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Engineering ServicesISCO 3118

Electronics drafter

An electronics drafter is a person who helps electronics engineers design and conceptualise electronic equipment, producing the schematics and the assembly drawings for electronic circuits and parts.

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Rate 5 of the 21 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

interpret circuit diagrams

customise drafts

use technical drawing software

create technical plans

design circuit boards

About electronics drafter

The drafter works in technical drawing software, which in this field means CAD and the electronic design packages built on it. The drafter draws schematics so that the circuit can be read easily, following the signal path, labelling components consistently and laying out the sheet so that faults are easy to trace. The drafter then designs printed circuit boards, placing components, routing tracks, assigning layers and checking the result against the schematic it came from.

The drafter also produces design drawings and technical plans for assembly, showing how parts fit a housing and how the board is mounted in it.

The drafter also adapts designs to changes. When an engineer changes a value, a connector or a package, the drafter revises the schematic, the board and the drawings together and keeps them consistent. The drafter uses mathematics in sizing: track widths, clearances, thermal limits. Formal requirements are set by the employer.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (21)

integrated circuitsintegrated circuitsElectronic components, made up from a set of electronic circuits which are placed on semiconductor material, such as silicon. Integrated circuits (IC) can hold billions of electronic components on a m...design drawingsdesign drawingsThe drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.mathematicsmathematicsMathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to pr...types of electronicstypes of electronicsThe different categories of electronics, such as consumer electronics, medical devices, microelectronics, computers, information and communication equipment, and measuring equipment.technical drawingstechnical drawingsDrawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.printed circuit boardsprinted circuit boardsPrinted circuit boards (PCB) are essential components to almost all electronic devices. They consist of thin wafers or substrates on which electronic components, such as microchips, are placed. The el...electronic componentselectronic componentsDevices and components that can be found in electronic systems. These devices can range from simple components such as amplifiers and oscillators, to more complex integrated packages, such as integrat...electronicselectronicsThe functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications.CAD softwareCAD softwareThe computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.manual draughting techniquesmanual draughting techniquesTechniques used for creating detailed drawings of designs by using specialised pencils, rulers, templates and scales.electricityelectricityThe principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.interpret circuit diagramsinterpret circuit diagramsRead and comprehend circuit diagrams showing the connections between the devices, such as power and signal connections.customise draftscustomise draftsEdit drawings, schematic diagrams, and drafts according to specifications.use technical drawing softwareuse technical drawing softwareCreate technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.create technical planscreate technical plansCreate detailed technical plans of machinery, equipment, tools and other products.design circuit boardsdesign circuit boardsDraught circuit boards used in electronic product such as cell phones and computers, make sure to include integrated circuits and microchips in the design.use CAD softwareuse CAD softwareUse computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.design prototypesdesign prototypesDesign prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.draw blueprintsdraw blueprintsDraw layout specifications for machinery, equipment and building structures. Specify which materials should be used and the size of the components. Show different angles and views of the product.liaise with engineersliaise with engineersCollaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.design electronic systemsdesign electronic systemsDraft sketches and design electronic systems, products, and components using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and equipment. Make a simulation so that an assessment can be made of the viability of...
Optional (19) — show
engineering principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.manufacturing processesmanufacturing processesThe steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.electrical engineeringelectrical engineeringThe field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.consumer electronicsconsumer electronicsThe functioning of electronic consumer goods such as TVs, radios, cameras and other audio and video equipment.power electronicspower electronicsThe functioning, design, and usage of electronics that control and convert electric power. Power conversion systems are usually categorised as AC-DC or rectifiers, DC-AC or inverters, DC-DC converters...communicate with customerscommunicate with customersRespond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.use manual draughting techniquesuse manual draughting techniquesUse non-computerised draughting techniques to make detailed drawings of designs by hand with specialised tools such as pencils, rulers and templates.create a product's virtual modelcreate a product's virtual modelCreate a mathematical or three-dimensional computer graphic model of the product by using a CAE system or a calculator.plan manufacturing processesplan manufacturing processesDetermine and schedule production and assembly steps. Plan manpower and equipment needs taking ergonomic considerations into account.design microelectronicsdesign microelectronicsDesign and develop microelectronic systems, products, and components according to specifications, such as microchips.draft bill of materialsdraft bill of materialsSet up a list of materials, components, and assemblies as well as the quantities needed to manufacture a certain product.design hardwaredesign hardwareDesign and develop new computer hardware systems and components. Draft blueprints and assembly drawings specifying how the computer equipment should be build.review draftsreview draftsProofread and give feedback to technical drawings or drafts.apply technical communication skillsapply technical communication skillsExplain technical details to non-technical customers, stakeholders, or any other interested parties in a clear and concise manner.keep records of work progresskeep records of work progressMaintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.develop assembly instructionsdevelop assembly instructionsDevelop a code of letters and numbers to label diagrams for assembly instructions.train employeestrain employeesLead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the perform...prepare assembly drawingsprepare assembly drawingsCreate the drawings that identify the different components and materials, and that provide instructions as to how they should be assembled.design sensorsdesign sensorsDesign and develop different types of sensors according to specifications, such as vibration sensors, heat sensors, optical sensors, humidity sensors, and electric current sensors.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

electrical drafter13 shared essential skillsintegrated circuit design engineer13 shared essential skillsmicroelectronics designer13 shared essential skillselectromechanical drafter12 shared essential skillsprinted circuit board designer11 shared essential skillsarchitectural drafter9 shared essential skillsdrafter9 shared essential skillsheating, ventilation, air conditioning (and refrigeration) drafter9 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does an electronics drafter do?

Electronics drafters support electronic engineers in the design and conceptualisation of electronic equipment. They draft blueprints and assembly diagrams of electronic systems and components using technical drawing software.

What skills does an electronics drafter need?

An electronics drafter needs 21 essential skills, including integrated circuits, design drawings, mathematics, types of electronics, technical drawings.

Will AI replace electronics drafter jobs?

The AI disruption score for electronics drafter is 35/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: use manual draughting techniques, keep records of work progress, printed circuit boards. Most resilient: electricity, types of electronics, electronic components.

Quick Facts

SectorEngineering Services
ISCO GroupScience and engineering associate professionals
Essential Skills21

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