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Occupation AtlasMechanical Drafters

O*NET · 17-3013.00

Mechanical Drafters

Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.

Also called Aeronautical Drafter · Auto Design Drafter · Auto Design Drafter (Automotive Design Drafter) · Auto Design Layout Drafter · Auto Design Layout Drafter (Automotive Design Layout Drafter) · AutoCAD Designer · AutoCAD Designer (Auto Computer-Aided Design Designer) · AutoCAD Drafter
51 more

AutoCAD Drafter (Auto Computer-Aided Design Drafter) · AutoCAD Technician · AutoCAD Technician (Auto Computer-Aided Design Technician) · CAD Designer · CAD Designer (Computer Aided Design Designer) · CAD Designer (Computer-Aided Design Designer) · CAD Drafter · CAD Drafter (Computer Aided Design Drafter) · CAD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design Drafter) · CAD Draftsman · CAD Draftsman (Computer-Aided Design Draftsman) · CAD Draughter · CAD Draughter (Computer Aided Design Draughter) · CAD Operator · CAD Operator (Computer Aided Design Operator) · CAD Operator (Computer-Aided Design Operator) · CAD Technician · CAD Technician (Computer Aided Design Technician) · CADD Drafter · CADD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Drafter) · CAM Specialist · CAM Specialist (Computer Aided Manufacturing Specialist) · Controls Designer · Design Checker · Design Drafter · Detail Drafter · Die Designer · Drafter · Drafting Tech · Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech) · Furniture Detailer · Gage Designer · Installation Drafter · Machine Design Checker · Mechanical Design Drafter · Mechanical Design Tech · Mechanical Design Technician (Mechanical Design Tech) · Mechanical Designer · Mechanical Detailer · Mechanical Draughter · Mechanical Piping Designer · Mold Designer · Patent Drafter · Pattern Drafter · Piping Drafter · Plastic Mold Designer · Technical Designer · Tool and Die Designer · Tool Design Drafter · Tool Designer · Tooling Designer

Job Zone 3 — Medium Preparation NeededHolland code RCI35 skills on file

Compare with another occupationCompare with Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Job Zone

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Zone 3: Medium Preparation Needed

Medium preparation. Vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or an associate degree, with one to two years of training that combines experience and informal instruction.

Job Zone is O*NET's rating of how much education, experience and training an occupation typically needs — a property of the work, not of anyone doing it.

Occupational interest profile

RCIRealistic · Conventional · Investigative — the three strongest interests, in order

  • R Realistic5.96
  • C Conventional4.85
  • I Investigative3.79
  • A Artistic3.62
  • E Enterprising1.36
  • S Social1.21

RIASEC (Holland) interests on O*NET's 0–7 scale: what the work draws on, not what any individual prefers. Hover a row for what each dimension means.

Education and experience

The education level respondents say the job requires, and the most common answer for experience and training.

  • Less than a High School Diploma1%
  • High School Diploma or the equivalent44%
  • Post-Secondary Certificate12%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree23%
  • Bachelor's Degree19%
Related work experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (30%)
On-site or in-plant training
Up to and including 1 month (38%)
On-the-job training
Over 4 years, up to and including 10 years (25%)

Typically associated skills

All 35 O*NET skills, most important first. Importance (1–5) says how much a skill matters here; level (0–7) says how much of it the work calls for, with O*NET's example of a nearby level. Neither is a proficiency rating of a person.

  • Critical Thinkingbasic3.43.6Level 4 looks like: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
  • Operations Analysis3.43.1Level 4 looks like: Suggest changes in software to make a system more user friendly
  • Reading Comprehensionbasic3.33.9Level 4 looks like: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies
  • Mathematicsbasic3.33.8Level 4 looks like: Calculate the square footage of a new home under construction
  • Active Listeningbasic3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
  • Active Learningbasic3.33.5Level 4 looks like: Determine the impact of new menu changes on a restaurant's purchasing requirements
  • Complex Problem Solving3.33.3Level 4 looks like: Redesign a floor layout to take advantage of new manufacturing techniques
  • Speakingbasic3.13.8Level 4 looks like: Interview applicants to obtain personal and work history
  • Monitoringbasic3.03.1Level 4 looks like: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed
  • Writingbasic3.03.1Level 4 looks like: Write an email to staff outlining new directives
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Decide how scheduling a break will affect work flow
  • Time Management3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Keep a monthly calendar of appointments
Show the other 23
  • Quality Control Analysis2.93.1Level 4 looks like: Assess new parts for precision and accuracy to specifications
  • Coordination2.92.9Level 2 looks like: Schedule appointments for a medical clinic
  • Instructing2.83.1Level 4 looks like: Instruct a coworker in how to operate a software program
  • Learning Strategiesbasic2.83.1Level 4 looks like: Identify an alternative approach to help trainees who are having difficulties
  • Social Perceptiveness2.82.9Level 2 looks like: Notice that customers are angry because they have been waiting too long
  • Systems Analysis2.82.9Level 2 looks like: Determine how loss of a team member will affect the completion of a job
  • Systems Evaluation2.82.9Level 2 looks like: Determine why estimates for the time to complete a task are overly optimistic
  • Management of Personnel Resources2.32.4Level 2 looks like: Encourage a coworker who is having difficulty finishing a project
  • Technology Design2.32.4Level 2 looks like: Adjust exercise equipment for use by a customer
  • Negotiation2.32.1Level 2 looks like: Present justification to a manager for altering a work schedule
  • Programming2.32.0Level 2 looks like: Write a program to sort objects in a database
  • Persuasion2.12.1Level 2 looks like: Solicit donations for a charity
  • Service Orientation2.12.1Level 2 looks like: Ask customers if they would like a cup of coffee
  • Management of Financial Resources2.01.5Level 2 looks like: Use available funds to buy office supplies and record the amount of the purchase
  • Operations Monitoring1.91.8Level 2 looks like: Monitor completion times while running a computer program
  • Management of Material Resources1.91.4Level 2 looks like: Reserve a room for a management meeting
  • Sciencebasic1.91.4Level 2 looks like: Conduct standard tests to determine soil quality
  • Troubleshooting1.91.4Level 2 looks like: Identify the source of a leak by looking under a machine
  • Operation and Control1.81.1Level 2 looks like: Navigate the settings on an office printer to print on both sides of the paper
  • Equipment Selection1.40.5
  • Equipment Maintenance1.0—
  • Installation1.0—
  • Repairing1.0—

Tasks

13 core · 3 supplemental

What people in this occupation do, as O*NET records it, core tasks first by importance (1–5).

  1. Produce three-dimensional models, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.4.6
  2. Develop detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies, tools, and controls, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment.4.5
  3. Design scale or full-size blueprints of specialty items, such as furniture and automobile body or chassis components.4.1
  4. Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to the materials.4.1
  5. Review and analyze specifications, sketches, drawings, ideas, and related data to assess factors affecting component designs and the procedures and instructions to be followed.4.0
  6. Modify and revise designs to correct operating deficiencies or to reduce production problems.4.0
  7. Lay out and draw schematic, orthographic, or angle views to depict functional relationships of components, assemblies, systems, and machines.4.0
  8. Create bills of materials.4.0
  9. Coordinate with and consult other workers to design, lay out, or detail components and systems and to resolve design or other problems.3.9
  10. Position instructions and comments onto drawings.3.9
  11. Compute mathematical formulas to develop and design detailed specifications for components or machinery, using computer-assisted equipment.3.7
  12. Confer with customer representatives to review schematics and answer questions pertaining to installation of systems.3.6
Show the other 4
  1. Supervise and train other drafters, technologists, and technicians.3.3
  2. Lay out, draw, and reproduce illustrations for reference manuals and technical publications to describe operation and maintenance of mechanical systems.2.9
  3. Shade or color drawings to clarify and emphasize details and dimensions or eliminate background, using ink, crayon, airbrush, and overlays.2.8
  4. Draw freehand sketches of designs, trace finished drawings onto designated paper for the reproduction of blueprints, and reproduce working drawings on copy machines.2.5

Knowledge

Bodies of knowledge the work draws on.

  • Design4.65.2Level 4 looks like: Design plans for remodeling a kitchen
  • Engineering and Technology4.45.1Level 4 looks like: Design a custom office chair
  • Mechanical4.24.9Level 4 looks like: Replace a valve on a steam pipe
  • Mathematics3.94.2Level 4 looks like: Analyze data to determine areas with the highest sales
  • Production and Processing3.63.5Level 4 looks like: Supervise an appliance assembly line
  • Computers and Electronics3.53.9Level 4 looks like: Use a computer to format a document
  • English Language3.23.1Level 4 looks like: Edit an article for a news website
  • Physics3.23.2Level 4 looks like: Calculate the speed of a falling object
Show all 33
  • Customer and Personal Service2.62.4Level 1 looks like: Process a customer's dry-cleaning drop off
  • Administrative2.52.7
  • Education and Training2.52.9
  • Administration and Management2.42.9
  • Building and Construction2.21.9Level 1 looks like: Choose the proper type of wood for adding a deck onto a house
  • Public Safety and Security2.12.0Level 1 looks like: Use a seatbelt
  • Chemistry1.92.2Level 1 looks like: Use a common household bug spray
  • Communications and Media1.91.2Level 1 looks like: Write a thank you note
  • Sales and Marketing1.81.1Level 1 looks like: Sell cakes at a bake sale
  • Transportation1.81.5Level 1 looks like: Ride a train to work
  • Economics and Accounting1.70.8Level 1 looks like: Answer billing questions from credit card customers
  • Geography1.61.4Level 1 looks like: Know the capital of the United States
  • Law and Government1.50.4Level 1 looks like: Describe the length of a U.S. presidential term
  • Personnel and Human Resources1.50.9Level 1 looks like: Fill out a medical claim form
  • Food Production1.3—
  • Telecommunications1.30.4Level 1 looks like: Send an email
  • Foreign Language1.2—
  • Psychology1.2—
  • Medicine and Dentistry1.1—
  • Philosophy and Theology1.1—
  • Sociology and Anthropology1.1—
  • Therapy and Counseling1.1—
  • Biology1.0—
  • Fine Arts1.0—
  • History and Archeology1.0—

Abilities

Enduring capacities the work calls for.

  • Near Vision4.04.1Level 5 looks like: Read the fine print of a legal document
  • Visualization3.94.1Level 4 looks like: Follow a diagram to assemble a metal storage cabinet
  • Mathematical Reasoning3.63.8Level 4 looks like: Decide how to calculate profits to determine the amounts of yearly bonuses
  • Oral Comprehension3.53.9Level 4 looks like: Understand a coach's oral instructions for a sport
  • Oral Expression3.33.8Level 4 looks like: Give instructions to a lost motorist
  • Problem Sensitivity3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Notice from a subtle difference in a client's mood that something is bothering them
  • Speech Clarity3.33.0Level 4 looks like: Make stadium-wide announcements during a sporting event
  • Written Comprehension3.33.9Level 4 looks like: Understand an apartment lease
Show all 52
  • Written Expression3.33.3Level 4 looks like: Write a job recommendation for a subordinate
  • Deductive Reasoning3.13.8
  • Inductive Reasoning3.13.4Level 4 looks like: Determine the prime suspect based on crime scene evidence
  • Number Facility3.13.4Level 3 looks like: Calculate a discounted price
  • Originality3.13.1Level 4 looks like: Redesign job tasks to be interesting for employees
  • Selective Attention3.13.3Level 4 looks like: Watch security monitors for intruders throughout the night shift
  • Speech Recognition3.13.0Level 2 looks like: Recognize the voice of a coworker
  • Category Flexibility3.03.6Level 3 looks like: Classify flowers according to size, color, and smell
  • Flexibility of Closure3.03.6Level 4 looks like: Look for a golf ball in tall grass
  • Fluency of Ideas3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Name four different uses for a screwdriver
  • Information Ordering3.03.8Level 2 looks like: Follow the correct steps to make change
  • Perceptual Speed3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Sort mail according to ZIP codes with no time pressure
  • Finger Dexterity2.92.9Level 2 looks like: Put coins in a parking meter
  • Visual Color Discrimination2.93.0Level 4 looks like: Trace electrical circuits marked by various colored wires
  • Far Vision2.82.8Level 2 looks like: Read a roadside billboard
  • Speed of Closure2.62.8Level 3 looks like: Recognize a song after hearing only the first few notes
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness2.52.4Level 2 looks like: Light a candle
  • Control Precision2.32.6Level 2 looks like: Adjust a room light with a dimmer switch
  • Manual Dexterity2.11.9Level 1 looks like: Screw a light bulb into a light socket
  • Time Sharing2.12.0Level 2 looks like: Listen to music while entering numbers into a spreadsheet
  • Depth Perception2.01.9Level 2 looks like: Merge a car into traffic on a city street
  • Memorization2.01.8Level 1 looks like: Remember the number on your bus to be sure you get back on the right one
  • Trunk Strength2.01.5Level 2 looks like: Sit up in an office chair
  • Auditory Attention1.81.5Level 2 looks like: Listen to a lecture while people nearby are talking
  • Wrist-Finger Speed1.80.9
  • Hearing Sensitivity1.61.3Level 2 looks like: Notice a doorbell ringing
  • Dynamic Flexibility1.0—
  • Dynamic Strength1.0—
  • Explosive Strength1.0—
  • Extent Flexibility1.0—
  • Glare Sensitivity1.0—
  • Gross Body Coordination1.0—
  • Gross Body Equilibrium1.0—
  • Multilimb Coordination1.0—
  • Night Vision1.0—
  • Peripheral Vision1.0—
  • Rate Control1.0—
  • Reaction Time1.0—
  • Response Orientation1.0—
  • Sound Localization1.0—
  • Spatial Orientation1.0—
  • Speed of Limb Movement1.0—
  • Stamina1.0—
  • Static Strength1.0—

Work activities

Kinds of activity the work is made of.

  • Working with Computers4.84.3Level 4 looks like: Write software for keeping track of parts in inventory
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment4.34.9Level 4 looks like: Specify the furniture and equipment for a new school
  • Getting Information4.13.5Level 4 looks like: Review a budget
  • Thinking Creatively3.84.4Level 4 looks like: Adapt popular music for a high school marching band
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge3.84.3Level 4 looks like: Keep current on changes in maintenance procedures for repairing sports cars
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.73.5Level 4 looks like: Evaluate a complicated insurance claim for compliance with policy terms
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.73.7Level 4 looks like: Select the location for a major retail store
  • Processing Information3.73.9Level 4 looks like: Calculate the adjustments for insurance claims
Show all 41
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.63.9Level 4 looks like: Report the results of a sales meeting to a supervisor
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.53.3Level 4 looks like: Judge the suitability of food products for an event
  • Analyzing Data or Information3.43.3Level 4 looks like: Determine the interest cost to finance a new building
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Test electrical circuits
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.34.4Level 4 looks like: Plan and adjust a personal to-do list according to changing demands
  • Documenting/Recording Information3.03.2Level 4 looks like: Document the results of a crime scene investigation
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.03.9Level 4 looks like: Maintain good working relationships with almost all coworkers and clients
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others3.02.7
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information2.82.4Level 1 looks like: Estimate the size of household furniture to be shipped
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials2.82.7
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People2.82.9
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization2.62.7
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources2.62.6
  • Scheduling Work and Activities2.52.9
  • Controlling Machines and Processes2.32.7
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others2.32.7
  • Training and Teaching Others2.32.2Level 1 looks like: Give coworkers brief instructions on a simple procedural change
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies2.21.9Level 1 looks like: Plan the holiday schedule for an airline workforce
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others2.12.3Level 1 looks like: Exchange information during a shift change
  • Handling and Moving Objects2.02.2Level 1 looks like: Change settings on copy machines
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others2.02.1Level 1 looks like: Work in a position that requires little advising of others
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment1.91.3Level 1 looks like: Drive a car
  • Performing Administrative Activities1.91.4Level 1 looks like: Complete routine paperwork
  • Assisting and Caring for Others1.81.5Level 1 looks like: Help a coworker complete an assignment
  • Coaching and Developing Others1.81.6Level 1 looks like: Show a coworker how to operate a piece of equipment
  • Developing and Building Teams1.71.2Level 1 looks like: Encourage two coworkers to stick with a tough assignment
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment1.71.5Level 1 looks like: Make simple, external adjustments to a door hinge with ordinary hand tools
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates1.61.0Level 1 looks like: Work occasionally as a backup supervisor
  • Performing General Physical Activities1.61.7Level 1 looks like: Walk between workstations in a small office
  • Selling or Influencing Others1.61.2Level 1 looks like: Convince a coworker to assist with an assignment
  • Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment1.40.6Level 1 looks like: Use display settings to adjust a television picture
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public1.2—
  • Staffing Organizational Units1.2—

Work context

The conditions most characteristic of the work, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale.

  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0
  • E-Mail4.8
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4
  • Spend Time Sitting4.4
  • Freedom to Make Decisions4.1
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team3.9
  • Contact With Others3.8
  • Frequency of Decision Making3.7
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions3.7

Technology

43 tools

Software used in this work. In demand: among the tools job postings for this occupation name most. Hot: often named in job postings across the economy.

In demand (12)

  • Autodesk AutoCADhot
  • Autodesk Revithot
  • Bentley MicroStationhot
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorkshot
  • Microsoft Excelhot
  • Microsoft Office softwarehot
  • Microsoft Outlookhot
  • Microsoft PowerPointhot
  • Microsoft Wordhot
  • Autodesk Inventor
  • Autodesk Navisworks
  • NavisWorks Jetstream

Hot (8; 9 more marked hot above)

  • Adobe After Effects
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Project
  • SAP software
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro
Other tools (23)
  • 1CadCam Unigraphics
  • Adobe LiveMotion
  • Autodesk Mechanical
  • Bentley Navigator
  • Bill of materials software
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
  • Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Document management system software
  • ERP software
  • Graphic presentation software
  • McNeel Rhinoceros 3D
  • Motion graphics software
  • Non uniform rational b-splines NURBS software
  • Piping and instrumentation design PID software
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • PTC Pro/Cable
  • Rapid prototyping software
  • Reverse engineering software
  • Scanning software
  • Siemens Solid Edge
  • SofTech CADRA
  • Three-dimensional scanning software

Related occupations

O*NET's own list of the occupations most related to this one, closest first.

  1. Electrical and Electronics Drafters
  2. Architectural and Civil Drafters
  3. Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
  4. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
  5. Commercial and Industrial Designers
  6. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
  7. Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
  8. Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
  9. Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
  10. Machinists

ESCO equivalents

From the official ESCO–O*NET crosswalk, strongest match first. A broader occupation takes in this one; a narrower one is a part of it.

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. ESCO occupations and skills are from the European Commission's ESCO classification, and the occupation crosswalk is the official ESCO–O*NET mapping by the ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA. This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. BlissPoint Analytics has modified all or some of this information: skill, task and descriptor ratings are rounded to one decimal, and ESCO occupations show Job Zone and interests copied from a crosswalked O*NET occupation. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.