The duties of a mechanical engineer include:

• Evaluating problems and creating mechanical devices which could solve them
• Creating new designs for mechanical devices, and preparing blueprints so the devices can be made
• Developing and subsequently testing a prototype of the device
• Analyzing the results of the tests, and modifying the device’s design if necessary
• Supervising the device’s manufacturing process

There are many different machines, engines, and tools which a mechanical engineer might use. Some examples are:

• Internal combustion engines, steam and gas turbines, electric generators, and other power-generating machines
• Air-conditioning, refrigeration systems, and other power-consuming machines
• Machines and robots used in manufacturing and industrial production
• Elevators, escalators, and other machines within buildings
• Mechanical tools, and tools for other kinds of engineers
• Conveyor belts, automatic transfer systems, and other material-handling devices

Mechanical engineers do much of their work on computers. They use computers to:

• Design new devices, and analyze those designs
• Simulate a machine’s functions in a virtual environment, and test those functions
• Establish specifications for the device’s parts
• Ensure the quality of all devices
• Direct the production and manufacturing processes

The following are examples of different types of mechanical engineers:

Automotive Research Engineers
Automotive research engineers try to improve the performance of cars by working to improve traditional features of cars such as suspension, and work on aerodynamics and new possible fuels. Automotive research engineers focus on the development of passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles or off-road vehicles. They design new products, modify existing ones, troubleshoot, and solve engineering problems.

Heating and Cooling Systems Engineers
Heat engineering, also known as heat transfer or thermal sciences, is an academic specialty of mechanical engineering. Heating and cooling systems engineers develop environmental systems (systems that keep temperatures and humidity within certain limits) for airplanes, trains, cars, computer rooms, and schools. They design test control apparatus as well as equipment, and develop procedures for testing products. They also calculate energy losses for buildings, using equipment such as computers, combustion analyzers, or pressure gauges.

Robotics Engineers
A robotics engineer is a behind-the-scenes designer, who is responsible for creating robots and robotic systems that are able to perform duties that humans are either unable or prefer not to complete.

Robotics engineers will spend the majority of their time designing the plans needed to build robots, and will also design the processes necessary for the robot to run correctly. Through their creations, a robotics engineer helps to make jobs safer, easier, and more efficient, particularly in the manufacturing industry.

Materials Engineers
Materials engineers attempt to solve problems in several different engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace. They do this by developing, processing, and testing materials in order to create new materials that meet certain mechanical, electrical, and chemical requirements.

Materials engineers study the chemical properties, structures, and mechanical uses of plastics, metals, nanomaterials (extremely small substances), ceramics, and composites according to the place of usage.