Tool Room Engineer

Position Title- Tool Room Engineer / Manufacturing Development Engineer

Department- Manufacturing Engineering / Tool Room

Location- Rajpura, Punjab

**Reports To-**Head of Manufacturing / Production Manager / Manufacturing Engineering Manager

About the Role

We are looking for a hands-on and technically strong Tool Room Engineer / Manufacturing Development Engineer to support the development and manufacturing of new components, assemblies, fixtures, jigs, and special tooling.

The role will be responsible for converting engineering drawings and product requirements into practical, repeatable, and cost-effective manufacturing processes. The engineer will work closely with Design Engineering, Production, CNC Programming, Quality, and Maintenance teams to develop manufacturing processes and tooling for prototype and low-to-medium volume production.

The ideal candidate should have strong practical knowledge of CNC machining, VMC/HMC operations, welding, fabrication, fixturing, GD&T, engineering drawings, and manufacturing process planning, along with the ability to troubleshoot problems directly on the shop floor.

Key Responsibilities

1. New Part Development

• Study engineering drawings, 3D CAD models, specifications, and GD&T requirements.

• Conduct manufacturability reviews for new and modified components.

• Develop manufacturing process sequences for new parts.

• Determine suitable manufacturing processes including:

• CNC milling

• CNC turning

• VMC/HMC machining

• Waterjet cutting

• Laser cutting

• Welding and fabrication

• Wire EDM

• Grinding and finishing processes

• Identify manufacturing risks related to tolerances, accessibility, distortion, thin-wall machining, and work holding.

• Support prototype development and first-time-right manufacturing.

• Work with Design Engineering to recommend design changes for manufacturability where required.

• Develop and document process routes, setup sequences, and manufacturing instructions.

2. Fixture and Tooling Design

• Design and develop:

• CNC machining fixtures

• Welding fixtures

• Jigs

• Inspection fixtures

• Soft jaws

• Special cutting tools

• Clamping systems

• Locating systems

• Assembly aids

• Prototype tooling

• Develop modular and reusable fixture concepts wherever practical.

• Apply sound principles of:

• 3-2-1 locating

• Datum management

• GD&T

• Six Degrees of Freedom

• Clamping and locating

• Workpiece stability

• Repeatability and accessibility

• Design fixtures to minimize part deformation and distortion.

• Ensure proper tool access and avoid spindle/tool collisions.

• Design fixtures considering chip evacuation, coolant access, tool clearance, operator ergonomics, and inspection accessibility.

• Create 3D CAD models and detailed manufacturing drawings for fixtures and tooling.

• Maintain a controlled library of standard and modular tooling components.

3. CNC Machining and Process Development

• Develop machining strategies for new and complex components.

• Select appropriate machines based on:

• Part size

• Material

• Tolerance

• Number of axes

• Tool access

• Work holding requirements

• Define roughing, semi-finishing, and finishing strategies.

• Recommend suitable cutting tools, tool holders, and work holding methods.

• Support CNC programmers in developing and optimizing machining programs.

• Participate in CNC setup prove-outs and first-piece trials.

• Troubleshoot:

• Chatter

• Tool wear

• Poor surface finish

• Dimensional variation

• Work holding issues

• Tool collisions

• Part deformation

• Optimize machining cycle time and reduce non-value-added operations.

4. Welding Fixture and Fabrication Development

• Develop fixtures and tooling for welded assemblies.

• Establish appropriate locating and clamping strategies for welded components.

• Support welding sequence development to minimize distortion.

• Understand the relationship between:

• Welding

• Thermal distortion

• Stress relief

• Rough machining

• Finish machining

• Final inspection

• Develop manufacturing sequences to achieve required dimensional and geometric tolerances after welding.

• Support root-cause analysis of welding-related dimensional issues.

5. Prototype and Tool Room Activities

• Work directly with toolmakers, machinists, welders, and CNC operators to manufacture tooling.
• Supervise fabrication and machining of fixtures and jigs.
• Conduct trial runs and prove out new fixtures and tooling.
• Modify and improve tooling based on shop-floor feedback.
• Ensure tooling is robust, repeatable, maintainable, and suitable for production use.
• Maintain records of fixture revisions and improvements.
• Support urgent tooling modifications and manufacturing issues when required.

6. GD&T and Dimensional Control

• Interpret engineering drawings and GD&T requirements.

• Develop datum structures and manufacturing datum schemes.

• Analyze the relationship between:

• Design datums

• Manufacturing datums

• Inspection datums

• Perform basic tolerance stack-up analysis.

• Ensure fixture and process design supports required:

• Position

• Flatness

• Perpendicularity

• Parallelism

• Profile

• Concentricity/coaxially

• Runout

• Work with Quality Engineering to develop suitable inspection and measurement strategies.

7. Process Improvement and Cost Optimization

• Identify opportunities to reduce:

• Machining cycle time

• Setup time

• Fixture cost

• Tooling cost

• Material wastage

• Operator dependency

• Rework and scrap

• Evaluate alternative manufacturing sequences and processes.

• Develop reusable and modular tooling concepts.

• Implement lessons learned from prototype development into future projects.

• Maintain a database/library of proven fixtures, tooling, process routes, and manufacturing solutions.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with:

• Design Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• CNC Programming
• Production
• Quality
• Maintenance
• Supply Chain
• External tooling and machining vendors

Participate in new product introduction and manufacturing feasibility reviews.

Provide technical inputs during design reviews to ensure that new products are manufacturable, inspectable, and cost-effective.

Required Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of CNC machining and manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of VMC/HMC machining.
• Knowledge of CNC turning is an advantage.
• Practical experience in fixture and jig design.
• Knowledge of welding fixtures and fabrication.
• Strong understanding of engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Understanding of machining datums and datum transfer.
• Knowledge of cutting tools and machining parameters.
• Ability to troubleshoot machining and work holding problems.
• Knowledge of tolerance stack-up and dimensional variation.
• Ability to read and interpret 2D drawings and 3D CAD models.
• Knowledge of CAD software such as SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or equivalent.
• Basic knowledge of CAM software is preferred.
• Knowledge of metrology and inspection methods.
• Strong hands-on understanding of shop-floor manufacturing.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Diploma / B.Tech / B.E. in Mechanical Engineering
• Production Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Tool & Die Engineering

Experience:

• 3 to 8 years of relevant experience in tool room, CNC machining, fixture design, manufacturing engineering, or new product development.

Candidates with strong practical tool-room experience and exceptional hands-on manufacturing knowledge may also be considered.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following will be an advantage:

• Complex CNC machining
• Large-part machining
• Thin-wall component machining
• Precision machining
• Welding fixture design
• Aluminium and stainless-steel fabrication
• Copper machining
• Medical equipment manufacturing
• Low-volume / high-mix manufacturing
• Prototype development
• New Product Introduction (NPI)
• Modular fixture systems
• 3D CAD and fixture design
• CNC programming and CAM

Key Competencies

• Strong problem-solving ability
• Hands-on and practical approach
• Good understanding of manufacturing fundamentals
• Strong mechanical aptitude
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to make decisions on the shop floor
• Attention to dimensional accuracy and detail
• Ability to work under prototype development timelines
• Good communication and cross-functional coordination
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Ability to convert theoretical engineering concepts into practical manufacturing solutions