Tool Maker
Tool Maker
Job Category: Hourly, full time non-exempt
Reports to: Vice President of Engineering
Opportunity:
Sportworks Northwest is an industry leading manufacturer of transportation and bicycle infrastructure components. Our bike racks for buses enjoy wide acceptance and market share. We also manufacture complex assemblies for contract customers in the outdoor products arena. We have an immediate need for a tool maker who has aptitude for tool fabrication and use, and to provide Production Engineering Support for all our lines of business. This position is expected to fully fabricate complex tooling, set up and provide shop training for those tools.
Requirements:
- Machinist/Tool Maker or equivalent training.
- 3 – 5 years of custom machining or tool room experience or equivalent.
- Reviews tool designs.
- Constructs, or repairs a wide variety of highly intricate and complicated tools, dies, jigs, gauges, fixtures, to close tolerances.
- Performs any tool room machine operation. Works from complicated drawings and sketches.
- Applies shop mathematics and all is familiar with most types of precision measuring instruments.
- Good hands-on mechanical aptitude.
- Good spatial geometry or 3D geometry visualization.
- Excellent drawing reading skills
- Experience with fabricated metal, machined, and plastic parts and assemblies.
- Experience with manufacturing processes, tool design, and tool fabrication.
- Good understanding of Machining practices, speeds and feeds, cutter types, material types and heat treat conditions.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
- Experience fabricating tooling for welded assemblies, tube bending, metal forming and stamping, sawing, laser cutting, and other metal fabrication processes.
- Familiar with computers, experience with 3D CAD is good, preferably Autodesk Inventor.
- Experience with machine controls using relays, PLC, and PC, integrating hydraulics, pneumatics and motors into tool designs when applicable is a plus.
- Experience with CNC Programming, Tube Bending, Punch Press, Metal Forming and Robotic System Experience.
- Exposure to lean manufacturing.
Key Job Skills and Traits dependent on experience
- Experience using Saws, Manual Mill, Lathe and Surface Grinder.
- Welding experience, a plus.
- Strong customer service orientation.
- Interacts professionally with internal customers.
- Ability to implement all aspects of a manufacturing process.
- Ability to keep organized and keep projects moving during repetitive requests for support from Manufacturing or other Departments.
- Maintain Tool Room Inventory of common hardware and materials.
Manufacturing Support
- Ability to setup, train and trouble shoot manufacturing processes.
- Coordinate First Articles for new tooling and process and provide production training.
- Coordinate process improvements as necessary.
- Determine tooling requirements and provide cost estimates.
- Estimate process cycle times.
- Consult with product designers to optimize design for manufacturing.
- Support ongoing operations by troubleshooting and solving production problems.
- Monitor and coordinate improvements to production equipment including mills, drills, saws, presses, benders, MIG & TIG welders, and the shield gas distribution system.