Agricultural equipment design engineer

Agricultural equipment design engineers apply knowledge of engineering and biological science to solve various agricultural problems such as soil and water conservation and the processing of agricultural products. They design agricultural structures, machinery, equipment and processes.

The following job titles also refer to agricultural equipment design engineer:

agricultural equipment engineering adviser
agricultural equipment technology engineering expert
agricultural research enginer
agricultural equipment technology engineering consultant
agricultural landscape enginer
agricultural systems engineer
agricultural systems specalist
agricultural equipment designer
agriculturl scientist
agricultural equipment engineering expert
agricultural consultant enginer
agricultural equipment engineering consultant
agricultural equipment technology engineer
agricultural equipment engineering specialist
agricultural equipment technology engineering adviser
agricultural irrgation engineer
agricultural equipment engineer
agricultural equipment technology engineering specialist
agricultural automation enginer

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as agricultural equipment design engineer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Agricultural equipment design engineer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to agricultural equipment design engineer.

container equipment design engineer
rotating equipment engineer
packing machinery engineer
fluid power engineer
industrial tool design engineer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of agricultural equipment design engineer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of agricultural equipment design engineer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of agricultural equipment design engineer.

Production processes: Materials and techniques required in the production and distribution processes.
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.
Manufacturing processes: The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.
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.
Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
Legislation in agriculture: Body of regional, national and European laws enacted in the field of agriculture and forestry concerning various issues such as product quality, environmental protection and trade.
Agricultural equipment: The offered agricultural machinery and equipment products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
Agricultural production principles: Principles and conditions of organic and sustainable agricultural production.
Engineering processes: The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
Agricultural chemicals: The production and characteristics of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or insecticides.
Mechanical engineering: Discipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.
Industrial engineering: The field of engineering concerned with the development, improvement, and implementation of complex processes and systems of knowledge, people, equipment, etc.
Cad software: The computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.
Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.

These skills are necessary for the role of agricultural equipment design engineer.

Provide technical documentation: Prepare documentation for existing and upcoming products or services, describing their functionality and composition in such a way that it is understandable for a wide audience without technical background and compliant with defined requirements and standards. Keep documentation up to date.
Use a computer: Utilise computer equipment or digital devices to facilitate quality control, data management, and communication. Follow instructions given by a computer programme, create computer files or documents.
Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
Advise on safety improvements: Provide relevant recommendations following the conclusion of an investigation; ensure that recommendations are duly considered and where appropriate acted upon.
Use computer-aided engineering systems: Use computer-aided engineering software to conduct stress analyses on engineering designs.
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.
Use technical drawing software: Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.
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.
Use cad software: Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.
Execute feasibility study: Perform the evaluation and assessment of the potential of a project, plan, proposition or new idea. Realise a standardised study which is based on extensive investigation and research to support the process of decision making.
Approve engineering design: Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of agricultural equipment design engineer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Material mechanics: The behaviour of solid objects when subjected to stresses and strains, and the methods to calculate these stresses and strains.
Cae software: The software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.
Reverse engineering: The process of extracting knowledge or design information from anything man-made and reproducing it or anything else based on the extracted information. The process often involves disassembling something and analysing its components and workings in detail.
Blueprints: Must be able to read and understand blueprints, drawings and plans and maintain simple written records.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of agricultural equipment design engineer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Operate agricultural machinery: Operate motorised agricultural equipment including tractors, balers, sprayers, ploughs, mowers, combines, earthmoving equipment, trucks, and irrigation equipment.
Maintain rotating equipment: Perform routine maintenance on rotating equipment to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order.
Manage supplies: Monitor and control the flow of supplies that includes the purchase, storage and movement of the required quality of raw materials, and also work-in-progress inventory. Manage supply chain activities and synchronise supply with demand of production and customer.
Maintain agricultural machinery: Maintain agricultural facilities and equipment in order to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order. Perform routine maintenance on equipment and adjust or repair when necessary, using hand and power tools. Replace defective parts components or systems.
Execute analytical mathematical calculations: Apply mathematical methods and make use of calculation technologies in order to perform analyses and devise solutions to specific problems.
Provide cost benefit analysis reports: Prepare, compile and communicate reports with broken down cost analysis on the proposal and budget plans of the company. Analyse the financial or social costs and benefits of a project or investment in advance over a given period of time.
Create a product’s virtual model: Create a mathematical or three-dimensional computer graphic model of the product by using a CAE system or a calculator.
Supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings: Ensure that hygiene procedures in agricultural settings are followed, taking into account the regulations of specific areas of action e.q. livestock, plants, local farm products, etc.
Determine production capacity: Determine how many parts or tools can be manufactured by one machine during one production cycle.
Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
Use cam software: Use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.
Plan manufacturing processes: Determine and schedule production and assembly steps. Plan manpower and equipment needs taking ergonomic considerations into account.
Provide advice to technicians: Offer help and advice to service technicians in case of machine malfunctions and other repair tasks.
Monitor production developments: Monitor parameters to keep an eye on the production, developments and costs within your area of control.
Design prototypes: Design prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.
Determine production feasibility: Determine if a product or its components can be produced by applying engineering principles.
Set up the controller of a machine: Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.
Estimate duration of work: Produce accurate calculations on time necessary to fulfil future technical tasks based on past and present information and observations or plan the estimated duration of individual tasks in a given project.

2144 – Mechanical engineers

 

 

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References

1. Agricultural equipment design engineer – ESCO