Materials Engineer - PCBA and Polymers.

Req ID Northville, Michigan - Livonia, United States

About the Team ZF is seeking a Materials Engineer to work within their Corporate R&D Materials Technology team located at the new Northville, Michigan R&D Materials Lab.

The Materials Lab is staffed with a cross functional team and equipment to analyze all material types. The Materials Engineer will work on both local and global material development projects, warranty claims, and occasional production quality topics.

Projects will include consultation, administration, material development, and laboratory testing / failure analysis. Product exposure includes the entire ZF portfolio of electronics, braking, steering, transmissions, axles, suspension, chassis, and occupant safety.

Materials may include electronics, textiles, plastics, elastomers, non-metallic coatings, and lubricants (grease and oil).

What you can look forward to as a Materials Engineer

• Support ZF North America with laboratory testing of PCBA electronics and polymer materials, related problem solving and failure analysis, and competitive analysis.
• Prepare, analyze, and interpret data of polymer samples using FTIR, XRF, GC-MS, TGA, DSC, and DMA.
• Prepare, analyze, and interpret data of PCBA samples using optical microscopy, x-ray CT, ion chromatography, and SEM-EDS.
• Support ZF materials consultation activities including material requirement review, selection, specification creation, supplier quality support, and quality administration.
• Support Materials Technology projects related to efficiency and CO2 reduction by assisting with global materials portfolio projects.
• Determine corrective actions or propose alternative materials / processing based on lab findings or consultation experience.
• Teardown of mechanical and electronic assemblies to facilitate lab analysis while preserving the area of interest.
• Visual examination of PCBA for evaluation of tin whiskers, dendritic growth, cracking, corrosion, contamination, damage, and / or related criteria.

Your profile as a Materials Engineer :

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science Engineering.
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills required.
• Experience with materials consultation and material processing required.
• Experience with hands-on analytical laboratory testing of polymer materials & PCBA electronic materials required.
• Knowledge of hand tools and automotive products required.

Preferred Skills & Experience :

• Knowledge of electronic assembly of PCBs and electronic materials desired.
• Experience with recommending new application PCBA / plastic / polymer / elastomer materials, alternative or regional materials, and material processing changes desired.
• Familiarity with supplier quality, materials management, and production quality systems desired.
• Familiarity with lab information management systems (LIMS) and related software tools desired.

Why Choose ZF? What We Offer :

• Annual Incentive Plan
• Paid Vacation
• k Plan
• Health Care Benefits
• Paid Holidays
• A strong diversity culture
• Supportive Employee Groups and community outreach activities
30+ days ago