Ceramics Engineers

Working conditions for ceramics engineers vary depending on the specific field and department in which one works. Hands-on engineers work in plants and factories. Researchers work mainly in laboratories, research institutes, and universities. Those in management positions work mostly in offices; and teachers, of course, work in school environments.

Whatever the job description, a ceramics engineer typically works a standard eight-hour day, five days a week. These engineers work indoors, in either an office, a research lab, a classroom, or a manufacturing plant. A ceramic research engineer, for example, might be in a lab conducting studies on the properties of ceramics and how processing affects them. Production engineers develop the processes needed by a manufacturing plant for making products that include some type of ceramic. Other ceramics engineers work to design such things as medical instruments or artificial body parts. In any case, an engineer's scientific knowledge and analytical capabilities will continue to be challenged.