NPI Quality Engineer - Metal AM Failure Analysis & 8D

VulcanForms Inc.; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

401(k) with company match

Job summary

VulcanForms Inc. seeks an NPI Quality Engineer to investigate non-conformances, perform metallurgical teardowns, and drive initial containment for failed builds in metal additive manufacturing and post-processing.

You will coordinate tests, collect evidence, and support root-cause actions with engineering teams. The role requires 2+ years in quality or metallurgical testing, a materials/engineering degree, and hands-on tools knowledge (microscopy, fractography, hardness testing).

Qualifications

• 2+ years of quality engineering, failure analysis, or metallurgical lab testing experience in precision hardware or advanced manufacturing.
• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering, or Quality Engineering; equivalent hands‑on experience will also be considered.
• Hands‑on experience with basic failure analysis tools (optical microscopy, fractography, hardness testing, sectioning/polishing), basic GD&T, and 8D/5-Why root-cause methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed physical, optical, and mechanical failure analysis on non-conforming metal additive builds, machined features, and sub-assemblies.
• Respond immediately to line stoppages and non-conformances (NCs); lead immediate quarantine/containment actions and document non-conformance records with detailed photo, dimensional, and fractographic evidence.
• Work closely with the metallurgical and metrology labs to coordinate tensile testing, density checks, sectioning, polish/etch microstructural reviews, and CMM/optical scans for failed parts.
• Partner with Senior Quality Engineers and Metallurgists to execute structured 8D root-cause investigations—analyzing laser parameters, powder lot history, thermal profiles, and tool paths.
• Serve as a key technical contributor on the Material Review Board (MRB); track defect trends, maintain non-conformance Pareto logs, and present monthly failure-mode data to engineering teams.
• Review Device History Records (DHR), machine logs, and raw material certificates for failed lots to isolate batch-level or machine-level systemic variables.

Skills

Quality engineering

Failure analysis

Metallurgical lab testing

GD&T

8D/5-Why root-cause

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science/Metallurgy/Mechanical Engineering/Quality Engineering

Tools

Optical microscopy

Fractography

Hardness testing

Sectioning/Polishing

Job description

VulcanForms Inc. seeks an NPI Quality Engineer to investigate non-conformances, perform metallurgical teardowns, and drive initial containment for failed builds in metal additive manufacturing and post-processing.

You will coordinate tests, collect evidence, and support root-cause actions with engineering teams. The role requires 2+ years in quality or metallurgical testing, a materials/engineering degree, and hands-on tools knowledge (microscopy, fractography, hardness testing).