Required Skills & Experience
MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in thermal/fluid sciences (Aeronautical/Chemical Engineering degree with applicable experience)
Experience in mechanical design, mechanical drawings, and standards
5 years' industrial design/operations experience
Nice to Have Skills & Experience
Field experience either working in or directly supporting manufacturing operations Experience in metalworking, machining, and welding Experience with commercial CAD, CFD codes, and FEA codes Project leadership including scope, schedule, risk and change management
Job Description
At the heart of a continuous-strand fiberglass manufacturing operation is the fiberizing bushing, a precious metal alloy component similar to an extrusion die. The design, manufacture and operation of the bushing and supporting components are critical to the financial success of the business. The primary responsibility of the Bushing Design Engineer is to design fiber forming bushings, supporting components, the fiberizing process and provide operational support to our global glass manufacturing facilities.
This position requires a deep understanding of the physics and engineering challenges involved in fiberizing at such high temperatures, as well as proficiency in mechanical engineering, heat transfer and fluid flow. The engineer will utilize advanced Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and structural Fine Element Analysis (FEA) tools for designing and analyzing bushing components, glass delivery systems, and their operation including the overall fiberizing environment. The goal is to enhance fiberizing performance and reduce waste. The engineer is also responsible for translating physical understanding into practical designs for fiberizing components, developing manufacturing documentation, and then installing and evaluating them in a laboratory environment or glass manufacturing plants.
A significant part of the role involves developing design solutions to optimize the use of platinum/rhodium alloys to provide the most effective and capital efficient fiberizing operations. The fiberizing process spans a very broad spectrum of engineering physics subjects and allows the opportunity to grow the corporate knowledge base. Ultimately, the engineer's innovations and research contribute to a deeper understanding of fiberizing physics and more efficient production processes through directly applied industrial research and development.
Live the OC Safety stand and adhere to the safety responsibilities
Demonstrate a commitment to employee health and safety, particularly through a commitment to zero injuries, awareness of hazards, and a strong understanding of legislative requirements in all aspects of the operation.
Glass Fiberizing and Bushing Design Engineering
Develop and design fiberizing bushing and ancillary hardware for the glass reinforcement plants.
Use computational and analytical tools to deliver bushing solutions that: Meet product quality/performance standards, operational performance targets, and life standards.
Minimize the use of Pt/Rh alloys Develop and specify the mechanical drawing packages for all components with appropriate standards and tolerancing
Maintain standard work documents for design and operations
Maintain standards and qualify new sources for materials Support design and material innovation projects
Design and perform experiments to validate and test new materials or glass types
Memorialize relevant work in journal-quality internal technical reports and trip reports and other documentation
Glass Reinforcement Operations Support
Provide on-site and remote support to global Glass Reinforcements Plants to troubleshoot operational issues and support production startups.
Optimize bushing operational performance
Conduct audits of the fiberizing component operational work standards
Mentor and develop Glass Reinforcements staff
Bushing Fabrication Support
Conduct post-mortem analysis on failed bushing components to determine root cause
Provide fabrication/tooling support for internal bushing fabrication shops