Manufacturing Engineer
About The Position
Exotic Automation’s Rubber & Plastics group manufactures custom molded rubber, urethane, and plastic components to customer specifications. Its capabilities include compression and injection rubber molding, custom urethane molding and machining, plastic injection molding, CNC turning and milling, die cutting, mold making, rapid prototyping, and steel-to-plastic conversions. Its products serve aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and industrial customers. The Manufacturing Engineer owns and improves manufacturing processes, tooling, and workflow in an AS9100- and ISO 9001:2015-certified, ITAR-compliant operation. The role develops molding and machining methods, supports product and tooling manufacturability, drives lean and quality improvements, documents production processes, analyzes cost and capacity, works with suppliers, and supports and trains team members. The position requires access to information subject to ITAR, so applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 CFR 120.62. Exotic Automation maintains a drug-free workplace, including marijuana testing, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related field; six years of related technical experience may substitute.
- At least six years of progressive manufacturing or process engineering experience in molded rubber or plastics.
- Hands-on knowledge of compression, injection, or urethane molding processes, materials, and tooling.
- Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, SPC, and DOE.
- Proficiency with CAD software such as AutoCAD, Inventor, SolidWorks, or NX.
- Strong project management skills and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.
- Clear written, verbal, and presentation skills for working with customers, suppliers, production teams, and leadership.
- Mechanical aptitude and a hands-on, shop-floor mindset.
- Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 CFR 120.62 because the role requires access to ITAR-controlled information.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with CNC machining, die cutting, or 3D printing.
Responsibilities
- Develop molding and machining processes and define methods and operation sequences for new and existing parts.
- Develop and optimize parameters for compression, injection, and urethane molding, as well as secondary operations.
- Review customer designs for moldability and manufacturing feasibility; provide input on part design, tolerances, materials, molds, and tooling.
- Support new mold builds and steel-to-plastic conversions.
- Apply lean principles to reduce scrap, cycle time, and changeover, and improve workflow, cell layout, and equipment layout for efficiency, safety, and reliability.
- Validate process capability, establish process standards, and use SPC and DOE to resolve defects and dimensional variation.
- Write setup sheets, work instructions, and visual aids for production teams.
- Analyze production data, labor standards, and material costs, and recommend process, material, and equipment changes with documented cost and quality impact.
- Partner with mold makers, material suppliers, and outside processors on technical reviews and continuous improvement.
- Train less experienced team members, support sales and customer visits as needed, and maintain compliance with safety and environmental requirements.
Benefits
- Full benefits package.
- Paid time off (PTO).
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
