5980 - Mechanical Engineering for Sustainability
Professional profiles
professional profile
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE
Mechanical Engineer specializing in industrial sustainability FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT:
They specialise in various fields, becoming highly qualified experts and/or managers in several areas, including:
- functional and structural design through the use of innovative and sustainable materials and processes, advanced virtual modelling and simulation, including through the use of tools such as digital twin and virtual commissioning;
- industrial design, Virtual & Physical Prototyping and engineering of sustainable products;
- management and control of mechanical, thermo-technical, industrial and tertiary plants, through the adoption of advanced data management tools for the optimisation of industrial sustainability;
- modelling, control and experimentation on fluid machines, propulsion and energy conversion systems and hydraulic systems, with the aim of maximising efficiency and sustainability;
- functional design oriented towards industrial automation, using machine learning techniques, in the direction of smart manufacturing;
- technological processes and production systems, with possible application of digital twins for the implementation of smart manufacturing;
- quantification of the sustainability of products and processes, including through big/smart data analysis tools.
COMPETENCIES ASSOCIATED TO THE FUNCTION:
Main skills:
- ability to conceive the entire production system, from product design to the management of complex plants, in accordance with the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability
- ability to innovatively and sustainably design mechanical components, machines, plants, products and processes, from a functional, structural and constructional point of view;
- ability to plan and monitor the reliability and quality of production, at the same time assuring innovation and positioning in the most technologically advanced sustainable product markets.
- ability to design, build, test and operate major conventional and non-conventional plants, dealing with logistics, resource management, production and process optimisation in general, ensuring process sustainability;
- ability to design, produce and operate innovative thermal engineering plants, energy conversion systems and propulsion systems (also experimental), ensuring sustainable use of resources;
- ability to analyse and optimise, also with a view to industrial sustainability, the operation and management of automatic machines and robots used in the production sector;
- ability to analyse and manage complex manufacturing systems, competently selecting the materials and heat treatments, assessing costs and sustainability, introducing appropriate innovation in processes, equipment and industrial production systems;
- ability to occupy positions of responsibility in the design, management, coordination and development of industrial and/or research activities, introducing sustainability as a pillar of product and process design;
- ability to hold responsible positions in R&D departments dealing with experimentation of highly complex components or systems, using unconventional measuring instruments, employing simulation and virtualisation tools and methods, enabling the development of sustainable technologies.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
The professional figure of the mechanical engineer finds employment both in Italy and abroad, thanks to the provision of teaching in English, mainly in manufacturing or service companies, in public administrations and also in the freelance professions.
The main employment opportunities are:
- mechanical industries;
- automation and robotics industries;
- electromechanical industries;
- manufacturing industries in general;
- companies for the design, production, installation, testing and operation of machines, means of transport, production lines and departments, plants and complex systems;
- plant engineering companies;
- companies and authorities involved in the conversion of energy;
- companies and bodies for waste management and recycling;
- consulting firms.
The skills obtained in the Mechanical Engineering degree programme are demanded and appreciated not only by the mechanical industries, but also in a wider technological area, including electrical and electronics companies, energy and resource management and the food processing industries.
Continuing to study
It gives access to third cycle studies (Dottorato di ricerca/Scuole di specializzazione) and master universitario di secondo livello.