Metallurgical engineering is the study
of metals and it covers the mining, extraction, design and processing of metals
and how metals react to stress or environmental changes. Metallurgy is like Forbidden treasure as it is one of the lesser known
fields of engineering that specialises in various engineering processes like
Steel Making, Heat Treatment, Iron Making, Casting and Foundary Technology.
Metallurgical engineers make use of their knowledge of metals to solve complex
problems. They work in all stages of production and application of metals and
their alloys.
Metallurgy is an old field of science and it is one of
the unconventional fields of engineering, which students generally don't prefer
a lot.
But in reality this field is the mother of every other field. Just imagine a world without metals and non-metals. It is purely unimaginable. Modernization of the human race started due to discovery in this field such as the big machines, automobiles, chemicals etc. Metallurgical Engineering students learn about the physical and chemical properties of different metal, their mixtures and applications. By learning this course it is possible to prepare metal that satisfy industry demands like aircraft and high temperature ovens.
But in reality this field is the mother of every other field. Just imagine a world without metals and non-metals. It is purely unimaginable. Modernization of the human race started due to discovery in this field such as the big machines, automobiles, chemicals etc. Metallurgical Engineering students learn about the physical and chemical properties of different metal, their mixtures and applications. By learning this course it is possible to prepare metal that satisfy industry demands like aircraft and high temperature ovens.
Subjects
taught at Metallurgical Engineering:
·
Chemistry Engineering Mechanics
·
Fuels, Furnaces and Refractory
·
Material Science
·
Engineering Graphics
·
Elements of Physical Metallurgy
·
Mathematics
·
Physics
·
Chemistry lab
·
Electronics Engineering
·
Electrical Engineering
·
Metallurgical Thermodynamics
·
Transport Phenomena
·
Mineral Beneficiation
·
Machine Elements and Machining
·
Probability and Statistics
·
Non Ferrous Extraction Metallurgy
·
Corrosion and Surface Engineering
·
Phase Transformation and Mechanical
Metallurgy
·
Mechanical Behaviour and Testing of Materials
·
Production of Iron
·
Metal Extraction and Refining
·
Materials Characterization
·
Processing of metals and minerals
Scope
and Career Prospects:
An engineering course in Metallurgy provides an in-depth
knowledge of the subject and materials science aspects such as phase
transformations, scientific principles of fabrication, heat treatment, mechanical
treatment, structure-property correlations and service behavior of various
types of materials that are required to formulate, solve and analyse critical
engineering problems. Students who complete the course have a successful career
in manufacturing and metallurgical industry, academics, research and
development in both the Indian and multinational companies.
Once you finish your graduation in metallurgy, you can
get jobs in R&D departments of companies that manufacture metals, factories
and automobile manufacturers. Students who have completed their B.Tech in
Metallurgical Engineering can either opt for a job or pursue their higher
studies by enrolling themselves for ME or M.Tech degree in Metallurgical
Engineering. At present all IITs and NITs in our country offer this course and
it is not yet available in many private institutions mainly because of cost
involved in conducting lab sessions.
Top
recruiters in Metallurgical Industry:
·
Larsons Group
·
New Bharat Refractories Ltd
·
The Metal Powder Company Ltd
·
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
·
NALCO
·
Utkal Mineral
·
Tata Steel
·
HCL
·
Jindal Steel & Power Limited
·
Steel Authority of India
·
Ispat Industries Limited
·
John Deere
·
Reliance Industries Limited
·
ISRO
·
DRDO
·
Indian Railways
·
Intel
·
Vedanta
·
Hindustan Zinc Limited
·
Sesa Steralite
·
Rio Tinto
·
Mahindra
·
Swaraj
·
Tata Motors
Various
Designations of a Metallurgy Professional:
The following are the various career path, a
metallurgical engineer can take up once he finishes his UG/PG Graduation
depending upon his expertise and area of interest:
·
Plant Equipment Engineer
·
Ballistics Engineer
·
Metallurgist
·
Welding Engineer
·
Supplier Development Engineer
·
Quality Planning Engineer
· Senior Process Engineer
·
Materials
Scientist
·
Metallurgical
Laboratory Technician
·
Mining
Engineer
·
Polymer
Engineer
·
Materials
Engineer
Pay
Scale and Future demand:
In India at present the average
salary offered for Metallurgical Engineer is anywhere between Rs. 2.5
~ 3.0 lakh per annum. The number of employed materials engineers was expected
to stay about the same for the next few years but the number of employed mining
and geological engineers was projected to grow by a minimum of 12 percent
during the same period and there lies the opening for all the budding
Metallurgical Engineers!
Materials science is the branch of future be it
nanotechnology or composite materials or polymers these materials will form the
base of engineering in coming future. Imagine
a world without Iron, Steel, Copper and Gold. Not possible right? Technology of purification and extraction may
change but the need of this field will remain forever. Boom in new
discoveries in Metallurgy and the fact that metals have become an integral part
of people’s everyday life for numerous purposes makes it all the more important.
Also Metallurgy is a very less exploited subject. The
advantage of taking up this course is that even though job opportunities are
few, competition levels are also low and you could get yourself a decent pay if
you can prove yourself to be a capable candidate. As we all know that one thing in this world
that occupies real time volume in the space is material and production and
extraction of any kind of material involves metallurgy and materials engineering
and hence they can be considered as the mother of all industries!