Every good Leader should have enough first person experience in the subject they are dealing with, in order to guide a team forward.
Being an Engineer is no exception, to many engineers get their degrees, with having no hands on experience, in the field they are going to work in. Long before I graduated with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, I spent my spare time working in my fathers garage learning to fabricate bicycles, motorcycles, and cars in various ways. Ever since I graduated as an engineer, I have continued my education in the shops I work with. I do not plan to be an expert welder or machinist, those who are I have a respect for their talent and the time committed it takes to get where they are, but I do like to gain the experience in making components to understand what it takes to produce what they make.
Knowing why something is designed and built the way it is, is not fully understood by someone who is only a specialist in a single field of practice.
I enjoy my time working in a shop using Knee Mills, Lathes, Shears, Brakes, Welders, Saws, Thermo-form machines, Shrinker and Strecthers. Having grown up with basic automotive tools, the world of CNC equipment has opened my knowledge to time and quality of parts. Currently have experience in programming and operating equipment such as CNC Lasers, 5 axis CNC Hot Wire, CNC Waterjet, CNC Gantry Routers, and Haas VF series mills.
I have thousands of hours in AutoCad, Solidworks, RhinoCad, BobCad, Omax Layout, with basic experience in Catiea and Autodesk Fusion. CAM experience in OMAX Make, RhinoCam, SolidCam, and BobWire.
With knowledge in CAD and CAM, there has always been a lack of explanation from sales people on the process for using 3D Scanners. Data can be gathered extremely fast with the scanners but they never express the time it takes to post process the data for engineers to begin to use the information gathered, I currently am familiar with Faro Arm (6ft), Faro Focus, Next Engine Scanner, and 3d Concepts white light scanner. Software used for post processing is Geomagic, Rapidworks, and Next Engine.