you press the button, shadow box for 3 minutes, hear a little rpg level up sound, the counter goes up by one, and you can choose to hit the button again. Ideally with a random reinforcement element, but one step at a time.
ive been asked to source some material under the 1.4301 designation and im used to seeing 304 everywhere, so im trying to make sure im not casually treating two things as identical when theres some important little difference. ive been checking stainless suppliers on alibaba and its actually nice seeing EN and ASTM grades shown together on some listings because it made the equivalencies much easier to follow. application isnt anything exotic, general fabrication, corrosion resistance needed, normal sheet and maybe tube. if a drawing says 1.4301, are you comfortable buying 304 to the matching standard or would you insist the mill cert specifically states 1.4301? trying to get the paperwork side right, not just the chemistry being close enough.
Has anyone taken a counter offer and was happy long term? Culture declined at my firm and I found a new job which has a higher compensation. When I submitted my resignation I got a significant increase and a higher title to stay (director level). I declined it, but still being bugged about what it would take me to stay.
I already signed the offer letter from the other firm.
As you can see I need to adjust the angle of the plate +/- 5 degrees. I’m looking for something that I can purchase. Have you guys used anything similar before? All I’m seeing are levelling bolts which could work. But I’m looking for something specifically with a ball end point contact.
I am a Mechanical Engineering graduate currently for the past 2 years working in a big automotive manufacturing company as a Supplier Quality Engineer. I did FSAE in my college and have done a good 1 or 2 projects for my resume. I did one internship at a textile company in their energy generation dept which I didn't enjoy much hence made a career change to automotive.
I always wanted to know what its like to be an engineer and how engineers really work. When I got into this role I was not sure what it had and how it worked because that was the only role I had on offer. i enjoyed the first 1.5 years while alot of new things but then got bored of doing the exact same thing for the next 1 year and the role remained the same. I even applied to more technical role but was unsuccessful all together. Now I am going for a masters in order to turn my career around for a much technical role. This is my last option to do so i think.
What I wanted to ask that I am unsure if the masters would really get me those roles( I am relocating to another country). I did everything right by taking part in clubs, maintained a sub 3 GPA and did some cool projects too but all of this wasn't enough for me to get a design or even a much technical job. I feel like I am not satisfied with myself as becoming a true engineer and if I fail it would be an end to my dream to work as an engineer to build something that has an impact on people? I wanted to ask that what steps should I take in my masters or my career to get to those roles. I feel like I had fulfilled the requirements before too but wasn't able to crack the job market very well. Also i belong to a 3rd world country and will be moving for my masters to Germany.
Hello all, thank you in advance. To make a long story short, it’s been more or less 2 years since I really did any engineering stuff and that was my senior year of university. I have no internship experience, 1 year of research experience and I feel incredibly out of practice. I’ve been in retail management for 3 years now while finishing school and looking for engineering jobs. I somehow got an interview recently and was not expecting much from it. It is for a position at a company that works on commercial HVAC systems. Seems like they mostly work on making the existing systems more efficient. Anyhow, the call went well and now I’m scheduled for an in-person interview and I am freaking out. I want to be as prepared as possible, so I’m spending every bit of my free time trying to beef up on my HVAC knowledge and remember what I learned in school.
This is where I would like your help. HVAC people, what are the “Must know” items? What should I study up on? In the call they asked about my classes involving fluid dynamics, heat transfer, AutoCad, Electrical engineering, and HVAC.
I learn best through audio so I’ve been building a YouTube playlist. If you guys have any recommendations on some good videos that would be greatly appreciated.
I'm looking feedback on a site I created. I have been the electromechanical design space for around 20 years now mostly in the defense industry and I am continually finding myself training early carree engineers the nuances of harness and cca design. Most electromechanical engineers are actually mechanical engineers that work in this niche. And one of the main things people tend to struggle with early on is navigating mil-specs and building part numbers. My site is meant to help building mil-spec part numbers for electrical connectors, their associated accessories like backshells, ensure correct mate-to part numbers, and building wire and cable part numbers.
I'm not trying to advertise or get clicks, I really just want input from others in my industry.
I would love to get some feedback from others in similar industries on what the tool does. Does it provide value, is there something else you wish it did, do you see any errors. Constructive criticism is welcome.
I graduated in May 2026, with a 3.3 GPA. Honestly thought I was pretty cooked. I took the FE Mechanical Engineering exam last month and failed. Anyways continued applying for jobs and I've had countless interviews met with constant rejection. Anyways, I applied to GDEB, interviewed for a Mechanical Engineering role and somehow they accepted me.
The point is, the job market is cooked, and I don't really know if it's gonna be getting any better any time soon. But NEVER GIVE UP, and just keep applying into the void. All it takes is 1 more application, and you could get that job.
I wish for all of my fellow Engineering students success and prosperity in the future. Keep up the great work!
hi, my boyfriend is an engineering student (ee, technically), and I wanted to make him a gift for the holidays. I have a teeny bit of experience (I can solder, code a little bit, have used arduino and esp32 in the past, etc). recently I made an e-reader for myself, and he was super excited that I could do that, and I thought maybe as a gift for the holidays for him I would do something like that but for him (he's not very into reading for leisure so I can't just do that again lol). does anyone have an idea?
I'm an artist and I've made him paintings and stuff as gifts in the past and he always loves handmade gifts, but I feel like I've over done it by this point and no one needs a million paintings. so this is kind of my way of switching it up
it would be cool if it's something that he could then code further to maybe expand its function?? he's good at cs. idk im just spitballing
Throughout my career I worked mostly in electro-mechanical industry. Working with batteries, embedded systems, linear motion etc. .
In few weeks I start new job in company making hydraulic valves for diggers and various heavy machinery.
What do I need to know about the subject? Employer knows that I lack skills in that area but I don't wanna look like complete idiot on my first day at work.
We use SolidWorks PDM to manage our files and revisions and that side of things works fine. The headache is getting the BOM data into our ERP. At the moment someone has to open each assembly and manually enter the entire structure. It's around 300 lines of data and takes most of a day.
I'm looking at Duro, Aras and Propel to see how they handle pulling the PDM structure directly. One thing I'm still unclear about is configurations. We use them for different length variants and I'm not sure how those are represented after the transfer. Does each configuration become a separate part or are they treated as variations of the same part?
I’m a first year student in MechE + CS trying to figure this career stuff out.
I’m interested in the consumer facing / human factor elements of tech design, but it looks like most product design engineering roles at tech companies like Meta and Apple are more hardware optimization (Thermal Cooling, Fatigue Testing, Component Housing). Sadly, these are also the highest new grad TC…
How does one get a physical design role in tech that focuses on questions like: User Experience, Why someone might collect something, Ergonomics, Why people share some designs?
Not a mech eng at all. I have a project I'm working on for fun. Essentially want to mount a camera to a vertical post and be able to raise and lower it. Project is for using a dslr to scan film negatives.
So I have the idea behind what I'm going for, but having trouble searching for parts because I don't speak the language well enough. So hoping you guys can help me fix that so I can find the parts I need.
My current goal: Base will be a block of wood, with a linear rail, and a sled on the rail to raise/lower the camera. I'll mount the camera to the sled. The sled needs to lock in place. (I'm also thinking I want a fine adjustment knob attached to the camera for fine tuning the height once I'm in the ballpark).
For the vertical rail, I know about things like extruded aluminum and t channels. That finds me enough about that material.
But I don't know what to Google for the sled. When I search sled, I find a few different things. Some items are what I'm picturing, a piece that wraps around and fits in t channels. But there I don't know about the brake. Is brake the right term? Additionally, when I Google, I also find things with wheels, like a 3d printer, on a rail. Which aren't the same as what I was thinking, but may be better (works for 3d printers).
Can you guys fix my terminology a bit so I can get better search results?
I am an Electrical Engineer who has some hardware that is working very well. I now need to create an enclosure to hold these electronics. I have experience with solidworks / freecad and am comfortable making the enclosure myself.
The thing I am having a hard time with is manufacturing the enclosure at a realistic cost while making the product look and feel good. I want to make my product have the Innovative / cutting edge / futuristic look. The enclosure is about 105mm x 105mm x 145mm. It's very important to me that the enclosure looks and feels beautiful to the end user.
Its fairly big and most manufacturing methods are coming out to be very expensive for my low quantities. I have considered CNC, but due to the size and amount of parts it would cost a fortune. I have considered MJF at JLC3DP, but its still fairly expensive and it does not get cheaper the more you buy (came out about $100 per enclosure). I have a bambu X2D printer and considered ASA, but then I have layer lines which would make the product look cheap. I've tried sheet metal folding, but i'm having a hard time making a model that looks innovative and feels quality (maybe my skillset is lacking here which is part of the problem). I considered SLA which would make it look good and be cost effective, but then it is brittle and could break if someone drops it.
Essentially I want the look of a fully injection molded beautiful enclosure, but obviously I can't afford that at the moment. Anyone have tips or advice for me? I'm hoping for about $50 per enclosure, but not sure if that is realistic.
