The Process Engineer works in Manufacturing Operations. This individual will support a manufacturing team dedicated to establishing, releasing, and optimizing the PVD chamber & quality processes for optical thin film coated parts.  This is a hands-on manufacturing position.

 WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

People:

• Work directly with customers to design the e-beam thin film recipe, masks, tooling, etc. to meet all optical product requirements.
• Develop and implement clean room manufacturing and quality/inspection process solutions.
• Work closely with the Customer and Quality staff on problem solving activities related to thin film process improvement and reliability.
• Work closely with the R&D team in the development, processing and characterization of thin film and base materials and required processing.
• Rapidly solve emerging challenges with respect to new coating applications and quality requirements (e.g., OD, adhesion, abrasion resistance, transmission, reflection, etc.).
• Collaborate in the design and construction of testing fixtures, and tooling.
• Responsible for the vacuum chamber maintenance, identifying preventative maintenance and troubleshooting machine failure.
• Provide technical support and expertise to the manufacturing team and QC staff.

Process:

• Develop custom thin film, PVD recipes and solutions. This includes developing the coating stacks (PVD & wet coatings), and processes for supporting steps.
• Work with clean room PVD machine operations to run new coating scripts, tooling, and other support as needed to ensure efficient coating manufacturing that meets all quality, reliability, and customer requirements.
• Create all thin film recipes to meet customer requirements for AR, conductive, and other e-beam coating production of optical filter applications.
• Develop workflow and work instructions for production of thin film solutions.
• Contribute to quality test plan for precision thin film coated optical specifications (e.g., OD, transmission, reflectance, etc.) and mechanical requirements including adhesion, abrasion, cosmetic, etc.
• Understanding and ownership of the end-to-end in-house manufacturing process including injection molding, wet coating, PVD coating, CNC machining, assembly, and quality testing.
• Develop and oversee environmental testing of optical coatings including laser damage, UV, temperature, and humidity conditions.
• Oversee new equipment/instrument design, development, and installation.
• Develop assembly and coating solutions for novel manufacturing processes.
• Monitor and improve performance and quality of products.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Performance:

• Plan and execute corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) and implement solutions to improve manufacturing processes.
• Lead process capability actions as required by customers and internal needs.
• Use PPAP and other processes to verify and document process reliability.
• Implement LEAN applications throughout the manufacturing process.
• Develop a strong knowledge of standards and specifications which relate to products.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemistry with experience in thin film vapor deposition coating design and manufacturing.
• 4+ years experience in a manufacturing environment with strong knowledge of automated assembly processes.
• Experience with e-beam PVD coating equipment is required.
• Experience with optical wet coatings desired.
• Experience with LEAN Manufacturing Methodologies and its implementation, a plus.

• Proficient in computer skills Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, & Outlook).

• Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize in a highly dynamic environment.
• Fast learner, self-starter, must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• A positive can-do, customer-oriented attitude is necessary.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Motivated and creative problem solver.
• CAD Experience a plus.
• PLC Logic Understanding a plus.