Position Summary
The Tooling Engineer specifies, sources, and approves all new production injection mold tooling for parts designed by the automotive application engineering group, and supports those tools from kickoff through launch and into production. The role centers on complex multi-shot tooling, including 2-shot and 3-shot rotary and index molds, run on 500 to 1,300 ton presses. The Tooling Engineer works with design engineering, process engineering, quality, and a network of domestic and international tool shops to deliver tools that make parts to print, on time and on budget. In the plant, the Tooling Engineer partners with the tooling supervisor, tooling technicians, tool setters, and molding operators to provide technical oversight of production molds and resolve tooling issues.
Tooling Environment
The plant runs 2-shot and 3-shot rotary and index molds, family tools, and valve gate, thermal gate, and cold runner manifold systems on presses ranging from 500 to 1,300 tons. Most parts are molded in nylon and Sika proprietary materials.
The Tooling Engineer typically manages 20 or more new tool builds and 10 or more engineering changes or repairs at the same time, working with tool shops in Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Canada, China, and Portugal.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
New tool development and launch
- Review all injection molded part design concepts with design engineering for tooling feasibility, cavitation, and manufacturability, and recommend part and tool design changes.
- Develop tooling estimates covering cost, timing, cavitation, and press size based on program needs, and solicit, compare, and recommend tool shop quotes.
- Participate in part and tool design reviews to reach final designs capable of meeting customer requirements.
- Kick off and track all new injection mold tooling, lead tool design reviews with tool shops, approve tool design details, and ensure Sika molding standards are applied.
- Set up and attend molding trials at domestic and international tool shops and in the plant; review tool and part dimensional layouts and drive corrections to tooling and process discrepancies until the tool produces parts to print.
- Partner with process engineering on the setup, verification, and launch of all new injection mold tools, including support of customer part approval (PPAP) requirements.
- Serve on program launch teams and report tooling status, issues, timing, and cost to team members.
- Manage 20 or more tool builds at the same time from kickoff through production, and track tooling spend against quotes and program budgets.
Engineering changes and production tooling support
- Manage engineering changes (ECs) to existing tools, including scope, quoting, tool shop coordination, trial, and approval.
- Provide technical oversight of production molds, working with the tooling supervisor, tooling technicians, tool setters, and molding operators.
- Assist process engineering and production in troubleshooting current production tools; determine, schedule, track, and confirm the results of corrective actions.
- Input and maintain the history of all mold maintenance and repairs on assigned tools, and use that history to guide repair, refurbishment, and replacement decisions.
- Apply lessons learned from production tooling performance (downtime, scrap, repair trends) to the design of new tools.
Standards and continuous improvement
- Develop and update Sika tooling standards as part of the tooling group.
- Identify and implement current tooling technologies and techniques that improve tool performance, cost, or lead time.
- Follow plant safety requirements for mold handling, trials, and work around molding equipment.
- Complete other tasks as assigned by the Launch Director.
Required Qualifications
- 5 or more years of experience in the design, development, or sourcing of plastic injection mold tooling.
- Experience managing multiple new tool builds at the same time with outside tool shops, from design review through tool trials and approval.
- Ability to read and interpret part prints, mold drawings, GD&T, and dimensional layout reports.
- Proficiency in SolidWorks for part and tool design reviews.
- Strong internal and external relationship and communication skills, including with tool shops, design engineers, and plant floor teams.
- Ability to travel 20-30% of the time, domestically and internationally (including Canada, China, and Portugal), for design reviews and tool trials.
- Valid passport, or ability to obtain one before the first international trip.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline (plastics, mechanical, or manufacturing) strongly preferred.
- Candidates without a bachelor's degree will be considered with an associate's degree or journeyman mold maker credential plus 8 or more years of injection mold tooling experience.
Strongly Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with multi-shot tooling, including 2-shot or 3-shot rotary and index molds.
- Experience with large tools for presses of 500 tons or more.
- Experience with precision, multi-cavity, and family tooling, including valve gate, thermal gate, and cold runner manifold systems.
- Experience with Autodesk Moldflow or similar mold flow analysis.
- Plastics technology or plastics engineering focus in education or training.
- Experience in the automotive industry, preferably with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier.
- Working knowledge of APQP and PPAP.
Additional Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on mold making or tool shop background.
- Experience managing offshore tool builds, including in China or Europe.
- Experience with scientific or decoupled molding principles.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Sika Corporation is committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals that apply. As an equal opportunity employer Sika will consider all qualified applicants without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, or other protected characteristics.
We offer competitive salaries, aligned with local market benchmarks and the specific scope and responsibilities of each role. Compensation is determined based skills relevant to the position, education and/or training. We are committed to fair and equitable pay practices in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.