Additive Manufacturing Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
An Additive Manufacturing Engineer develops and executes manufacturing process plans for additive manufacturing, which use a range of laser-based or advanced printing techniques to build up models layer by layer. Improves processes and plans, designs and executes tooling requirements. Develops operator training courses.
Job Outlook
There were 12 Additive Manufacturing Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 556 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Manufacturing Engineer industry, which includes the Additive Manufacturing Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Additive Manufacturing Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $84,419.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $84,419.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Additive Manufacturing Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $75,327.
Education and Experience
Posted Additive Manufacturing Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 4.68% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 56.65% |
| Master's Degree | 35.25% |
| Doctoral Degree | 17.81% |
| Other | 12.59% |
Posted Additive Manufacturing Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 26.05% |
| 3 to 5 years | 50% |
| 6 to 8 years | 14.07% |
| 9+ years | 9.88% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Additive Manufacturing Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (34.53%)
- Research (32.55%)
- Operations (26.98%)
- Writing (26.62%)
- Leadership (24.1%)
- Problem Solving (21.58%)
- Innovation (20.14%)
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (19.24%)
- Microsoft Excel (18.17%)
- Management (17.27%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Materials Science (31.65%)
- Mechanical Engineering (38.31%)
- SolidWorks (CAD) (22.12%)
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) (99.64%)
- Manufacturing Processes (21.4%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Composite Materials (6.65%)
- Tooling (7.37%)
- Continuous Improvement Process (4.5%)
- Quality Management Systems (7.37%)
- Fabrication (10.07%)
- Engineering Drawings (11.33%)
- Technical Leadership (5.4%)
- Process Engineering (6.83%)
- Equipment Operation (3.96%)
- Machining (13.31%)
- Engineering Design Process (4.14%)
- New Product Development (14.03%)
- Manufacturing Engineering (12.41%)
- Prototyping (11.69%)
- 3D Modeling (12.41%)
- Data Analysis (9.17%)
- Supply Chain (6.65%)
- Process Development (16.19%)
- Standard Operating Procedure (8.27%)
- Export Control (10.43%)
- Mastercam (CAD/CAM Software) (2.7%)
- MATLAB (9.89%)
- Research And Development (10.43%)
- Post Processing (17.09%)
- Computer Numerical Control (CNC) (4.5%)
- CNC Machining (3.96%)
- Metallurgy (16.91%)
- AutoCAD (2.7%)
- Business Development (3.78%)
- Experimental Design (8.09%)
- Process Improvement (7.73%)
- Advanced Manufacturing (10.25%)
- Computer-Aided Design (29.5%)
- Search Engine Marketing (6.83%)
- Electrical Engineering (6.65%)
- Project Management (21.58%)
- PTC Creo (CAD Suite) (7.91%)
- Development Environment (5.94%)
- Metal Powder (5.76%)
- Materials Engineering (5.94%)
- Chemical Engineering (6.29%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Materials Science (31.77%)
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Additive Manufacturing Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Manufacturing Scientist
- Manufacturing Technologist
- Development Engineer
- Innovation Engineer
- Research and Development Process Engineer
- Core Engineer
- Doctoral Research Fellow
- Science and Technology Director
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Materials Development Engineer
- Research & Development Engineer
- Manufacturing Process Engineer
- Materials Engineer (General)
- Mechanical Engineer (General)
- Mechanical Product Design Engineer
- Product Development Engineer
- Manufacturing Engineer (General)
- Manufacturing Product Design Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Additive Manufacturing Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Carpenter Technology (24)
- Blue Origin (22)
- Emerson Electric (14)
- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (14)
- GE Aerospace (12)
- Sandia Corporation (11)
- Northrop Grumman (11)
- Northeastern University (11)
- Lockheed Martin (9)
- 3D Systems (8)
North Carolina
- Ricoh Electronics (2)
- Honda (2)
- Oerlikon (2)
- American Honda Motor Company (1)
- Trimech (1)
- Oerlikon Fairfield (1)
- Siemens (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Engineering – 2+2 Undergraduate Degrees
- Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Master's Degrees
- Mechanical Engineering Master's Degrees
- Textiles Master's Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.