Plastic Injection Process Engineer

Keter North America•Anderson, IN

About The Position

The Process Engineer establishes, stabilizes, and sustains robust injection molding processes that deliver safe, repeatable, and cost-effective production. The role owns process definition, control, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement across injection molding operations, ensuring processes are documented, controlled, trained, and enforced. The engineer partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, Tool Room, and Quality to reduce variability, scrap, and downtime. The position develops validated process windows and golden settings for materials including PP and PC, analyzes complex molding defects, and uses data-driven methods such as DOE, cavity pressure trends, and SPC to implement permanent solutions. It supports mold trials and new tool introductions, process capability, equipment commissioning and validation, cycle-time optimization, quality investigations, and shift coordination. The role also trains and mentors employees in running and protecting defined processes and ensures compliance with safety, environmental, and quality policies and procedures.

Requirements

Deep knowledge of injection molding processes, mold design, material behavior, and process parameters.
Proficiency in interpreting technical drawings, specifications, and process data.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Experience with statistical process control (SPC), root cause analysis, and quality improvement tools.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Ability to work independently and take initiative on process improvements.
Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
Computer skills, including MS Office and manufacturing execution systems (MES).
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Plastics, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or related).
7–10 years of hands-on injection molding process engineering experience.
Strong understanding of PP and PC material behavior in molding applications.
Proven ability to analyze data and solve complex process problems.

Nice To Haves

RJG Master Molder I or II, or equivalent scientific molding certification.
DOE, SPC, and Six Sigma exposure.
Experience in high-volume, multi-press manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

Establish scientifically validated process windows for PP, PC, and similar resins.
Define and maintain golden settings for melt temperature and shear, injection velocity profiles, pack/hold pressure and time, cooling efficiency, and mold temperature control.
Apply knowledge of viscosity, shrinkage, crystallization behavior, and thermal sensitivity to process design.
Own process setup sheets, standard work, and controlled parameter limits.
Train and mentor the organization to run and protect molding processes correctly.
Lead engineering analysis of molding defects, including flow hesitation, jetting, sinks, warp, blush, splay, burns, voids, and dimensional instability.
Correlate defects with material condition, mold design, and machine dynamics.
Use DOE, cavity pressure trends, and SPC data to drive permanent solutions.
Partner with Tool Room and Maintenance to optimize cooling circuits, venting and gas evacuation, ejection, and part release.
Support mold trials, steel-safe changes, and new tool introductions; ensure molds can run defined process windows.
Provide engineering input on wear components and mold preventive maintenance requirements.
Own molding-related process capability (Cp/Cpk) and implement SPC on critical process parameters and part characteristics.
Transition quality control from inspection-based to process-controlled methods.
Support investigations into scrap, quality holds, and customer complaints using data-driven analysis.
Support commissioning and validation of electric, hydraulic, and hybrid injection molding presses, robots, downstream automation, dryers, chillers, and material handling systems.
Verify machine capability relative to material and mold requirements.
Optimize cycle time without compromising part performance or mold life.
Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality policies and procedures.
Support shift coordination and effective communication to maintain process consistency.
Perform other tasks as assigned.