Materials Technology Project Engineer

Victaulic•Lincoln, NE

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for the development and commercialization of products that leverage advanced materials (thermoplastics, thermosets, composites, coatings, metallic alloys, etc.) by our product development teams. These products include: New and revised products, materials and components for Victaulic and its subsidiaries. The Materials Technology Product Development Engineer will gain experience in plastic part product design, technical knowledge in polymer processing, and instrumental analysis of chemicals and polymers (FTIR, DMA, DSC, TGA, Tensile etc). Product development encompasses inception through steady state production (utilizing a Design Review or phased development process), which often includes: Concept generation Specific design ideas to satisfy concept(s) Presentation and communication of ideas Modeling of concept (via drawings and/or hardware) Interfacing with Marketing/Sales to refine concept to meet customer requirements Costing of initial design Project and/or procurement authorization preparation Facilitating of a multi-departmental team (formal or informal) in the Test and Validation of non-metallic sub-assemblies and products from execution of detailed design all the way through commercialization including: Formulation of new polymers that meet customer's specifications Supplier selection participation (in-house or out) Prototyping Testing against requirements (thermal analysis, mechanical analysis and chemical analysis) Solving design problems Scrutiny and review of detailed cost estimates Leading a design review to assure customer and performance requirements Resolving tolerance issues Participation in tooling selection and approval of tooling based on samples Participation in evaluation of pilot production runs and problem solving Technical literature preparation and approval

Requirements

BS in Chemical, Materials or Polymer Engineering.
BS, MS in Mechanical Engineering with experience in plastics/polymers will be considered.
Knowledge of rubber molding, polymeric material testing and failure analysis.
Thermoplastic and thermoset materials knowledge – from commodity grades to complex engineering grades.
1-5 yrs Experience in plastics product design, plastics processing, and program management of products made from thermoplastic or thermoset materials.
Demonstrated problem solving and analytical skills to resolve technical issues.
Excellent verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
Strong computer skills in standard MS Office products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project.

Nice To Haves

MS in Chemical, Materials or Polymer Engineering is a plus.
Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for part optimization with polymer-based products and materials a plus.
Abaqus or Ansys preferred.
Experienced in running analysis with Mold Flow Insight a plus.

Responsibilities

Development and commercialization of products leveraging advanced materials.
Design, prototyping, testing, and validation of non-metallic sub-assemblies and products.
Formulation of new polymers to meet customer specifications.
Supplier selection and participation.
Testing against requirements including thermal, mechanical, and chemical analysis.
Solving design problems and resolving tolerance issues.
Tooling selection and approval.
Evaluation of pilot production runs and problem-solving.
Technical literature preparation and approval.