Manufacturing Engineer – Robotic Weld Programming & Fixture Design - 2nd Shift - 3:00pm to 11:30pm in Centralia, Illinois at Big 3 Precision Products Inc

The Manufacturing Engineer – Robotic Weld Programming develops, programs, and optimizes robotic welding cells and designs the custom fixtures and tooling that support them. This is a hands-on, floor-based role on 2nd shift: the majority of the shift is spent at the cell — programming, proving out, troubleshooting, and supporting operators — with design and documentation work built around that presence. The position also mentors the design team and serves as a reporting link to project management.

2nd Shift - 3:00pm to 11:30pm

• Troubleshoot and resolve robot faults, weld defects (porosity, burn-through, undercut, lack of fusion, spatter), TCP drift, and fixture interference at the cell; drive root cause analysis and permanent corrective action.

• Coach and train operators, welders, and maintenance technicians on cell operation, basic program edits, fault recovery, and safe work practices.

• Lead commissioning, run-off, and buy-off of new robotic weld cells, including first-article production and customer acceptance.

• Drive continuous improvement at the cell to reduce cycle time, scrap, rework, and changeover time.

• Develop, write, test, and optimize robot programs using both teach-pendant and offline programming and simulation methods on major robotic platforms (Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa/Motoman, KUKA, or similar).

• Establish, tune, and document weld schedules and parameters — voltage, wire feed speed, travel speed, gas flow, torch angle, and stick-out — for GMAW/MIG, flux-cored, and resistance welding processes.

• Perform cell layout studies, reach and collision analysis, and cycle-time optimization; validate programs offline prior to installation to minimize floor downtime.

• Maintain weld procedure specifications, operator work instructions, and detailed Work Sheets; define preventive maintenance, calibration, and TCP verification routines for robots, torches, wire feeders, and positioners.

• Design custom fixture solutions to customer requirements, from concept through detailed design release, using 3D CAD and applying GD&T.

• Assess mechanical specifications, tolerance stack-up, locating and clamping strategy, thermal distortion, and torch accessibility to ensure the fixture supports a repeatable weld process.

• Verify design quality and provide detailed Work Sheets to manufacturing, assembly, and quality.

• Participate in product testing and validation, including first-article inspection, dimensional layout, and validation against customer criteria.

• Teach the fundamentals and customer requirements to the design team, mentoring designers on engineering standards and fixture design best practices.

• Update the status of the design projects to project management, escalating risks, scope changes, and schedule impacts early.

• Collaborate with sales, project management, manufacturing, quality, and customers to translate requirements into manufacturable, cost-effective solutions.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Welding Engineering, or Robotics/Automation; an equivalent combination of technical education and directly relevant experience will be considered. A Mechatronics degree is particularly well suited to this role given the mix of mechanical design, controls integration, and robotic programming.

• 1-3 years of hands-on robotic weld programming experience in a manufacturing, custom tooling, or automation environment preferred.

• Experience programming at least one major robotic platform (Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa/Motoman, KUKA, or similar); offline programming and simulation software (Roboguide, RobotStudio, MotoSim, DELMIA, or similar) strongly preferred.

• Experience designing weld fixtures, checking fixtures, or assembly tooling in a 3D CAD environment (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or similar).

• Working knowledge of welding processes, weld symbols, and basic metallurgy; familiarity with applicable AWS standards (D1.1, D1.3, D8.x, or equivalent). CWI or CWE certification is a plus.

• Proficiency in GD&T per ASME Y14.5, blueprint reading, and tolerance stack-up analysis.

• Familiarity with PLC/HMI integration, safety circuits, light curtains, and robot safety standards (ANSI/RIA R15.06).

• Willingness and ability to work 2nd shift with sustained time on the manufacturing floor.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to teach technical fundamentals to designers and present clearly to customers.

• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.