Description
As a Manufacturing Technology Precision Tooling Engineer at 3M, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with innovative people around the world and make an impact by developing and integrating highly precise process equipment into manufacturing. The role focuses on advanced cutting technologies, precision machining, and equipment design to enable the production of precision structured surfaces used in optical film and display technology applications.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and lead precision structure-generation processes using precision turning equipment, CNC lathes, milling machines, or similar advanced machining platforms.
- Support new product commercialization efforts for optical films and other precision structured surface technologies.
- Design, execute, and analyze experiments involving precision machining, tooling, and process equipment.
- Develop, optimize, and document manufacturing processes for precision tooling applications.
- Apply precision engineering principles to improve dimensional accuracy, surface quality, repeatability, and process capability.
- Troubleshoot tooling, machining, equipment, and process issues in support of manufacturing operations.
- Use data analysis, statistical methods, and process control tools to identify improvement opportunities and implement robust solutions.
- Lead projects that improve process control, equipment performance, productivity, and product quality.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including R&D, design, manufacturing, plant engineering, suppliers, consultants, and equipment builders.
- Work with internal and external resources to ensure technical, cost, and schedule requirements are met.
- Support equipment specification, supplier selection, purchase, assembly, checkout, installation, and commissioning.
- Identify equipment upgrades, tooling improvements, and capital investment needs for annual capital planning.
- Contribute to the advancement of 3M technology through process innovation, intellectual property development, and implementation of new capabilities into manufacturing.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in a Science or Engineering discipline.
- Six (6) years of experience in a manufacturing, machining, tooling, process engineering, or equipment engineering environment.
Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:
- Hands-on experience with CNC machining, precision turning, lathes, milling machines, diamond turning, or other precision material-removal processes.
- Experience developing or supporting precision tooling, structured surface generation, optical tooling, microreplication tooling, or high-accuracy manufacturing processes.
- Knowledge of precision engineering principles, including dimensional control, surface finish, tool wear, vibration, thermal effects, alignment, and process repeatability.
- Experience with machining process development, tooling design, fixturing, machine setup, process optimization, or equipment commissioning.
- Experience using experimental design, statistical analysis, process capability studies, Six Sigma tools, or other data-driven problem-solving methods.
- Ability to troubleshoot complex manufacturing processes and equipment issues in a hands-on production environment.
- Strong communication, initiative, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to work effectively with manufacturing teams, laboratory teams, suppliers, consultants, and equipment builders.