Ceramics engineers work with ceramics in various industries, including electronics, telecommunications, dentistry, astronomy, physics, and chemistry. They develop new materials, improve existing ones, and find new uses for ceramics. They may also serve as consultants and perform laboratory research on ceramic composites and finished products. In the event of a failure, they may be called in to identify the problem and recommend changes.
A ceramics engineer is a materials specialist who focuses on the use of ceramics in the production of products ranging from heat resistant tiles in spacecraft to fiber optic cables. These engineers can work in a lab environment to develop new materials and improve existing ones, as well as finding new uses for existing products and components. They also work in facilities that use ceramics to improve processes, optimize production, and monitor product safety and quality. Some focus on forensic applications for their knowledge, looking at what happens when ceramics fail and determining how to avoid future problems of a similar nature.
Ceramic engineering is a very broad field. Several industries make use of ceramics, including electronics, telecommunications, dentistry, astronomy, physics and chemistry. Most engineers choose one area of expertise to focus on; for example, someone with an interest in medicine might focus on dental amalgams, ceramic components for joint replacement, and related topics. The job requires a deep understanding of the materials available, as well as the needs and limitations of their applications.
Part of the work may include laboratory research with new and experimental materials. A ceramics engineer can perform tests to learn about the chemical, physical, and electrical properties of ceramic composites and finished products. This information helps the researcher determine how and where products can be used and what types of design modifications might be needed to make a product more useful. This could include research into existing materials to make them stronger, more durable, and more useful for a wide spectrum of tasks.
In some industries, a ceramics engineer may serve as a consultant to a facility that manufactures or uses ceramic products. The engineer can provide design recommendations, quality control advice, and other useful consulting services. Some facilities may use a ceramics engineer as a full-time supervisor to monitor activity, especially on sensitive tasks such as building nuclear waste containment areas or installing pollution control devices.
Ceramic forensic engineers may be called in if components fail unexpectedly. The consultant can inspect and test failed components to learn more about what happened and why. This may result in a recommendation to change production and product handling practices if the ceramics engineer identifies a problem with the product. In the event of a random failure, advice may include better testing recommendations to identify potentially failing components and more comprehensive maintenance and inspection techniques to detect faulty parts before catastrophe strikes.
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