Nanotechnology Manufacturing
What does the Nanoscale Manufacturing industry do?
What’s it like to work at a Nanoscale Manufacturing company?
What kinds of jobs are there in the Nanoscale Manufacturing industry?
How likely is it that a person will be able to find a job in this industry in the Tech Valley Region in the next three to five years?
What does the Nanoscale Manufacturing industry do?
Nanoscale manufacturing uses extremely precise processes to manufacture parts that meet very fine tolerances, often measured in nanometers. Tolerance is the amount of variation that can be allowed in a material, object, process, or system. A nanometer is one-billionth of an inch and thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. Your fingernails grow one nanometer every second!To meet very fine tolerances, the manufacturing process has to be precisely controlled for temperature, humidity, speed and quality of the materials used. In semiconductor manufacturing, the water used in the process has to be ultra pure. Nanoscale manufacturing is used to make semiconductors, ultra-high-tech wire based on superconductors, and very small tools and products that can’t be seen with the naked eye.
Such products are used in a wide range of fields from computer manufacturing, to power generation, to medical and pharmaceutical applications where only the purest, most precise and most stable products can be used.
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What’s it like to work at a Nanoscale Manufacturing Company?
Most nanoscale manufacturers work in a clean room environment where dust and dirt are kept to a minimum. The rooms are tightly controlled for heat, humidity and light. In some places, the lights are so bright that workers must wear shaded goggles.Most production workers need to wear full clean room suits, including hair covering, booties over their shoes, gloves and safety glasses. Production processes are carefully designed and monitored to minimize waste and maximize the quality of the finished product. Production workers must closely monitor the process, take very careful notes and work as a team to make sure quality specifications are met. They follow modern manufacturing standards including 5S and Lean, manufacturing processes that are designed to reduce costs and keep quality high. Many companies run two or three shifts, and some run seven days a week.
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What kinds of jobs are there in the Nanoscale Manufacturing Industry?
Machine Operator
Minimum Education - Associate's Degree
Starting Salary - $15-18 per hour
Higher levels in the same title - $18-20 per hour
Maintenance Technician
Minimum Education - Associate's Degree
Starting Salary - $15-20 per hour
Higher levels in the same title - $25 per hour
Quality Technician
Minimum Education - Associate's Degree
Starting Salary - $12-20 per hour
Higher levels in the same title - $20-25 per hour
Engineering/Development Technician
Minimum Education - Associate's Degree
Starting Salary - $17-20 per hour
Higher levels in the same title - $25-28 per hour
Production Supervisor
Minimum Education - Associate's or Bachelor's Degree
Starting Salary - $15 per hour
Higher levels in the same title - $25 per hour
Engineer
Minimum Education - Bachelor's or Masters Degree
Starting Salary - $50,000-$60,000
Higher levels in the same title - $70,000-$120,000
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How likely is it that a person will be able to find a job in this industry in the Tech Valley Region in the next three to five years?
Tech Valley Companies that are part of the Nanoscale Manufacturing sector include:
GlobalFoundries
SuperPower
For additional resources and information regarding the Nanotechnology Manufacturing industry, click here.
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