Tooling Design Engineer

Who is Senior plc?

Senior plc is an international, market-leading, engineering solutions provider with 30 operating businesses in 13 countries. Senior designs, manufactures and markets high-technology components and systems for the principal original equipment producers in the worldwide aerospace, defense, and land vehicle and power & energy markets. The Group is split into two divisions, Aerospace and Flexonics, servicing five key sectors.

Our global values underpin what we do, and how we do it ...

Safety - Integrity - Customer Focus - Respect & Trust - Accountability - Excellence

Who is SSP?

Senior Aerospace SSP, specializes in designing, manufacturing, and qualifying complex ducting systems for aerospace applications. Since its humble roots in 1945, the campus has now expanded to include a 59,000 sq. ft high-volume production facility, in addition to its legacy 131,000 ft2 main buildings which combined, accommodate over 500 employees. Vertically integrated with its own foundry, fabrication shop, and ISO certified engineering lab, Senior Aerospace SSP acquired by Senior PLC in 1995 and has continued its expansion into new programs and technologies.

What does the job involve?

Summary: Senior Aerospace SSP designs and builds metallic ducting and tubing structures combined with composite layup insulation built around these ducting systems. Products are designed in 3D using Catia V5/SolidWorks CAD software, after which the models are transferred to the Tool Designer to create a complete tooling package.

The Tool Design Engineer will coordinate and collaborate with Manufacturing Engineers (ME), Quality Engineers (QE), and production to determine the scope of tooling design that best suit the application. They will work with Tool Designers and QE to ensure proper GD&T and tolerance stack up of tool designs. They will act as liaison between Tool Designers, ME and QE to ensure that the drawing is reviewed and signed as quickly as possible in order to transfer the drawings to fabrication. The Tool Design Engineer will be the subject matter expert on tooling and gaging who focuses on implementation and design details, leaving ME and QE to focus on program and process needs.

Typical tools include assembly and weld fixtures, mandrels, drill jigs, templates, form dies, go/no-go gauges, etc. This position will assist the Tool Designers when product 3D model is not available by working with Design Engineer to create the model for tooling design. This position will require good knowledge of GD&T to effectively apply feature tolerances for in-house and outsourced tool fabrication.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Under minimal supervision, must be able to perform a variety of job duties including, but not limited to:

• Assist primary Tool Designers using Catia v5/SolidWorks to design and draft complex tool assemblies from product CAD models as required.
• Calculate, apply, and check complete GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2018 and gaging principles per ASME Y14.43 for tools.
• Define requirements for tools which need simulation aided design. Is the focal point between simulation team and Tool Designers.
• Establish tool design, manufacturing, and inspection guideline documentation for the department.
• Check tool work orders for completeness of information and actively work with ME, QE, and Production to brainstorm the most effective tooling design.
• Create, modify, and standardize tool work orders to streamline tooling workflow.
• Evaluate non-conforming tools, identify root causes, and recommend rework approach.
• Work closely with Design Engineering (DE), ME, Tool Designers, and QE from start to completion of tooling design package for production.
• Work with CMM group when reverse engineering of a tool is required.
• Follow all Senior policies and procedures.
• Adapt to fast-paced aerospace industry; multitasking ability is desired.
• Must be punctual and have good attendance.
• Other duties as assigned.

In addition to the above, Tool Designer Engineer is to maintain an organized, clean, and safe work area using safety standards and expectations while adhering to all quality practices. Senior is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• This position requires a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and a minimum of five (5) years tooling design experience, or equivalent.
• Experience using SolidWorks and/or Catia v5 for model and drawing creation.
• Well versed in the application of GD&T and feature tolerances per ASME Y14.5-2018 (2009 acceptable).
• Well versed in gaging and fixturing principles per ASME Y14.43.
• Well versed in engineering print interpretation.
• Knowledgeable with specifying tooling material for various tooling such as Aluminum alloys, tool steel, stainless steel alloys, titanium, copper, and its derivatives.
• Ability to optimize tooling design to reduce fabrication cost.
• Ability to balance the tool designer workload and monitor the tasks progress.
• Create a weekly report of the status of the tooling design task for department manager/sup review.
• Familiarity with model-based definition is a plus.
• Familiarity with function and capabilities of traditional mills, lathes, and wire EDM is desired.
• Familiarity with principles of designing for 3D printing (additive manufacturing)(particularly FDM) is a plus.
• Ability to reverse engineer point clouds from old tools is a plus.
• Familiarity with CNC programming and Mastercam operation is desired.

Required Skills:

• Language: Must have excellent communication and inter-personal skills. Ability to interact with employees of all levels and cultural backgrounds. Ability to read, comprehend, present, and write (in English) correspondence, work orders, policies, procedures, etc. Ability to prepare presentations and speak / present material to large groups of employees.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed, written, and oral instructions. Ability to solve problems involving many variables in various situations.
• Mathematical Skills: The ability to intrepid CAD models with an understanding of manufacturing and how tolerances are applied.
• Other Abilities: Must be able to handle many customers with a variety of requests. Must be able to effectively multi-task and quickly change from one task to the next and back. Must be a detail orientated, self-administrator able to work quickly and effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Tools used:

• SolidWorks
• Catia v5
• GeoMagic

ITAR Compliance:

• Access to our facility (and, therefore, employment) is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/ or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents, U.S. refugees, asylees or temporary residents under amnesty provisions [as defined in 8 USC 1324b(a)(3)] and properly licensed foreign persons. Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment will be required to provide information to determine whether they are subject to these regulations and, if so, to assess their country of chargeability for export control purposes. Additionally, potential employee's names will be screened against the Consolidated Screening List (maintained by the United States government) to determine eligibility to receive technical data.