Also called: 3D Printing Engineer, AM Engineer
Designs parts and processes for industrial 3D printers that build metal and plastic parts layer by layer for rockets, jets, implants and cars.
You get a rocket-engine part that used to be 20 welded pieces and redesign it so a metal printer can build it as one. You set up the build, choosing how to orient it and where to add supports, then watch a laser melt powder layer by layer for 30 hours. When it comes out, you cut it open to check the inside.
Estimate based on mechanical-engineer wages and AM job postings.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical, materials or manufacturing engineering; a master's in additive manufacturing is common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering.
Growing much faster than average. No separate BLS projection; AM is one of the fastest-growing manufacturing technologies.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI design and print-simulation tools speed work; qualifying parts and solving print failures stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Engineering CTE (PLTW), CAD class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.