Manufacturing Design Engineer - Brittles

Apple; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking a Manufacturing Design Engineer in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to own the development of innovative manufacturing processes for iPhone enclosures. The role requires collaboration with design and manufacturing teams to ensure high-quality production that meets product specifications. Candidates should have a BS in engineering and 5+ years of experience, focusing on electronics glass processing. Join Apple to innovate and help improve manufacturing approaches in the consumer electronics industry.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering or tooling engineering.
• Hands-on experience with laser, CNC, surface finishing and etching.
• Understanding of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement manufacturing processes across Apple's supply base.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure quality and yield.
• Communicate development statuses to teams and align requirements.

Skills

High-volume mechanical product development

Electronics glass processing

Design software proficiency

Data Analysis

Research in brittle applications

Education

BS or higher in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial engineering

Tools

FEA software

Analytical tools like SEM/TEM/EDX

Job description

Overview

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, innovative ideas quickly become extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences. This is where individual imaginations and experiences gather, leading to great work. Bring passion and dedication to your job, and there's no telling what you could accomplish. The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they make the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. The diversity of those people and their ideas inspire the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry‑leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it.

Description

The Apple Manufacturing Design Engineer (MDE) is accountable for owning the development and implementation of innovative manufacturing processes across Apple’s worldwide supply base. In this highly collaborative role, you will work closely with Apple Industrial Design, Product Design, and Manufacturing Design partners and our worldwide suppliers. This role is empowered to bring creativity to Apple’s manufacturing approach, enabling us to deliver our best work to as many customers as possible.

You will be a part of a collaborative environment contributing to the creation, evaluation, and implementation of end‑to‑end manufacturing solutions for Apple’s iPhone enclosures. You will collaborate closely with cross‑functional stakeholders in Quality Engineering, Global Supply Management, Product Design, and Industrial Design to ensure our manufacturing solutions meet product quality, cost, yield, capacity, schedule, and environmental goals.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate product and industrial design goals to understand the dimensional, cosmetic, and functional priorities for the product.
• Collaborate with Global Supply Managers and Apple’s manufacturing suppliers to align on a manufacturing development strategy with clear goals, deliverables, and schedule.
• Identify and validate suitable fabrication equipment and processes to meet all Apple design and operational requirements.
• Develop and document processes, including all parameters, consumables, and secondary operation requirements, to meet defined specifications.
• Conduct process optimization DOE’s, using data‑driven and hands‑on approaches together to find solutions to complex challenges.
• Communicate ongoing process development status to cross‑functional teams and lead discussions to align design requirements with manufacturing capability.
• Willingness to travel within India to support manufacturing partner sites and collaborate with in‑region team members.
• Familiarity with a phase‑gate product development approach.
• You may be asked to lead development in one or more of the following areas to help ensure that quality & yield requirements are met.
• Glass Processing: Develop all processes for glass laser, grinding, lapping, polishing, CNC milling, chemical strengthening, decoration and functional coatings (with inks, and other thin film deposition techniques, etc). Ensure that quality and yield requirements are met.
• As part of process development, scope appropriate process equipment, design/develop fixtures, implement touch probing, selection of consumables, lead the reduction of cycle time, development of advanced cutters and coatings. Own optimization/yield improvement actions and process change decisions based on statistical process control (SPC) data analysis.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS or higher in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or related fields.
• 5+ years of experience in high‑volume mechanical product development, manufacturing engineering, tooling engineering, high‑precision fabrication, or similar roles.
• Hands‑on experience in Electronics glass processing with specialisation in one of the following: laser, CNC, surface finishing, chemical etching and strengthening.
• Understanding core principles of fixture and automation design, including the use of design software and FEA for stress/structural analysis.
• Understanding core principles of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.
• Understanding core principles of Data Analysis and Design of Experiments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters or PhD in Mechanical Engineering with relevant research or work experience in brittle applications.
• Specialising in process and equipment development for electronics glass applications.
• A quick learner who approaches problems flexibly and proactively identifies solutions in the face of challenges.
• Strong ability to influence using clear and concise communication skills to make data‑driven manufacturing decisions.
• Strong abilities and background in materials characterization with hands‑on troubleshooting (understanding of analytical tools such as SEM / TEM / EDX / FTIR / XPS, etc.).
• Ability to work independently with cross‑functional teams and drive towards common goals.
• Ability to present technical analysis of manufacturing capability to diverse cross‑functional team.
• A team player who is self‑motivated, result oriented and detail driven.
• Knowledge in deep learning (DL) or statistical machine learning (ML) is preferred.
• Experience working with OEMs and Contract Manufacturers in the Consumer Electronics Industry is a plus.

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace.