What does a mechanical assembler do?
Machines, when constructed through an assembly line, get pieced together by the work of a mechanical assembler. Your work is to turn metal fabrications into usable parts or mechanics. You can accomplish this manually by hand or by guiding another machine. You’re required to monitor assembly lines at times, which ensures that sequences are in order. Just don’t limit your thinking to large tanks or spaceships. Massive assemblies are possible, but mechanical assemblers also piece the various parts of your computer or mobile device together. Electronics, vehicles, and individual parts with mechanical properties are what you make.
Inventory and other assemblers
Since your work environment is fast-paced and focused, taking or keeping track of inventory is also pivotal. Ensuring that other assemblers have their next parts or stages ready is imperative to consistent results. Your employer may ask for you to order in parts, fix them, or load them for immediate use within a working line. There are many types of drawings and models involved in this process.
For this reason, you must be able to follow the details of two and 3D models and confirm their related measurements. Keeping track of this working data gets achieved with copies of technical documents. You need training on how to read them and how to order their listed parts.
View RolesWhat is the average mechanical assembler salary?
As a mechanical assembler, expect to earn roughly $3,953.33 as your competitive monthly salary. Your final wages are dependent on your experience and the specialties taught by your employer. With the right credentials and reliability, you can earn more — at roughly $61,190 each year. Those who earn the highest work in aerospace manufacturing. Their salaries get followed by those who work in motor-vehicle parts manufacturing. Turbine and transmission manufacturing are also lucrative sectors for mechanical assemblers. In each field, there are part- and full-time positions, but your experience is a key factor when negotiating pay.
Working as a mechanical assembler
You must look for patterns and perform at a consistent level when manufacturing mechanics. The repetitive steps you take ensure that vast numbers of parts or assemblies get finished. It’s important that you work efficiently and with little distractions. Assemblers come in different capacities but work with other assemblers. You should have a collaborative spirit. Study and be aware of what other processes need and how to handle electrical power. The workstations available to you rely on power tools and hydraulic engineering. Your ability to organize parts and understand their engineering is key to each step.
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What are the responsibilities of a mechanical assembler?
Following instructions is more important than experience or degrees. Technical documents are the core sources of data you’ll work with. Technical documents offer information about the dimensions, constructions, and functions of mechanical designs. Reading measurements and aligning your tools are key to executing each step-in manufacturing. Mastering the stages of manufacturing equips you to foresee the needs of most assemblies you’ll work on. The demands of your work require that you focus without error. No matter your industry, location, or employer, expect to produce high quantities of parts or products.
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What type of equipment do mechanical assemblers use?
Mechanical assemblers work with metal components; this calls for power tools in today’s society. Hydraulic tools and provided workspaces are part of the job. Some workers maintain their own tools, but this depends on the employer. Your familiarity with soldering irons enables you to join metal panels and secure them with a firm fit. You often use wire cutters and microscopes for smaller mechanical assemblies. Your employer typically provides the larger tools you use. Those that ask you to have your own will look for:
- Screwdrivers
- Socket wrenches
- Portable power tools
- Measuring tapes and lasers
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What is the work environment of a mechanical assembler?
Factories are where large assemblies occur. Smaller assemblies are also possible within the confines of a workshop. Ultimately, the tools available and those required dictate your workspace. The larger spaces contain heavy machinery and possibly long lines for parts in assembly. These spaces are open, allowing air and other particles to circulate properly. The hazards of some work environments call for protective equipment for your safety. Eye protection along with a helmet and gloves are common. So are proper shoes, bodysuits, and visors for soldering or welding metal.
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Who are your colleagues as a mechanical assembler?
Mechanical assemblers work in a wide variety of industries, which means a wide variety of possible colleagues. In many of these positions, you will work closely with computer scientists, architects, and engineers that design products, as well as quality-control specialists that ensure that products are created correctly. Mechanical assemblers also work hand-in-hand with maintenance technicians to make repairs and keep equipment working properly.
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What is the work schedule of a mechanical assembler?
It’s common for factories to operate 24 hours, but your personal schedule gets based on an eight-hour shift. The common 9-to-5 schedule is available, but the endless work of manufacturing gives you opportunities to work evenings or nights. The more that you familiarize yourself with, the more credentials you’ll have among other assemblers. This might be an opportunity for more hours and, eventually, overtime work. Your labor gets paid hourly or as a salary, which is dependent on if you’re in a part- or full-time role.
What is the career outlook for a mechanical assembler?
The mechanical assembler is a terrific job if your next career is in mechanics, engineering, or manufacturing. You learn most of the basic skills you need while on the job, but they're also used in other roles and professions. Standing out as you apply for jobs, however, is difficult if you don’t show your competency with mechanics. Machines are specific, relying on typical parts and pieces to function. Working in U.S. manufacturing means that you’ll encounter roughly 100,000 mechanical assembler positions a year. Even within the growing future of automation and wireless, there’s a steady demand for human assemblers.
What are the advantages of working with Spherion as a mechanical assembler?
Shifting through the job market alone is tough business. The edge you need is one that enables you to know who each employer is directly. You can’t just close your eyes and guess with who you’re applying to. There’s a way to simplify the search. Spherion can match you up with the right employer and future career. We give you an advantage over the obstacles by:
- Ensuring pay on a weekly basis
- Giving you flexibility in your work
- Maintaining a contact person for you to call and ask for help
- Offering training opportunities to establish or advance your education
- Storing a range of jobs that are local and, in your area, right now
What education do you need as a mechanical assembler?
A high school diploma or an equivalent gives you an equal opportunity to build your career. A working knowledge of mechanics is a plus, but the specific designs used by your employer will be unique. You learn much of what you need to know on the job through training with your employer, as each employer has different specifications for their products. This training will include learning to interpret process sheets, control plans, and standard operating procedures. Electronic experience and knowledge of hydraulic mechanics also help in this role.
Skills & competencies
Any skill you have with the power tools found in a workshop is helpful. Using an electric screwdriver to drill holes and tighten screws is necessary. You need an eye for detail in order to follow your employer's instructions. Overall, you won’t be making original models, so you need to adhere to your employer’s written plans critically. Being attentive to their directions is how you cooperate with your entire staff. Some of your additional skills and competencies include:
- Maintaining personal equipment – Your work might call for personal tools in your possession. Whether it’s a power tool or a vehicle, you must buy them and keep them in working order.
- Thinking critically – Manufacturing assemblies are puzzles that get put together through critical thinking. You must be able to solve the manufacturing stage you’re given.
- Emergency training – The hazards within your workspace dictate the type of training you’ll need. You must be attentive to the training and education required by your employer.
- Active listening – Assemblers reduce their errors by taking direction to heart. You must follow directions, for this aligns you to your employer’s needs.
FAQs
The right skills as a mechanical assembler can build a promising career with promotions lined up. Here’s a look at what to expect and what it takes to become a mechanical assembler.
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What should a mechanical assembler put in their resume?
For an outstanding resume, mechanical assemblers should portray their passion for mechanics. Experience reading schematics will show that you can follow directions and achieve your products’ intended result. Be sure to list your skills with brevity and aim to only list those that relate to the use of power tools, assembly machines, and engines. Your resume should consist of any skills that require you to piece or unravel mechanics of any kind.
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Which part of manufacturing do assemblers work in?
Industries that require parts or pieces fabricated “from scratch” need the help of assemblers. Fabricating might lead you to complete individual products or simply create a single part. Any time that products get constructed, an assembler works, but those who work on engines, turbines, and vehicles are specifically mechanical assemblers.
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What type of documents do mechanical assemblers interpret?
To ensure that you fit in all assembly roles, you should know how to read blueprints. The bill of materials (BOM) comes to you when it’s necessary to learn the parts and pieces needed for an assembly. A materials list then tells you the chemical makeup of the materials you’ll be working with. Your work orders and assembly drawings then give you the final concept to construct. The visual for this concept is often created in 2D or 3D CAD programs.
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How do I apply for a job as a mechanical assembler?
Applying for a job as a mechanical assembler is easy with Spherion. You can search for mechanical assembler jobs on Spherion.com by job title and location. If you don’t see the perfect role, you can submit an open application. Once you submit your contact information and resume through Spherion’s open application, a recruiter from the office closest to you will reach out with details about potential mechanical assembler roles that fit your skill set and professional goals.
