Product Development Engineer – Polymers / Elastomers

Kane Partners LLC; West Chester (Chester County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kane Partners LLC seeks a Product Development Engineer to advance FFKM and high-performance elastomer formulations for semiconductor applications. You will work hands-on with mixing, milling, molding, and cure processes to translate lab data into real-world seal performance and manufacturing success.

You will design and run experiments, analyze results, and support scale-up and new product qualification, collaborating with OEMs, suppliers, and internal teams to meet stringent performance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a relevant field (Polymer Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or related)
• 8+ years of experience with elastomers, polymer formulation, rubber compounding, or high-performance materials
• Strong hands-on experience with elastomer compounding and molding
• Understanding of fillers, cure systems, and processing trade-offs
• Strong experimental design and problem-solving skills
• Experience moving laboratory development into manufacturing and real-world applications
• Semiconductor, FFKM, sealing, or other demanding end-use experience is a plus

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize FFKM and other high-performance elastomer formulations
• Work hands-on with mixing, milling, molding, and cure processes
• Develop application data around compression set, plasma resistance, cryogenic behavior, and thermal performance
• Connect material properties and processing to real-world seal performance
• Design experiments, analyze results, and troubleshoot technical issues
• Support manufacturing scale-up and new product qualification
• Work with semiconductor OEMs, seal manufacturers, R&D, manufacturing, and commercial teams
• Present technical findings to customers, at conferences, webinars, and industry events

Skills

Elastomer formulation

Rubber compounding

Molding

Experimental design

Problem solving

Manufacturing transfer

Semiconductor materials experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Polymer Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

Job description

Are you a hands-on polymer or elastomer engineer who enjoys taking materials from the lab into real-world applications?

We’re looking for a Product Development Engineer with strong experience in elastomer formulation, rubber compounding, or high-performance polymers to help develop advanced FFKM materials for demanding semiconductor applications.

This is not a traditional lab-only R&D role. You’ll work hands-on with formulation and processing while connecting material properties to actual seal performance, manufacturing, and customer requirements.

What you’ll be doing:

• Develop and optimize FFKM and other high-performance elastomer formulations
• Work hands-on with mixing, milling, molding, and cure processes
• Develop application data around compression set, plasma resistance, cryogenic behavior, and thermal performance
• Connect material properties and processing to real-world seal performance
• Design experiments, analyze results, and troubleshoot technical issues
• Support manufacturing scale-up and new product qualification
• Work with semiconductor OEMs, seal manufacturers, R&D, manufacturing, and commercial teams
• Present technical findings to customers, at conferences, webinars, and industry events

What we’re looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
• 8+ years of experience with elastomers, polymer formulation, rubber compounding, or high-performance materials
• Strong hands-on experience with elastomer compounding and molding
• Understanding of fillers, cure systems, and processing trade-offs
• Strong experimental design and problem-solving skills
• Experience moving laboratory development into manufacturing and real-world applications
• Semiconductor, FFKM, sealing, or other demanding end-use experience is a plus

This is a great opportunity to work on advanced materials supporting the semiconductor industry while having a direct impact on product development, application performance, and customer qualification.