What is the best way to thrive in your engineering career? Be familiar with the technology available to you. There is plenty of software available on the market for engineers, but deciding what applications you need, can be quite tricky.

At IPD Engineering, we pride ourselves on staying up to date with the most recent software or tools to keep innovating.

Here are a few essential tools that every engineer should know how to use and a few emerging technologies that IPD is using to deliver quality designs that have proven invaluable during this pandemic.

The Essentials:

Microsoft Excel

• Microsoft Excel is one of the most common and powerful tools used in the engineering industry. If you were to ask an engineer what program they use daily, Excel would be the top answer. Excel can allow users to develop robust applications to solve problems. From running numerical simulations to differential equations, Excel can do it all.

AutoCAD

• It is one of the most common computer-aided programs on the market for engineers and architects. AutoCAD allows designers to create diverse drawings and designs; it is a ‘computer-aided design’ program. AutoCAD is used to create 2-D drawings that provide GC’s construction documents that they can work off when in the field.

Want to be certified in AutoCAD? Autodesk offers certification through their website.

Advanced Tools:

3-D Modeling

• 3-D modeling has proven to be beneficial to both architects and engineers, allowing them to work on the same model and incorporate in real-time changes and modifications. This visual representation can quickly identify and show where walls are so engineers can avoid placing ductwork in those areas. To dive into this a little deeper, check out our blog on Clash Detection.

If that weren’t enough, 3D models allow teams to group and layer objects, store for future use, manipulate properties of objects, size, shape, and location. While 2D CAD models are great, they do not always provide the accuracy and speed needed to complete challenging projects.

Laser Scanning

• If you are unfamiliar with laser scanning, it is a “powerful laser recording of field data that captures a site’s shapes and possibly its appearance and converts those conditions into a cloud point of data.” Laser scanning can work in conjunction with 3-D modeling. Once you have completed your scan, the data points can be uploaded into a 3-D model. Scanning is especially useful for architects and engineers by limiting the amount of time spent measuring and re-measuring parts of a site.

IPD and its team have been able to continue to work remotely on projects during this time utilizing its 3D software and scanning capability, which does not require a team to be present. They can even scan building exteriors using a drone.

In material engineering and software development, more and more engineering firms are turning to 3-D printing. This technology has also been put to great use by firms across the globe, making masks and other needed devices to help fight COVID-19.

3-D Printing

• As most of you already know, 3D printing is one of the most important technologies developed in recent years. Companies continue to invest millions in improving processes, software, and materials. While 3D printing is a lot of fun, it is a substantial technology for engineers when it comes to product design. As the technology for 3D printing continues to involve, it has become an in-demand and valuable skill for engineers to pick up. More and more companies are searching for applicants that have 3D printing knowledge.

The field of engineering is continually changing and developing new technologies in ways 30 years ago, did not seem possible.

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