CNC Engineer

The CNC Engineer is responsible for providing engineering and technical support for CNC machining processes and equipment used in the manufacturing of aluminum wheels. This position focuses on CNC programming, process development, tooling, machine capability, cycle-time optimization, quality improvement, new product launches, and continuous improvement.

The CNC Engineer works closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Tooling, and other Engineering personnel to develop and optimize machining processes that meet safety, quality, productivity, and cost requirements. This position supports the introduction of new products and equipment, investigates machining and process-related issues, develops corrective actions, and identifies opportunities to improve process capability, efficiency, repeatability, and overall equipment effectiveness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Follows all company safety policies, procedures, and work practices and actively contributes to a safe, clean, and organized work environment.
• Provides engineering and technical support for CNC machining operations, equipment, tooling, fixtures, and associated manufacturing processes.
• Develops, reviews, modifies, and optimizes CNC programs and machining parameters to meet product specifications and production requirements.
• Evaluates machining processes to improve cycle time, throughput, repeatability, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, tool life, and overall process capability.
• Develops and establishes machining parameters, feeds, speeds, tooling requirements, offsets, work holding methods, and process standards.
• Provides engineering support during machine changeovers and production changes, including tooling, programming, machine parameters, offsets, fixtures, and process validation when changing wheel types or product configurations.
• Troubleshoots CNC machining and process-related issues affecting product quality, dimensional accuracy, cycle time, scrap, throughput, and production performance.
• Performs root-cause analysis of recurring machining defects, process variation, tooling failures, and equipment-related process concerns and develops effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Analyzes production and process data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement in quality, productivity, scrap, cycle time, tooling cost, and equipment utilization.
• Works closely with Quality to investigate dimensional and machining-related defects and establish corrective actions that improve process capability and product consistency.
• Develops and implements process improvements that increase manufacturing efficiency, improve quality, reduce scrap, decrease cycle time, extend tool life, and reduce manufacturing costs.
• Identifies opportunities for automation, error-proofing, process optimization, and equipment modernization and supports implementation of approved improvements.
• Applies engineering principles to evaluate CNC machine and process capability and recommends improvements to safety, quality, throughput, repeatability, reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Evaluates cutting tools and tooling performance and works with suppliers to improve tool life, machining performance, quality, and cost.
• Supports the development and implementation of new CNC machining processes for new products, product changes, and continuous improvement projects.
• Develops technical requirements and specifications for CNC equipment, tooling, fixtures, machine upgrades, controls, and related engineering projects.
• Reads and interprets engineering drawings, GD&T, machine drawings, electrical schematics, control diagrams, and other technical documentation necessary to support CNC processes and equipment.
• Collaborates with Maintenance when equipment-related problems affect machining performance and assists in determining whether concerns are related to equipment condition, programming, tooling, controls, or manufacturing processes.
• Develops and maintains process documentation, including setup sheets, work instructions, CNC program revisions, tooling information, process parameters, engineering changes, and validation records.
• Ensures appropriate backups and revision control are maintained for CNC programs, machine parameters, and other critical process information.
• Works with equipment manufacturers, tooling suppliers, integrators, contractors, and other technical resources to resolve machining issues and implement process improvements.
• Performs other related engineering and…