Drafting CAD Technology
Program Description
AAS in Drafting CAD Technology Emphasis degree is no longer available to new students. Students considering a transfer pathway can choose the traditional AAS degree and complete an AGEC-A certificate to prepare to enter a university.
The Drafting program prepares graduates for the career field of drafting through instruction in the use of industry recognized drafting technologies. The content for this program is developed with support from an industry advisory committee to allow students the opportunity to gain work force entry-level skills.
Graduates of the drafting program or certificate will learn a wide range of skills and gain industry specific experience in:
- Graphic designs using AutoCAD’s hatch patterns.
- Revit modeling systems and techniques.
- Working drawings, assembling drawings and material lists associated with industrial graphics.
- Technical skills to communicate architectural ideas.
- Constructing 3D solid models using the 3D workspace and viewports.
- Extracting two-dimensional objects into 3D solid models.
- Preparing residential and commercial site plans.
- CAD-BIM methodologies and skills for commercial and residential drawings.
- Gathering on-site information and applying that information directly to drawings.
Have questions about this program?
Schedule NowDegree(s) / Certificates(s)
| Title | Local Bachelor's |
|---|---|
| Drafting CAD Technology - A.A.S. Occupational Degree | - |
| Drafting CAD - CERT Occupational Certificate | - |
Career Outlook
Successful completion of this program can open doors to various employment opportunities, many of which require further higher education at the university level. Below are examples of related occupations and their annual mean wages in Arizona, based on career and wage data from Pipeline AZ, which utilizes government sources for its reports and forecasts.
Description
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.
Duties/Tasks
- Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures.
- Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments.
- Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences.
- Transfer commands from servers to computer numerical control (CNC) modules, using computer network links.
- Check to ensure that workpieces are properly lubricated and cooled during machine operation.
- Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces.
- Insert control instructions into machine control units to start operation.
- Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences.
- Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems.
- Remove and replace dull cutting tools.
- Monitor machine operation and control panel displays, and compare readings to specifications to detect malfunctions.
- Enter commands or load control media, such as tapes, cards, or disks, into machine controllers to retrieve programmed instructions.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$45,090
$45,090
Entry Level Salary
$30,440
$30,440
Mid Level Salary
$46,630
$46,630
Expert Level Salary
$60,730
$60,730
Average Hourly Wage
$21.68
$21.68
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.63
$14.63
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$22.00
$22.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$29.20
$29.20
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment.
Duties/Tasks
- Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.
- Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
- Revise programs or tapes to eliminate errors, and retest programs to check that problems have been solved.
- Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
- Write instruction sheets and cutter lists for a machine's controller to guide setup and encode numerical control tapes.
- Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
- Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
- Modify existing programs to enhance efficiency.
- Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.
- Prepare geometric layouts from graphic displays, using computer-assisted drafting software or drafting instruments and graph paper.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$64,340
$64,340
Entry Level Salary
$47,510
$47,510
Mid Level Salary
$62,280
$62,280
Expert Level Salary
$92,780
$92,780
Average Hourly Wage
$30.94
$30.94
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$22.84
$22.84
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$29.00
$29.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$44.60
$44.60
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Description
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. May also advise customers on recommended services. Excludes team or work leaders.
Duties/Tasks
- Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
- Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.
- Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance.
- Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment.
- Compute estimates and actual costs of factors such as materials, labor, or outside contractors.
- Monitor tool and part inventories and the condition and maintenance of shops to ensure adequate working conditions.
- Requisition materials and supplies, such as tools, equipment, or replacement parts.
- Confer with personnel, such as management, engineering, quality control, customer, or union workers' representatives, to coordinate work activities, resolve employee grievances, or identify and review resource needs.
- Participate in budget preparation and administration, coordinating purchasing and documentation and monitoring departmental expenditures.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$67,550
$67,550
Entry Level Salary
$37,830
$37,830
Mid Level Salary
$62,100
$62,100
Expert Level Salary
$100,920
$100,920
Average Hourly Wage
$32.47
$32.47
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$18.19
$18.19
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$29.00
$29.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$48.52
$48.52
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.
Duties/Tasks
- Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
- Compile and evaluate statistical data to determine and maintain quality and reliability of products.
- Study time, motion, methods, or speed involved in maintenance, production, or other operations to establish standard production rate or improve efficiency.
- Read worker logs, product processing sheets, or specification sheets to verify that records adhere to quality assurance specifications.
- Verify that equipment is being operated and maintained according to quality assurance standards by observing worker performance.
- Aid in planning work assignments in accordance with worker performance, machine capacity, production schedules, or anticipated delays.
- Evaluate industrial operations for compliance with permits or regulations related to the generation, storage, treatment, transportation, or disposal of hazardous materials or waste.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$68,180
$68,180
Entry Level Salary
$47,230
$47,230
Mid Level Salary
$61,950
$61,950
Expert Level Salary
$97,920
$97,920
Average Hourly Wage
$32.78
$32.78
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$22.71
$22.71
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$29.00
$29.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$47.08
$47.08
Typical Education Level
Some College Courses
Description
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Duties/Tasks
- Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
- Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
- Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
- Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
- Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.
- Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear.
- Record repairs and maintenance performed.
- Operate newly repaired machinery or equipment to verify the adequacy of repairs.
- Record parts or materials used and order or requisition new parts or materials, as necessary.
- Observe and test the operation of machinery or equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using voltmeters or other testing devices.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$56,330
$56,330
Entry Level Salary
$37,250
$37,250
Mid Level Salary
$54,930
$54,930
Expert Level Salary
$77,810
$77,810
Average Hourly Wage
$27.08
$27.08
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$17.91
$17.91
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$26.00
$26.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$37.41
$37.41
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Description
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Duties/Tasks
- Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
- Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
- Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
- Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
- Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
- Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
- Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
- Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.
- Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools.
- Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$50,120
$50,120
Entry Level Salary
$30,500
$30,500
Mid Level Salary
$48,080
$48,080
Expert Level Salary
$63,000
$63,000
Average Hourly Wage
$24.10
$24.10
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.66
$14.66
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$23.00
$23.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$30.29
$30.29
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.
Duties/Tasks
- Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
- Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
- Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
- Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
- Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
- Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
- Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures.
- Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
- Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency.
- Test and treat water supply.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$43,020
$43,020
Entry Level Salary
$29,290
$29,290
Mid Level Salary
$37,820
$37,820
Expert Level Salary
$61,200
$61,200
Average Hourly Wage
$20.68
$20.68
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.08
$14.08
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$18.00
$18.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$29.43
$29.43
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Description
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
Duties/Tasks
- Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
- Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit.
- Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
- Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
- Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.
- Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
- Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
- Attach moving parts and subassemblies to basic assembly unit, using hand tools and power tools.
- Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
- Lay out mounting holes, using measuring instruments, and drill holes with power drill.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$48,280
$48,280
Entry Level Salary
$36,750
$36,750
Mid Level Salary
$46,990
$46,990
Expert Level Salary
$72,350
$72,350
Average Hourly Wage
$23.21
$23.21
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$17.67
$17.67
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$22.00
$22.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$34.79
$34.79
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
Duties/Tasks
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
- Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
- Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
- Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
- Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
- Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
- File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.
- Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$57,010
$57,010
Entry Level Salary
$38,600
$38,600
Mid Level Salary
$60,830
$60,830
Expert Level Salary
$76,670
$76,670
Average Hourly Wage
$27.41
$27.41
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$18.56
$18.56
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$29.00
$29.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$36.86
$36.86
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Contact Information
Department Contact(s)
Career and Technical Education
Hours of Operation
- Normal Hours
- Monday - Thursday: 7:00am-5:00pm
Faculty/Staff Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Wharton | Professor of Drafting | (928) 344-7510 | Joseph.Wharton@azwestern.edu |
| Teresa Livingston | Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director & Dean CTE Programs | (928) 344-7752 | Teresa.Livingston@azwestern.edu |