Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics A.A.S. (Plan 24ZD)

The automation, robotics, and mechatronics field combines mechanics, electronics and computer technologies to create “smart” products that improve lives in countless ways. Mechatronics technicians help design, install, maintain and repair industrial equipment and a wide variety of machinery and appliances used in businesses and at home. These range from personal and industrial robots to artificial limbs, automatic teller machines (ATMs) and hybrid cars—just to name a few. A holder of an associate degree in Mechatronics can manage, investigate, repair and troubleshoot mechatronic and process control systems along with optimizing systems for efficiency and cost effectiveness. A mechatronics technician can work in workshops, design labs, production facilities, and in field service locations. Graduates of this program are hired in various settings as Mechatronics Technicians, Robotics Technicians, Electro-mechanical Technicians, Automation Technicians, and Maintenance and Repair Technicians. Job skills include, but are not limited to: assembling and installing mechatronic tools and hardware systems; installing, implementing and modifying software tools used in mechatronics systems; using troubleshooting skills to identify, foresee, and prevent possible problems with an automated system; programming mechatronic modules and systems using Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs); implementing PLC networks, including configuration and data transfer using bus systems; applying knowledge of process control technology to automated systems; and managing and influencing cost control and process efficiency procedures for automated systems.