Design Engineer R&D (Ref: 197771)

Forsyth Barnes; White Bear Lake (MN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Forsyth Barnes is recruiting a seasoned Design Engineer for a privately owned manufacturing group specializing in high-precision tooling and sheet metal forming. You will own the full design lifecycle from concept through production, including reverse engineering existing tooling and developing punches, dies and forming tooling.

You will collaborate with machining, manufacturing and quality teams, translating customer needs into robust engineering solutions, applying GD&T, and validating tooling

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience designing punch press tooling, turret tooling, precision dies or closely related metal-forming components.
• Strong understanding of sheet metal fabrication and tooling geometry.
• Advanced proficiency with a major 3D CAD platform such as SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance analysis.
• Knowledge of precision manufacturing processes including machining, grinding and heat treatment.
• Understanding of materials used within tooling applications, ideally including tool steels, coatings and wear-resistant materials.
• Strong mechanical problem-solving and root-cause analysis capabilities.
• Ability to work directly with manufacturing teams to take designs from concept through production.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to manage multiple engineering priorities.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop precision punches, dies, strippers, guides and forming tooling for sheet metal fabrication.
• Reverse engineer existing punch tooling and mechanical components by analysing dimensions, geometry, materials, tolerances and functional characteristics.
• Develop compatible or improved tooling solutions that meet or exceed required performance standards.
• Produce detailed 3D CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications and engineering documentation.
• Conduct tolerance stack-up analysis and apply GD&T principles to precision tooling designs.
• Evaluate existing tooling performance and implement improvements to increase tool life, accuracy, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.
• Select appropriate tool steels, coatings, heat treatments and wear-resistant materials based on the application.
• Investigate tooling failures and identify root causes before developing corrective design solutions.
• Support prototype manufacture, hands-on testing and validation of new tooling concepts.
• Work closely with machining, manufacturing and quality teams to ensure designs are practical, repeatable and optimised for production and assembly.
• Engage with customers and end users to understand applications, observe tooling performance and translate requirements into engineering solutions.
• Provide technical support to production, commercial teams and customers regarding tooling applications and capabilities.
• Support troubleshooting and continuous improvement activities for existing products.
• Maintain engineering records, design standards, drawings and revision-controlled documentation.
• Identify potentially patentable innovations and contribute to intellectual-property reviews where appropriate.
• Apply lessons learned and continuous-improvement principles across products and engineering processes.
• Coordinate with suppliers, technicians and cross-functional contributors during assigned development activities.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable safety, quality and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Punch tooling

Turret tooling

Precision dies

Sheet metal forming

GD&T

SolidWorks

Root-cause analysis

Manufacturing collaboration

Reverse engineering

Material knowledge

Education

BSc in Mechanical Engineering

Equivalent industry experience

Tools

SolidWorks

Inventor

Creo

PDM

Job description

We are partnering with an established, privately owned manufacturing organisation that designs and manufactures highly engineered products and tooling solutions for customers across global industrial markets. With a strong reputation for engineering quality, innovation and precision manufacturing, the business continues to invest in its product development and engineering capabilities.

About the Role

As part of this growth, they are looking to appoint an experienced Design Engineer with specialist knowledge of sheet metal punching, precision tooling and metal forming applications. This is a hands-on engineering position offering the opportunity to work across the full design lifecycle, from understanding customer applications and reverse engineering existing solutions through to detailed design, prototyping, validation and production.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop precision punches, dies, strippers, guides and forming tooling for sheet metal fabrication applications.
• Reverse engineer existing punch tooling and mechanical components by analysing dimensions, geometry, materials, tolerances and functional characteristics.
• Develop compatible or improved tooling solutions that meet or exceed required performance standards.
• Produce detailed 3D CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications and engineering documentation.
• Conduct tolerance stack-up analysis and apply GD&T principles to precision tooling designs.
• Evaluate existing tooling performance and implement improvements to increase tool life, accuracy, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.
• Select appropriate tool steels, coatings, heat treatments and wear-resistant materials based on the application.
• Investigate tooling failures and identify root causes before developing corrective design solutions.
• Support prototype manufacture, hands-on testing and validation of new tooling concepts.
• Work closely with machining, manufacturing and quality teams to ensure designs are practical, repeatable and optimised for production and assembly.
• Engage with customers and end users to understand applications, observe tooling performance and translate requirements into engineering solutions.
• Provide technical support to production, commercial teams and customers regarding tooling applications and capabilities.
• Support troubleshooting and continuous improvement activities for existing products.
• Maintain engineering records, design standards, drawings and revision-controlled documentation.
• Identify potentially patentable innovations and contribute to intellectual-property reviews where appropriate.
• Apply lessons learned and continuous-improvement principles across products and engineering processes.
• Coordinate with suppliers, technicians and cross-functional contributors during assigned development activities.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable safety, quality and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant industry experience.

Required Skills

• Demonstrable experience designing punch press tooling, turret tooling, precision dies or closely related metal-forming components.
• Strong understanding of sheet metal fabrication and tooling geometry.
• Experience reverse engineering mechanical components, tooling or assemblies.
• Advanced proficiency with a major 3D CAD platform such as SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance analysis.
• Knowledge of precision manufacturing processes including machining, grinding and heat treatment.
• Understanding of materials used within tooling applications, ideally including tool steels, coatings and wear-resistant materials.
• Strong mechanical problem-solving and root-cause analysis capabilities.
• Ability to work directly with manufacturing teams to take designs from concept through production.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to manage multiple engineering priorities.

Preferred Skills

• Direct experience with CNC turret punch press tooling systems and associated sheet metal fabrication equipment.
• SolidWorks and/or SolidWorks PDM experience.
• Knowledge of tool wear mechanisms, material behaviour and metal-forming processes.
• Familiarity with CNC machining operations and Design for Manufacturing principles.
• Experience using dimensional measuring and inspection equipment.
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, troubleshooting and engineering validation.
• Experience working directly with customers to understand applications and develop technical solutions.
• Exposure to suppliers, global engineering teams, patents/IP or regulated product environments.
• Broader electrical or electro-mechanical engineering knowledge would be advantageous.

Pay range and compensation package

Permanent, full-time position with an established international manufacturing organisation. Opportunity to work within a highly technical precision engineering and product development environment. Hands-on involvement across the complete engineering lifecycle from concept and reverse engineering through to prototype, validation and production. Exposure to advanced tooling, machining and sheet metal manufacturing technologies. Opportunity to develop new tooling solutions while improving an established product portfolio. Collaboration with experienced engineering, manufacturing, quality and commercial teams. Opportunity to work directly with customers and see the real-world performance of your designs.

Equal Opportunity Statement

This position does not typically carry direct line-management responsibility but may coordinate technicians, interns, suppliers or cross-functional project contributors. Some travel may be required to other company facilities, suppliers, customers, industry events or project partners.