Development Engineer

 

Role Purpose

• Develop and optimize CO₂ laser welding processes for glass components, balancing weld strength, optical quality, dimensional control, throughput, and yield to support revolutionary manufacturing processes.
• Drive for root-cause fundamental understanding of limitations in manufacturing processes.  Use scientific method and engineering principles to solve problems thoroughly and effectively, using well-designed and executed process experiments.
• Translate understanding and experimental solutions to engineering requirements, then further to process and/or equipment designs which deliver performance criteria.
• Work is typically completed as a member of a technology development team chartered with improving one or more of the following: manufacturing yields (selections), process rate, machine utilization, product quality, new product quality, environmental compliance, raw material yield, and/or energy usage.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a structured product/process development and utilize the Innovation Process and relevant risk management tools to ensure on-time delivery
• Use established processes to identify concepts for manufacturing new and advantaged products and processes; design and execute product or process validation tests in a manufacturing plant; analyze data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations
• Lead cross-functional teams and apply traditional project management methodologies of performance, scheduling, and cost control; set direction, roles and responsibilities, and priorities for team members and self-directed work
• Collaborate with product or process design experts in other organizations
• Use scientific method to define problems, outline hypotheses, design critical experiments and use fundamental understanding to drive robust solutions
• Communicate and document results
• Provide cost of manufacturability analyses

 

Additional Information

• Location: Wilmington, NC
• Travel: <5% domesic and international possibile

• Hours of work/work schedule/flex-time: 40+hours/week (The position is overtime exempt.  Overtime is not uncommon and is indeed expected at times, however the amount and duration will vary as a function of the job position, particular project, and point in the project life cycle)

Experiences/Education - Required

• Minimum Engineering BS or MS in any of Optical, Chemical, Material, Ceramics, Mechanical (or similar)
• Engineering with 3 - 5 years of engineering experience.

• A process engineering background with emphasis on thermal processing of materials, including understanding of associated product and equipment performance.
• Working knowledge of physical phenomena (e.g., static and dynamic physics, heat and mass transfer, etc.) with a strong background in utilizing this knowledge to improve manufacturing processes and product attributes.
• Use scientific method and fundamental engineering principles to solve problems thoroughly and effectively, using well-designed and executed process experiments.
• Drive for root cause fundamental understanding of challenging problems.
• Display a bias for action in situations of uncertainty, with pro-active attention to issues and problems.
• Work well both within a multi-disciplined team, and independently with minimal oversight, and thoroughly carries assignments to completion.
• Ability + drive to manage structured product/process development simultaneously with functional management of a team.

Experiences/Education - Desired

 

• Fundamental understanding + experience with CO2 laser systems and/or laser processing of glass, ceramics, or other brittle materials.
• Experience with optical alignment, beam delivery, and laser-process troubleshooting.
• Fundamental understanding of energy and mass transport and modeling of same (e.g. FEA).
• Fundamental understanding of chemical transport and reaction processes as well as resultant product and equipment performance.
• Ability to translate engineering solutions to requirements, then further to process and/or equipment designs which deliver all required and promised performance criteria.
• Effectively use relevant measured and/or modeled data to drive decisions and actions.
• Determine and recommend best solution from a series of alternatives within given guidelines.
• Communicate effectively in various settings to provide and present necessary information to Project, Department, and Site leaders.
• Experience with data processing software (e.g. Jmp, Python, PowerBI) and Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Modeling simulation software experience optional (e.g. Aspen, Matlab, Fluent).