Paint Applications Engineer in St. Paul, Minnesota at Sparrow Company LLC

The Paint Applications Engineer optimizes automated and manual industrial painting processes, equipment, and materials. You will improve first-time quality, reduce paint waste, and troubleshoot finishing defects across metal fabrication or assembly lines.

Key Responsibilities

• Process Optimization: Develop and refine liquid paint, powder coating, or e-coat application parameters (film thickness, fluid flow, atomization air, and cure profiles).
• Equipment & Automation Support: Oversee paint application hardware, robotic spray applicators, bell cups, and plural component systems.
• Defect Troubleshooting: Investigate paint defects like runs, sags, orange peel, pinholes, or poor adhesion, using root-cause analysis.
• New Product Launch: Support new product integration, color changes, and trial runs on the production floor.
• Environmental & Cost Reduction: Implement waste-reduction initiatives, transfer-efficiency improvements, and environmental compliance tracking.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with quality, manufacturing, and chemical suppliers to test and validate new coatings.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience in an industrial paint or coatings environment.
• Technical Skills:
  • Knowledge of robotic paint atomizers, fluid delivery systems, and curing ovens.
  • Familiarity with pretreatment, surface preparation, and paint lab testing equipment (viscosity, gloss, adhesion tests).
  • Basic understanding of PLC controls or automated finishing systems is a plus.
• Soft Skills: Strong problem-solving abilities, excellent cross-functional communication, and willingness to spend time on the manufacturing floor.

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