Extrusion & Mould Setter Engineer

Extrusion & Mould Setter Engineer

Location:

Waterlooville, Hampshire We’re working with a successful high-volume manufacturing business looking to appoint an experienced Extrusion & Mould Setter Engineer to join its manufacturing team. This is a hands-on role focused on the setup, optimisation and continuous running of extrusion and injection moulding processes, with particular emphasis on pipe extrusion. You’ll play a key role in keeping production lines running efficiently, minimising downtime and scrap, and ensuring consistent product quality across long production runs.

The Role You will be responsible for:
Setting, starting, adjusting and shutting down extrusion and injection moulding lines. Installing and aligning dies, tooling, calibrators, moulds and downstream equipment. Optimising temperatures, screw speeds, pressures, line speeds, cooling and calibration systems. Managing continuous pipe extrusion, maintaining diameter, wall thickness and ovality within specification. Setting vacuum calibration and cooling systems, haul-offs, cutters, coilers and stacking equipment. Carrying out first-off checks and accurately recording process parameters.

Troubleshooting issues including dimensional variation, surface defects, ovality, melt fracture and material inconsistencies. Driving improvements in scrap, OEE, line speeds and process stability. Supporting preventative maintenance and working closely with Engineering and Toolroom teams. Managing material changes, purging and colour transitions. Supporting NPI trials, process development and root-cause investigations, including 8D. Maintaining high standards of health & safety and product quality.

About You We’re looking for someone with:
Proven experience setting and running plastic extrusion lines and injection moulding machines. Strong hands-on experience of pipe extrusion, including die and calibrator changes, sizing and downstream handling. A solid understanding of polymer behaviour, extrusion tooling and downstream equipment. Strong mechanical aptitude and confidence working with tooling and machinery. The ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.

Experience with in a high-volume or continuous manufacturing environment. A practical, hands-on approach to troubleshooting and problem solving.

Desirable Experience Qualification in Polymer Processing, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.

Experience with calibration tanks, haul-offs, cutters, slitters and winders. Knowledge of Lean / Continuous Improvement, including 5S, SMED and OEE. Experience working within ISO 9001 environments. Forklift or overhead crane certification. What Success Looks Like You'll be successful in the role by delivering:
Stable, repeatable extrusion and moulding processes. Reduced scrap and downtime, with improved OEE and line performance. Fast and accurate setups and tooling changes. Consistent achievement of dimensional and quality standards. Proactive problem solving and preventative maintenance. Strong collaboration across Production, Quality and Engineering. If you're an experienced Extrusion Setter / Engineer who enjoys being hands-on, solving production problems and improving manufacturing performance, we'd like to hear from you.