Electrical Control Engineer

Astec is a global, environmentally focused infrastructure and manufacturing company of asphalt road building and aggregate processing. Our mission is to design and build the most innovative products for the industries we serve. Leveraging innovative solutions and technologies, we serve customers all over the world.

Location:
Eugene, Oregon with 30% travel.

At Astec, we are building a world‑class electrical hardware and controls software engineering team. A team that values free thought for innovative idea generation and disciplined engineering for the realization of those ideas to drive solutions for our customers. By freeing our creative minds, we bring solutions our customers haven’t even realized they need yet. Through disciplined engineering we ensure the solutions we provide are effective, simple to use, reliable, and cost effective.

The Electrical Engineer will be a part of a dynamic team of engineers working on the development of control/automation systems for heavy construction equipment, ranging from road pavers, road mills, wood chippers, wood grinders, etc. The engineer will be involved in the creation of product requirements, decomposition to electrical hardware and software requirements, design calculations, schematic generation, PCB designs, junction box designs, wiring harness routings and designs, and electrical design reviews of the same;

all with an eye toward Design for Reliability (DfR). The engineer may also work on structured software decomposition, code development, software design reviews, and software unit and integration testing. The engineer will move from project to project as required and may be working on multiple projects within a given timeframe. All project work will be scheduled by the New Product Development Manager(s) and the Continuous Improvement Manager(s) such that the engineer will not be over allocated but will have definite deadlines and visibility into upcoming work.

Electrical designs will be based on embedded controller and HMI displays. The designs will predominately be composed of 24

VDC control of motors, valves, pumps, actuators, relays, etc. with sensor inputs in the same or similar range. Control outputs may be DC voltage or current, PWM, or PID control loop signals. Some designs will require AC power control using VFDs, soft starters, etc.

Software will be developed on PLCs, embedded controllers, and HMI displays. Some legacy systems are coded in Ladder Logic, but all new systems will be coded in either Code Sys or C/C++. The Control Software Engineer will work with the Electrical Engineer(s) on a project to map I/O, define necessary configurations, understand sensor input requirements as well as device output drive requirements.

The Electrical and Control Software Engineers will work cooperatively with the Mechanical Engineer(s) to develop the appropriate control controls hardware design as well as controls algorithms to produce the equipment functionality required by the customer and Product Management.

The Electrical Engineer will also work with other cross-functional teams, including but not limited to sales, manufacturing, purchasing, and service to ensure the successful completion of projects and launch of equipment.

Electrical Engineer may at times be asked to travel for project testing and system integration testing, as well as to develop business relationships with customers, dealers, and suppliers. They may also participate in product focus groups to gain critical customer application and design suggestions to assist in the development of product lines. Travel may also be required at times to troubleshoot and resolve customer equipment issues in the field.

• Works with the cross-functional Product Management Team to produce a complete and well-defined Product Functional Specification before product design is started.
• Follow Structured System Design techniques to decompose the product function requirements into an effective control strategy for heavy construction equipment.
• Uses knowledge of sensor technologies, control device technologies and process automation techniques to advance the simplicity of operation and troubleshooting of equipment to maximize productivity by enhancing operator functionality and the minimization of equipment downtime.
• Uses knowledge of domestic as well as international electrical standards to design equipment with the widest market breadth without redesigning to minimize the number of models required to be manufactured.
• Apply Design for Reliability processes and principles to realize desired equipment reliability and Total Cost of Ownership requirements.
• Uses structured system design techniques to produce electrical hardware designs that are modular in nature, easy to test, easy to diagnose and simple to replace should field service repairs be required.
• Develops and executes bench tests with the Controls Software Engineer on design modules and code units to ensure proper…