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Composite Materials Technician

Also known as: Composites Technician, Composite Fabricator, Carbon Fibre Technician, Advanced Composites Manufacturing Technician

AI Impact Score

22/100

Composite materials technicians perform skilled manual layup, assembly, and inspection of advanced composite structures that require tactile judgment and precision that automation has been unable to replicate cost-effectively across the diverse part geometries and processes in the industry. Growing demand from aerospace, wind energy, and automotive is creating strong long-term demand for skilled composites technicians.

$42k – $85k

Salary Range

growing

Growth Outlook

98,000

Total Jobs (US)

+13%

Growth Rate

Task Breakdown

Tasks at Risk (3)

Automated fibre placement machine operation on simple panel geometriesStandard non-destructive testing data recordingBasic trimming and sanding operations on uniform parts

AI-Enhanced Tasks (4)

Computer-controlled automated fibre placement for complex aerospace structuresDigital ply book and layup guidance systemsAI-assisted ultrasonic inspection defect analysisRobotic drilling and trimming for production programmes

Human-Safe Tasks (5)

Manual layup of complex composite structures with intricate ply schedulesBagging and curing of composite assembliesNon-destructive testing and inspection of composite structuresIdentifying and repairing composite damage and manufacturing defectsWorking with high-temperature composite systems and tooling

Current Skills

Wet Layup and Prepreg Layup TechniquesVacuum Bagging and Autoclave Cure ProcessesComposite Defect Identification and RepairPly Book Interpretation and Layup SequenceBasic NDT (Visual, Tap Test, Ultrasonic)

Future-Proof Skills

Automated Fibre Placement Machine OperationAdvanced NDT Certifications (UT, Thermography)Out-of-Autoclave (OOA) Process TechnologyDigital Ply Cutting and Kitting SystemsThermoplastic Composite Processing