Automation Engineer

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Shift: 1st shift

City: Solon

Swagelok, Northeast Ohio, USA

Swagelok is a global organization and one of the largest employers of manufacturing talent in Northeast Ohio. We are driven by our core values of Quality, Integrity, Respect for the Individual, Customer Focus, Innovation, and Continuous Improvement, which are demonstrated through our daily actions. For 75 years, our dedication to our core values has been the foundation for our success. Our products have been up into space, down to the bottom of the ocean, and everywhere in between.

That same dedication spans to our customers. Throughout our organization we demonstrate a commitment to these values and those we bring onboard. Whether you want to grow in your role or explore broad opportunities and develop new skills—you’ll thrive in a culture that promotes learning and development. We strive to be a company where we all can do our best work with a true sense of purpose and belonging.

Be Connected.
Be Valued.
Be You.

We hope you’ll consider joining our team.

The Automation Engineer plays a critical role in advancing automated quality assurance for machined components. This position focuses on developing and integrating automated inspection, process‑capability analysis, and in‑process quality controls that minimize the risk of non‑conforming parts during extended unattended production. The engineer combines strong machining‑quality experience with the ability to automate quality measurements and program inspection systems, enabling advanced process control and prevention techniques within our global automation strategy.

While the primary emphasis is on quality and metrology automation, the role will also gain exposure to general machine‑level automation such as robotic machine tending, data integration, and control‑system interfaces.

Automated Quality Responsibilities

• Lead and provide guidance / training on process capability (Cp, Cpk) for machined parts and identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead discussions and oversee updating Process Quality Plans (PQP, APQP) to reflect automation‑based prevention and detection methods.
• Develop and evaluate scalable prevention‑vs‑detection strategies to ensure stable and capable processes during unattended machining.
• Lead and maintain PFMEAs to identify, quantify, and mitigate process risks related to automated machining and inspection.
• Recommend best practices for designing and acquiring gages, measurement systems, and data collection systems.
• Program, calibrate, and maintain Keyence digital gages and other automated metrology devices; create new inspection programs and modify existing ones; design, execute, and analyze validation (gage R&R) of new / modified inspection programs.
• Integrate in‑process, post‑process, and vision‑based inspection systems that provide immediate feedback to machines and operators.
• Provide guidance and training on statistical methods (SPC, trend analysis, frequency optimization, sample size) to determine appropriate inspection intervals and trigger points.
• Collaborate closely with machinists, quality engineers, and automation teams to ensure part‑quality verification occurs as early and efficiently as possible in the process.
• Design, lead execution, and analyze equivalency / correlation and validation studies to confirm that automated measurements align with traditional quality inspection systems.
• Drive initiatives that reduce the likelihood of producing non‑conforming parts during unmanned or lightly monitored shifts.

Automation & Systems Integration Responsibilities

• Support the development of automation concepts that integrate quality measurement and process feedback loops.
• Assist in implementing and troubleshooting automation components such as sensors, robots, or PLC interfaces used to enable automated quality checks.
• Contribute to system testing, documentation, and continuous improvement of automation standards.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Operations, IT, Sourcing, and Quality teams to ensure successful deployment of automation and quality initiatives.
• Over time,…