An Electronic Equipment Assembler most often works as part of an assembly line or production facility. He or she assembles and fabricates electronic products, meeting very precise specifications. Many different tools are used in the process, from hand-operated tools such as soldering guns and small power tools, to large automatic and semi-automatic machines. The work ranges from fairly basic and easy assembly work to complicated tasks that require advanced knowledge and experience. Assemblers often work with the designers and engineers in product development, sometimes assisting with prototypes and building test products. Workers must read and comprehend detailed blueprints and schematics.

A very important part of the job is quality control. Workers must conduct quality checks to identify faulty components and replace them at the source. Problems need to be fixed as early as possible in the stream, before large-scale manufacturing of defective products can occur.

Other parts of the job involve manually placing and soldering resistors, diodes, capacitors, transistors, wires, and integrated circuits onto printed circuit boards. These tasks may also be performed by assemblers operating machines to position, solder and seal parts onto printed circuit boards. Workers mount and fasten parts, align and adjust small components, and connect complex wiring. Microcircuits require fine hand assembly, or mechanical parts may need to be assembled onto frames or shelves.

Most equipment assemblers and fabricators work on a team, but there are some who specialize and only produce one type of product. Some do the same task repeatedly throughout the assembly process. In addition to electronic equipment assembly, there are several different areas assemblers can work: - electromechanical equipment such as household appliances

• fiberglass laminators, building molds for boats and automobiles

• aircraft systems, assembling avionics components, space vehicles or missiles

• timing devices and calibrators