Manufacturing Engineer (40432)

Site Overview:

At American Eagle Instruments Inc., we pride ourselves on manufacturing high-quality dental hand tools in beautiful Missoula, Montana. As an established industry leader, AEI offers excellent career growth opportunities, competitive salaries and benefits and a dynamic work environment. We are willing to train employees to start, with no experience necessary! Together with our parent company, Young Innovations, we manufacture, and market high quality dental instruments, equipment, and supplies. With an outstanding reputation for quality, our company has a broad portfolio of market-leading products across a variety of categories.

Role Overview:

The Manufacturing Engineer will be a technical leader for production operations and a resource for equipment maintenance and installation. They oversee processes and equipment to ensure reliable operation and drive improvements throughout the manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates in-depth and/or breadth of expertise in own discipline and broad knowledge of other disciplines within the function,
• Provides support to the manufacturing team to develop and maintain technical specifications, compliance with regulatory requirements, production efficiency, and work methods,
• Partners with manufacturing to identify waste, drive process improvement and reduce labor and material waste. Leverage LEAN methodologies to optimize process in an ongoing manner,
• Collaborates with the New Product Development team to transition new products into the production environment,
• Works with the vacuum system department (PVD and heat-treat) to ensure process control and consistency,
• Evaluates processes to identify areas of improvement and executes changes,
• Designs and performs experiments to optimize process settings for production equipment,
• Diagnoses and troubleshoots process or equipment failures,
• Works with production equipment manufacturers to improve, maintain, and/or modify systems as needed to suit production demand,
• Develops and validates test methods to verify product characteristics and specifications,
• Develops and documents production tools and equipment,
• Directs and assists (as needed) machine maintenance, including vacuum pump replacement, target/source changes, heating element replacements, and minor electrical repairs,
• Performs and manages preventative maintenance schedule for production equipment,
• Trains operators on best practices and maintains SOP/Work Instruction library.
• Assists QA/QC and Production in gathering or interpreting data from machine logs or process logs to resolve issues,
• Collaborates with third-party and internal R&D/engineering to improve processes,
• Reports machine conditions and document/enforce maintenance to ensure reliable operation.

Qualifications:

Training and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field,
• 3-5 years' experience in a manufacturing or R&D environment,
• Familiar with ISO 13485 Medical Device requirements,
• Experience using Solidworks or similar CAD software,
• Experience with equipment and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ),
• Experience designing and building tools and machines.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills:

• Advanced CAD skills using Solidworks,
• Experience with CNC mills and lathes,
• Familiar with PLCs, control circuits, sensors, and actuators,
• Familiar with Minitab Statistical Software,
• Knowledge of metallurgy and thin film coatings,
• Knowledge of PVD processes,
• Possess understanding of vacuum systems, mechanics, and electronics,
• Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical schematics,
• Able to work with technicians, operators, and engineers collaboratively,
• Strong analytical skills, problem solving skills, and attention to details,
• Must be detail-oriented and able to work autonomously with minimal direction/supervision,
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and adapt to changing priorities,
• Must possess effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to stand or sit for 4+ hours at a time,
• Must be able to write legibly,
• Must be willing and able to wear PPE, including safety glasses, face masks, ear plugs, and nitrile gloves,
• Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds with assistance from other employees.

Working Conditions:

Office environment and occasional exposure to manufacturing plant environment, with some abnormal variations in temperature, unavoidable fumes, noise, dust, and atmospheric conditions. Manufacturing plant conditions include moderate noise levels and require the use of safety glasses and closed-toe shoes. PPE is provided where required.

This position does not require domestic or international travel.

Young Innovations, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and E-Verify participating employer.