Subject Matter Expert - Surface Finishing

Summary

Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. The people here at Apple don’t just build products — they craft the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors / Masters in engineering (chemical engineering, chemistry or materials science) or equivalent record of industrial experience. Minimum 5 years experience in developing new cosmetic plated finishes. Experience utilizing combined mechanical finishing and anodizing process to meet ID desired texture and color targets. Experience in metal resin bonding technology.

Preferred Qualifications

Must be able to develop anodizing process and equipment to meet both cosmetic and functional reliability requirements. Ability to plan, execute, and present results from investigations using statistical analysis and clearly communicated results and recommendations. Ability to drive root cause/corrective action activities. Experience with other chemical metal surface treatments for corrosion protection including conversion coating. Understanding of color theory and color, gloss and texture measurement techniques. Must have minimum average, preferably superior color discrimination ability. Knowledge of cleaning and surfactants in pretreatment of aluminum (steel is a plus) for cosmetic finishes. Experience working with an international supply chain. Ability to define clear process controls and documentation for a robust process. Experience developing cosmetic anodizing finishes. History of successfully implementing new processes (possibly automation) in a mass production environment. Expertise in establishing process controls that adhere to strict color specifications  Ability to use advanced analytical tools to characterize surface topography and material characteristics. Solid understanding of DOE principles and use of statistical software. Expertise in dealing with FA and characterization on finishing defects is preferred.

Description

As part of Manufacturing Design’s Subject Matter Expert team, create new highly cosmetic surface finishes. Work with Apple’s Industrial Design and Product Design teams to develop surface finishes with new colors and textures. Match, pilot and scale new cosmetic Anodized finishes for production - Utilize combined mechanical surface preparation to create textures (blasting, tumbling, polishing) and decorative anodizing finishing techniques to meet challenging new targets. - Research new methods for creating new surface finishes and implementing tighter control of existing finishes. - Evaluate manufacturing processes at early stages of product development to define critical process requirements and controls for tightest output. - Plan and execute studies to confirm process capability to achieve excellent quality and high yields on high volume enclosures - Present analysis to key decision makers that will be used to make commercial, cosmetic and design commitments

Responsibilities

Evaluate supplier capabilities and address shortcomings relative to company needs Drive on-site support in conjunction with USA counterparts for implementation of manufacturing processes at supplier locations Build relationships with these counterparts and suppliers, and foster development of their capabilities and expertise Maintain working knowledge of key process drivers and subject matter expertise in the technologies to serve as technical resource on project teams. Investigate and validate new surface finishing processes, techniques, and equipment where appropriate. Frequent domestic and some overseas travel expected.