Role & responsibilities
1. Design Review & Gate Approval Support
- Lead and support Gate 0 and Gate 1 Design Reviews for sheet metal tooling, welding fixtures, gauges, and checking fixtures.
- Evaluate tooling concepts for feasibility, manufacturability, maintainability, safety, and process capability.
- Ensure design compliance with customer specifications, internal standards, and project requirements.
- Provide technical recommendations and approval inputs during review meetings.
- Track and close design review observations before progressing to the next project gate.
2. GD&T Review and Validation
- Review and validate GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing) requirements on tooling, welding fixtures, gauges, and checking fixtures.
- Ensure fixture locating schemes meet datum structures and dimensional control requirements.
- Guide design teams on interpretation and application of GD&T standards.
- Verify measurement and inspection concepts to ensure part quality and dimensional accuracy.
3. Tooling Layout & Engineering Guidance
- Provide technical direction on tooling layouts, fixture concepts, and design methodologies.
- Optimize tool and fixture layouts for accessibility, ergonomics, cycle time, and maintenance.
- Review and approve locating principles, clamping concepts, and fixture mechanisms.
- Support standardization initiatives and implementation of best practices across projects.
4. Material Selection & Cost Optimization
- Guide engineering teams on appropriate material selection for tooling, fixtures, gauges, and wear components.
- Ensure optimum usage of materials while maintaining functionality, durability, and quality standards.
- Recommend cost-effective manufacturing solutions without compromising performance.
- Support value engineering and cost reduction initiatives.
5. Technical Mentoring & Capability Development
- Mentor and train design engineers on fixture design standards, GD&T, tolerance stack-up, and tooling best practices.
- Develop design checklists, standards, and lessons learned for organization-wide use.
- Support technical problem-solving during design, manufacturing, assembly, and tryout stages.
6. Manufacturing & Quality Support
- Support manufacturing teams during tool build, assembly, trials, and buy-off stages.
- Analyze and resolve tooling-related issues impacting quality, productivity, and repeatability.
Ensure compliance with safety, quality, and customer requirements.