Profile

Production Technology

The academic focus areas of the Production Technology program at TU Dortmund University are represented by the following institutes and chairs.

Institute of Machining Technology
Institute of Forming Technology and Lightweight Components
Institute of Mechanics
Chair of Plastics Technology
Chair of Reliability Engineering
Chair of Materials Test Engineering
Chair of Materials Technology

The profile, which is also offered in the B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, can be continued and intensified in the Master degree program. Production technology covers a wide field of activity for engineers. After the design of components, machines, vehicles, plants, etc., the manufacturing of goods must be realized through the use of suitable production processes. This is where production technology comes into play.

For this the knowledge of the various manufacturing processes is a fundamental prerequisite. Only through an understanding of the interrelationships of the effective processes of the production processes, which are often material-specific, can manufacturing plants be designed according to the set requirements. The task of production engineering is the economic production of goods.

When selecting and designing manufacturing processes, considerations of technological and economic aspects must be taken into account as wells as sustainability and reliability factors.

In the spirit of a holistic approach, an integrated consideration of material selection, product design, and manufacturing processes is required. This also means that, in the interest of production-oriented design, requirements from production engineering can lead to adjustments in product design.

Usually, goods consist of several components that have to be manufactured by different production processes and must be assembled into units. The selection of the most suitable methods requires comprehensive knowledge of the manufacturing processes. Of particular importance, however, is also an understanding of the process sequences and the active processes that occur. This ensures that the methods learned can be applied to very different processes.

The contribution of production engineering to industrial progress therefore also depends largely on the integration of various disciplines. Cooperation with other disciplines, such as computer science, microelectronics, electrical engineering, and materials and process engineering, is of particular importance for further development.

The profile consists of Profile Catalog C and Profile Catalog D from the production engineering section. More detailed descriptions of the selectable modules can be found in the Module Handbook Master in Mechanical Engineering.
Here, students can put together a personalized curriculum from over 50 modules to suit their own interests and goals; some lectures are also taught in English. In addition to the broad range of conventional, state-of-the-art technologies, that are in daily use in industry the curriculum may also include the latest approaches in the fields of additive manufacturing and sustainability.

Competences and job profiles

The career opportunities for broadly trained production engineers are very diverse and cross-sectoral. Areas of application include manufacturing/production, organization/technical services and work preparation. The range of possible positions includes the production engineer in the direct action of manufacturing, including leadership positions, to consulting engineers.

Specifically, the following positions, for example, may be achieved:

Manufacturing engineer, production planner
Production manager
Management assistant
Manager in small and medium-sized enterprises
Scientist in research and teaching
Industrial advisor