Manufacturing Technology Engineer

AFL Global•Dallas, TX

71d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manufacturing Technology Engineer – Injection Molding & Tooling is a technical authority overseeing AFL’s external global network of outsourced molding and tooling suppliers. Operating at the critical intersection of New Product Development (NPD), Supply Chain, and external manufacturing, this role is responsible for the design, build, commissioning, and maintenance of injection and compression mold tooling across the product lifecycle. This position requires a "hands-on" technical expert who will work closely with Product Development and Design Engineering to optimize plastic part design, mandate robust DFM standards, approve tool designs, and manage the technical validation process to evolve AFL's telecommunications product portfolio.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a highly relevant technical discipline.
Minimum of 3+ years (7+ preferred for Senior level) of dedicated experience designing, building, and/or troubleshooting injection mold tooling.
Proven physical troubleshooting experience in a tool room, mold-making shop, or injection molding shop floor operations.
Solid experience with parametric solid modeling (SolidWorks highly preferred) to interrogate, review, and modify complex plastic part and tooling designs.
Robust understanding of plastic part design practices, plastic material properties, metrology, and mold flow simulation.
Experience working within an ISO-9001 quality management system.
Ability to work in an office environment with a willingness to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally to audit suppliers and support tool builds.

Nice To Haves

5+ years of experience designing and/or building injection and compression mold tooling.
2+ years of direct experience designing plastic parts.
Fiber optic industry experience, specifically regarding telecom design, development, and/or component applications.

Responsibilities

Partner directly with Product Development and Design Engineering early in the product lifecycle to optimize plastic part designs for injection and compression molding.
Lead comprehensive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews covering features, draft angles, wall thickness uniformity, gating locations, knit lines, and sink management.
Review and interpret Moldflow simulations (fill, pack, warp, and cooling) to make data-driven design decisions before tooling kickoff.
Author technical RFQ packages for new tooling, specifying mold classifications (SPI Class 101/102), steel types, cavitation strategy, and hot/cold runner systems to obtain precise tooling and part quotes.
Act as a primary technical interface between AFL, external toolmakers, and third-party molders to scope, implement, and track tooling changes.
Lead projects to design, build, and commission mold tooling, tracking schedules to ensure suppliers hit critical milestones from steel cutting through tool acceptance.
Critically review and formally approve detailed 3D mold designs and modifications submitted by external vendors, verifying parting lines, cooling line layouts, slider/lifter mechanisms, and ejection systems.
Support engineering and quality teams during the plastic part approval process. Review FAI, IQ/OQ/PQ validation protocols, and Statistical Process Control data (Cpk).
Travel to external tool machine shops and supplier molding facilities to troubleshoot sample runs, resolve defects, and optimize process windows using scientific molding principles.
Provide expertise on plastic material properties and resin selection (e.g., Polycarbonate, ABS, blends, glass-filled resins) tailored for telecom and fiber optic environments.
Work collaboratively with Product Engineering to scope and implement changes to released injection and compression tooling, using engineering analysis to solve complex, real-world failures.
Work within an ISO-9001 quality management system environment and strictly adhere to and promote the environmental, health, and safety policies of AFL.