Contractor- Senior Automotive Shop Technician – Aluminium Welding & Fabrication

Ricardo•Belleville, MI

25d•Hybrid

About The Position

A Senior Automotive Shop Technician specializing in aluminium fabrication must possess 5 to 10+ years of advanced experience building complex automotive assemblies, prototypes, or custom chassis elements. At this level, candidates transition from basic production execution to autonomous problem-solving, quality assurance, and fixture design.

Requirements

5 to 10+ years of advanced experience building complex automotive assemblies, prototypes, or custom chassis elements.
Advanced TIG/MIG Expert: Flawless cosmetic and structural execution on structural frames, suspension brackets, and thin body panels down to 0.040".
Proven ability to manage aluminium's high thermal conductivity to prevent distortion, warpage, and structural degradation.
Active AWS D1.2 (Structural Aluminium) or AWS D17.1 (Aerospace/Automotive high-spec) qualifications.
Experience in engineering and building custom shop fixtures and hold-down jigs to ensure repeatable, high-precision fitment.
Expert-level operation of programmable press brakes, automated shears, tube benders, and CNC plasma/waterjet tables.
Mastery of complex automotive blueprints containing tight GD&T tolerances (often within ±0.005").
Expert use of surface plates, height gauges, digital calipers, micrometers, etc.
Direct experience conducting/reviewing and documenting detailed layout dimensional inspections prior to full production runs.
Training and supervising junior welders to ensure strict aesthetic and structural compliance.
Identifying production bottlenecks and suggesting design-for-manufacturability revisions to automotive engineers.
Standardizing the shop's non-destructive testing (NDT) procedures, including dye penetrant testing for aluminium weld integrity.

Responsibilities

Building complex automotive assemblies, prototypes, or custom chassis elements.
Mastery of Automotive Aluminium Welding: Advanced TIG/MIG Expert: Flawless cosmetic and structural execution on structural frames, suspension brackets, and thin body panels down to 0.040".
Critical Heat Management: Proven ability to manage aluminium's high thermal conductivity to prevent distortion, warpage, and structural degradation.
Custom Fixture Design: Experience in engineering and building custom shop fixtures and hold-down jigs to ensure repeatable, high-precision fitment.
Heavy Machinery Mastery: Expert-level operation of programmable press brakes, automated shears, tube benders, and CNC plasma/waterjet tables.
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T): Mastery of complex automotive blueprints containing tight GD&T tolerances (often within ±0.005").
Advanced Metrology & Layout: Expert use of surface plates, height gauges, digital calipers, micrometers, etc.
First-Article Inspection: Direct experience conducting/reviewing and documenting detailed layout dimensional inspections prior to full production runs.
Mentorship: Training and supervising junior welders to ensure strict aesthetic and structural compliance.
Process Optimization: Identifying production bottlenecks and suggesting design-for-manufacturability revisions to automotive engineers.
Strict Quality Auditing: Standardizing the shop's non-destructive testing (NDT) procedures, including dye penetrant testing for aluminium weld integrity.