Profession optomechanical engineering technician

Optomechanical engineering technicians collaborate with engineers in the development of optomechanical devices, such as optical tables, deformable mirrors, and optical mounts. Optomechanical engineering technicians build, install, test, and maintain optomechanical equipment prototypes. They determine materials and assembly requirements.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Investigative
• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Optomechanical devices

  Devices which combine mechanical and optical properties, such as precision mirror mounts used in the construction of lasers, optical mounts used in the manufacture of cameras, and optical tables used for optics experiments and engineering.

• Optical engineering

  Subdiscipline of engineering that deals with the development of optical instruments and applications, such as telescopes, microscopes, lenses, lasers, fibre optic communication, and imaging systems.

• Design drawings

  Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.

• Refractive power

  Refractive power or optical power is the degree to which an optical system, such as a lens, converges or diverges light. Diverging lenses possess negative refractive power, while converging lenses possess positive refractive power.

• Mechanical engineering

  Discipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.

• Optical components

  The components and materials necessary for building optical instruments, such as lenses and frames.

• Optical glass characteristics

  The characteristics of optical glass such as refractive index, dispersion, and chemical properties.

• Optomechanical engineering

  Subset of mechanical engineering specialised in optical systems and products, such as binoculars, microscopes, telescopes, and spectrometers, as well as optomechanical components, such as optical mounts and optical mirrors.

• Optomechanical components

  Components that possess mechanical and optical features, such as optical mirrors, optical mounts, and optical fibre.

• Optics

  The science that studies the elements and reaction of light.

• Types of optical instruments

  Possess information on the types of optical instruments and lenses, such as microscopes and telescopes, as well as on their mechanics, components, and characteristics.

• Optical manufacturing process

  The process and different stages of manufacturing an optical product, from design and prototyping to the preparation of optical components and lenses, the assembly of optical equipment, and the intermediate and final testing of the optical products and its components.

• Optical equipment standards

  The national and international quality and safety standards and regulations with regards to the use and manufacture of optical equipment, including optical materials, optical components, optical systems, ophthalmic equipment, optomechanical equipment, optical measuring equipment, photographic equipment, and optoelectronic equipment.

Skills

• Prepare production prototypes

  Prepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.

• Adjust engineering designs

  Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.

• Operate scientific measuring equipment

  Operate devices, machinery, and equipment designed for scientific measurement. Scientific equipment consists of specialised measuring instruments refined to facilitate the acquisition of data.

• Align components

  Align and lay out components in order to put them together correctly according to blueprints and technical plans.

• Assemble optomechanical equipment

  Prepare and assemble optomechanical components and systems, such as optical mounts and optical tables, using hand tools, precision measuring equipment, soldering and polishing techniques.

• Conduct quality control analysis

  Conduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.

• Assist scientific research

  Assist engineers or scientists with conducting experiments, performing analysis, developing new products or processes, constructing theory, and quality control.

• Fasten components

  Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.

• Record test data

  Record data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptional or unusual input.

• Inspect quality of products

  Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.

• 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.

• Apply optical coating

  Apply coating to optical lenses, such as reflective coating to mirrors, anti-reflective coatings to camera lenses, or tinted coatings to sunglasses.

• Test optical components

  Test optical systems, products, and components with appropriate optical testing methods, such as axial ray testing and oblique ray testing.

• Liaise with engineers

  Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.

• Clean optical components

  Clean optical components after every cycle in the manufacturing process.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB