Tooling Design Engineer
You will join a dynamic and innovative engineering group dedicated to pushing the boundaries of manufacturing excellence. Our projects support mission-critical applications across the automotive, medical device, and industrial automation sectors. We foster a culture of deep collaboration, relentless continuous improvement, and technical mastery—empowering our engineers to solve challenging problems and see their sophisticated designs come to life.
Your Impact and Responsibilities
- You will spearhead the end-to-end design of intricate tooling, including multi-cavity injection molds (with hot runner and cold runner systems), high-tonnage progressive stamping dies, and complex workholding fixtures for automated CNC cells.
- Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles rigorously from the earliest stages, collaborating with product design teams to ensure component designs are optimized for robust, high-volume manufacturing.
- Conduct and interpret advanced material flow simulations using tools like Moldflow to predict and mitigate potential manufacturing defects—such as sink marks, warpage, or air traps—before any steel is cut.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive 3D models and 2D drawings for all tooling components and assemblies, ensuring they adhere to the highest standards of clarity and precision with exacting application of GD&T (ASME Y14.5).
- Create and validate CNC toolpaths for the manufacturing of complex tooling components, including cores, cavities, and electrodes, using CAM software such as Mastercam or PowerMill.
- Manage the complete tool fabrication process by working closely with internal tool rooms and external vendors, conducting design reviews, and ensuring adherence to project timelines and quality benchmarks.
- Act as the primary technical authority for troubleshooting and resolving complex tooling issues during production trials and lifecycle management, analyzing root causes of failures and implementing effective, permanent design modifications.
Core Qualifications and Experience
- A minimum of seven years of dedicated, professional experience focused specifically on the design of injection molds or progressive stamping dies for industrial applications.
- Demonstrated mastery of at least one major 3D CAD platform—such as SolidWorks, Siemens NX (including the Mold Wizard module), or Cimatron—for creating complex, production-ready tool designs.
- An expert-level understanding and practical application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), capable of performing complex tolerance stack-up analyses to guarantee fit and function.
- Deep, specialized knowledge of modern manufacturing processes; this must include an intimate familiarity with injection molding, metal stamping, and multi-axis CNC machining.
- Proven experience with material selection for tooling components, understanding the trade-offs between various tool steels, coatings, and surface treatments to maximize tool life and performance.
- A history of successful DFM reviews that have resulted in significant cost savings, quality improvements, or reductions in manufacturing cycle times.
What Sets You Apart
- Direct, hands-on experience in a tool and die shop environment (previous experience as a journeyman toolmaker is highly advantageous).
- Advanced proficiency in simulation software beyond Moldflow, potentially including finite element analysis (FEA) for structural and thermal validation of tooling.
- Specific project experience within highly regulated industries, such as medical devices (ISO 13485) or automotive (IATF 16949), including the associated documentation and validation requirements.
- Experience designing tooling for niche processes, for instance, die casting, metal injection molding (MIM), or insert molding.
- A Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.