Quality Engineer – Pneumatic & Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturing

Custom Cylinders, Inc•Cary, IL

About The Position

As a Quality Engineer, you’ll help ensure that our pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders meet demanding performance and reliability standards. You’ll support our ISO 9001–certified quality management system by driving continuous improvement, leading root‑cause investigations, and working closely with engineering, production, and suppliers. A key part of this role includes developing and maintaining CMM programs to support accurate inspection of precision‑machined components.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering (or equivalent experience).
Experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally with fluid power components or precision‑machined parts.
Strong understanding of ISO 9001 quality systems.
Proficiency with measurement tools (calipers, micrometers, bore gauges, CMMs).
Hands‑on experience with CMM programming (PC‑DMIS, Calypso, or similar).
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and GD&T.
Experience with root‑cause analysis and corrective action methodologies.
Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
Detail‑oriented with a commitment to accuracy
Clear communication and documentation abilities
Collaborative mindset with a continuous improvement focus

Nice To Haves

Experience in pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder manufacturing.
Knowledge of machining, welding, assembly, and surface finishing processes.
Familiarity with SPC and quality software tools.
Certifications such as CQE, CQA, or Six Sigma Green Belt.
Experience with AS9100 or ISO 13485 a plus

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and maintain quality control plans for pneumatic and hydraulic cylinder manufacturing processes.
Perform in‑process and final inspections using precision measurement tools and CMM equipment.
Create, modify, and optimize CMM programs to support accurate, repeatable inspection of machined components.
Review engineering drawings, specifications, and customer requirements to ensure compliance.
Support ongoing maintenance and improvement of the ISO 9001 quality management system.
Participate in internal audits and assist with external audit preparation and corrective actions.
Maintain accurate documentation, records, and quality reports in accordance with ISO requirements.
Lead investigations into nonconformances, customer complaints, and production issues.
Use structured problem‑solving tools (5 Why, Fishbone, FMEA, PDCA) to identify root causes and implement corrective/preventive actions.
Analyze quality data and trends to recommend process improvements and reduce scrap, rework, and defects.
Work closely with engineering to validate new designs, materials, and processes.
Partner with production teams to ensure quality standards are understood and consistently applied.
Collaborate with suppliers on quality expectations, incoming inspection, and supplier corrective actions.
Oversee functional testing of cylinders, including pressure testing, leak testing, and performance verification.
Develop test procedures and ensure equipment calibration and maintenance.