Process Engineer

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Hoffer Plastics is hiring for "Process Engineer", "1st shift".

Starting Pay $85k - $115K (based on experience)

Participate in the review of new molds, transferred molds, engineering changes, and new product launches to ensure the tooling and manufacturing process are designed for successful production.

• Participate in new product and tooling review meetings throughout the development process.
• Review part and mold designs from an injection molding and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) perspective.
• Identify potential processing, tooling, material, quality, automation, and production risks before the mold reaches production.
• Review proposed gate locations, runner systems, hot runner systems, cooling requirements, venting, ejection, cavity layout, and other mold features that can affect process capability.
• Review available mold-flow or simulation information and provide processing input when appropriate.
• Evaluate projected cavity pressures, clamp-tonnage requirements, shot-size requirements, recovery requirements, expected cycle time, and other machine requirements.
• Determine whether the proposed mold is compatible with available injection molding machines and identify required auxiliary equipment.
• Review mold water requirements and verify that adequate water circuits, flow, pressure, and temperature control are available.
• Participate in tool trials and mold samplings as required and document processing or tooling concerns for the project team.
• Work with Engineering, Tooling, Quality, and Manufacturing to resolve identified concerns before production launch whenever possible.
• Support domestic and international tool shops as required during mold build, sampling, and debugging.

Develop a robust, repeatable, and documented injection molding process that can be successfully transferred to normal production.

• Coordinate and participate in mold samplings and process-development activities using scientific and decoupled molding principles.
• Establish a repeatable molding process based on actual process data rather than machine settings alone.
• Perform appropriate process-development studies to establish the molding window and understand the response of the process to normal manufacturing variation.
• Evaluate fill speed, transfer position, cavity balance, injection pressure, hold pressure, hold time, cooling time, melt temperature, mold temperature, clamp tonnage, recovery, and other critical process variables.
• Verify that the process operates within the capabilities of the selected injection molding machine and establish upper and lower limits for critical variables where appropriate.
• Verify that the developed process produces acceptable product under normal production conditions and identify critical process parameters and potential failure points.
• Work with Quality to verify dimensional and functional product requirements during process development.
• Develop and maintain clear process documentation covering mold setup, machine requirements, process settings and limits, material and drying requirements, auxiliary equipment, water, automation, and special instructions.
• Assist with the transition of newly developed processes from Engineering into Manufacturing and support the initial production startup.
• Verify that the developed process can be duplicated by plant personnel and train appropriate personnel on new processes and special processing requirements.

Provide technical support to Manufacturing when production problems cannot be resolved through normal plant troubleshooting activities.

• Support manufacturing personnel with difficult, chronic, or recurring injection molding problems.
• Troubleshoot issues involving the process, machine, mold, material, hot runner system, temperature-control equipment, dryers, material handling, robots, automation, and other auxiliary equipment.
• Use a structured troubleshooting approach to identify the actual cause of production problems and separate process-related issues…