Ceramic Mould Engineer

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The University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) conducts activities to further develop the castings industry specifically with respect to sand casting, investment casting and permanent mould casting processes. The AMRC's Castings team are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join as a Ceramics Mould Engineer.

As the Ceramics Mould Engineer, you shall have the necessary experience in operating a ceramic mould manufacturing facility, including the preparation of ceramic slurries and their testing. You will be responsible for the process of manufacturing investment casting moulds for a wide variety of alloys including reactive alloys. In addition, you will be involved in the application of ceramic mould coatings for both sand and permanent moulds.

The AMRC facility includes a wide variety of technologies, from small batch development equipment to fully automated robotic facilities. You will be expected to be capable of operating and programming all the equipment within the area.

The AMRC are constantly seeking to advance the casting process and as such the role will include involvement in all activities. This will range from technical lead on processes and research activities to the conducting of testing and interpretation of the results within the context of the activities being performed.

As a part of the wider AMRC Castings team you will be involved in all operational and administrative processes (i.e. purchasing, quality system maintenance and record keeping) in line with the groups' requirements.

• Be responsible for all aspects of the following processes, including supporting activities where required:
  • Preparation and mixing of ceramic slurries
  • Checking of slurry properties
  • Preparation of moulds for de-waxing/burnout
  • Firing of ceramic moulds
  • Cleaning, sealing and preparation of moulds for casting
  • Preparation and testing of mould coatings
  • Coating of sand and permanent moulds
• Working with the Project Lead and Technical Fellow to plan and deliver technical elements of team projects.
• The generation of manufacturing documentation and records to support operational activities and project delivery.
• Research, analyse, collate, interpret and edit material for inclusion in reports and other documents.
• Present own work and team data results to internal and external stakeholders at all levels in a professional and concise manner.
• Provide technical report writing support and reviewing to others.
• Continuously monitor and check results. The unpredictability of research means that daily planning needs to accommodate new developments.
• Support planning for short-term projects in own area or contribute to the planning of the group.
• Assist in planning several months in advance to meet deadlines for AMRC project reports, industrial partner deadlines and to support preparation for presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Working with the maintenance team to report potential issues that supports both reactive and preventative maintenance to reduce equipment downtime.
• Ensure that you and others are working safely and adhering to relevant systems and processes.
• Wor…