Fluid Power Technicians
Overview
Introduction
Fluid power technicians work with equipment that utilizes the pressure of a liquid or gas in a closed container to transmit, multiply, or control power. Working under the supervision of an engineer or engineering staff, they assemble, install, maintain, and test fluid power equipment. Fluid power is used in hundreds of applications including in agriculture, aerospace, automation construction, entertainment, green energy, health care, and robotics.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries for fluid power technicians vary according to geographic location, job title, industry, and other factors. The U.S. Department of Labor does not provide salary information for the career of fluid power technician, but it does report that the median annual salary for mobile heavy equipment mechanics (a related career) was $51,920 in May 2018. The lowest paid 10 percent earned $33,910 or...
Work Environment
Because fluid power technicians are employed in any number of different industries, their work environments vary. Many work in industrial settings and must spend much of their time on the manufacturing floor. In this case, they may have to become accustomed to noise and heat generated by the machinery, although the industry is addressing the noise level issue. Others work in laboratories or tes...
Outlook
The manufacture of fluid power components was a $23.5 billion industry in the United States in 2018, according to the National Fluid Power Association. Because fluid power is used in so many different industries, the need for technicians is growing. Currently, in fact, demand exceeds the supply of trained workers. In the last decade, electrohydraulic and electropneumatic technologies opened up ...
