Senior Mechanical Engineer - Plastics

about 2 months ago
Full time role
In-person · Ann Arbor, MI, US... more

Aperia is unlocking a new era of efficiency and sustainability for commercial vehicle fleets, by developing innovative hardware and data analytics solutions. Inventors of the award- winning and disruptive Halotm Automatic Tire Inflator, and the cloud delivered Halo Connect tire analytics platform. Aperia saves fleets thousands of hours of down-time every week, reduces the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the freight industry. Join us as we expand our product offering and take the next steps on our journey toward bringing the "backbone of our economy" into the automation age.

Your Role

Aperia Technologies Inc, a thriving venture funded automotive company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Is undergoing rapid expansion. To support our ongoing product growth both domestically and internationally, we are seeking to enhance our hardware design engineering presence in Michigan, with potential new locations in Ann Arbor and/or Grand Rapids. As a Senior Mechanical Engineer who is expert in engineered injection molded plastics, you will be expected to take the lead on a variety of projects - from early-stage design to late stage validation efforts – while guiding and lifting the team around you. You will lead new tool design, contribute to overall system design, and lead cost down efforts with plastics vendors.  

Your Responsibilities

  • Regularly design and optimize next generation products by performing concept generation, analysis, CAD, prototyping, DFM, DFA and user studies.
  • Provide an expert voice for the Engineering team for tooled components and assemblies, through the concept, engineering development, process development, and validation stages of product development 
  • Own the design of new tooled components and assemblies as a part of development of next-generation products
  • Regularly uphold good documentation practices, including keeping comprehensive design journals and test reports to ensure consistency, standardization and knowledge preservation.
  • Lead the formulation of early concepts and garner feedback from stakeholders and talk with customers to devise product requirements, ensuring optimal designs.
  • Develop test plans, required testing fixtures and test flows as needed, ensuring comprehensive testing, standardization of testing procedures and improving accuracy and reliability.
  • Partner with the Operations team to analyze and resolve quality & manufacturability issues, with a special focus on plastic components.
  • Optimize designs/drawings for manufacturability and collaborate with suppliers to achieve strong DFM of Tooled components.
  • Support Operations in bringing up new tools as needed to scale production, second source, or introduce new components.  

Design Experience / Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related engineering discipline.
  • 8 years or more overall experience with 5 or more years of direct experience designing, tooling, qualifying, and supporting complex mass produced (100k/year minimum) injection molded components.  Through this experience you have developed strong expertise in the following areas:
    • Utilizing engineering plastics to achieve challenging technical requirements.
    • Qualifying tools for parts with tight tolerances and critical characteristics.
    • CAD Design and detailing of complex molded parts (Solidworks preferred).
    • Working with suppliers to develop optimal datum & tolerance strategies.
    • Implementing SPC, and specifying & qualifying gages (Go/No-Go, form/profile, etc).
  • Strong competency in the following:
    • Systems thinking and the ability to understand the driving variables within a system.
    • Mechanical design and analysis of dynamic electro-mechanical systems.
    • Mechanical aptitude, hands-on assembly, modification, and tweaking/tinkering.
    • Electromechanical workings, sensor integration, motor control, data logging, and test automation.
    • LabVIEW, MATLAB, Excel, C++ (or similar microcontroller programming language).
    • Simulation tools within CAD programs (SolidWorks is a plus).
    • 3D CAD (SolidWorks or similar).
    • Teamwork, collaboration, and mentorship of teammates.
  • Familiarity in the following:
    • Test fixture design; fabrication; hands-on assembly, calibration, adjustment, and modification
    • Reliability science concepts and application
    • Accelerated test methods and application: vibration, thermal
    • Weibull statistical analysis
    • Mechatronics, microcontrollers, motorized systems, robotics
    • Data science, manipulating large datasets
    • Fabrication via machining, welding, bolted assemblies, 3D printing, laser cutting
    • Pneumatic systems

 

Pay Range: $130000 - $170,000

*Base salary only. Salary dependent on multiple factors including, but not limited to, experience and location.

**Additional compensation may include equity, bonuses, stipends, medical, dental, vision, 401-k, and long-term disability insurance.