Bushing Design Engineer

About Us

Original Composites and Fibers is a global leader in glass reinforcement solutions for the composites industry. Recently separated from Owens Corning, we now operate independently under the Praana ownership model, continuing a strong legacy of innovation, manufacturing excellence, and customer partnership.

With more than 4,000 employees worldwide, we are committed to redefining what’s possible through a performance-driven culture centered on safety, quality, sustainability, inclusiveness, and employee development. Guided by our values of passion, ownership, and team spirit, we work together to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service across the globe.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB
 
At the heart of a continuous-strand fiberglass manufacturing operation is the fiberizing bushing, a precious metal alloy component similar to an extrusion die.  The design, manufacture and operation of the bushing and supporting components are critical to the financial success of the OCF Glass Reinforcements (GR) business.  The primary responsibility of the Bushing Design Engineer is to design fiber forming bushings, supporting components, the fiberizing process and provide operational support to our global glass manufacturing facilities.   
 
This position requires a deep understanding of the physics and engineering challenges involved in fiberizing at such high temperatures, as well as proficiency in mechanical engineering, heat transfer and fluid flow.  The engineer will utilize advanced Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and structural Fine Element Analysis (FEA) tools for designing and analyzing bushing components, glass delivery systems, and their operation including the overall fiberizing environment. The goal is to enhance fiberizing performance and reduce waste. The engineer is also responsible for translating physical understanding into practical designs for fiberizing components, developing manufacturing documentation, and then installing and evaluating them in a laboratory environment or glass manufacturing plants.
 
A significant part of the role involves developing design solutions to optimize the use of platinum/rhodium alloys to provide the most effective and capital efficient fiberizing operations.  The fiberizing process spans a very broad spectrum of engineering physics subjects and allows the opportunity to grow the corporate knowledge base.  Ultimately, the engineer's innovations and research contribute to a deeper understanding of fiberizing physics and more efficient production processes through directly applied industrial research and development. 
 
Reports to:     Alloy Engineering Leader
 
Span of Control:  No direct reports
 
 
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
 
Environment, Health & Safety

• Live the OC Safety stand and adhere to the safety responsibilities
• Demonstrate a commitment to employee health and safety, particularly through a commitment to zero injuries, awareness of hazards, and a strong understanding of legislative requirements in all aspects of the operation

• Develop and design fiberizing bushing and ancillary hardware for the glass reinforcement plants
  • Use computational and analytical tools to deliver bushing solutions that:
    • Meet product quality/performance standards, operational performance targets, and life standards
    • Minimize the use of Pt/Rh alloys
  • Develop and specify the mechanical drawing packages for all components with appropriate standards and tolerancing
• Maintain standard work documents for design and operations
• Maintain standards and qualify new sources for materials
• Support design and material innovation projects
• Design and perform experiments to validate and test new materials or glass types
• Memorialize relevant work in journal-quality internal technical reports and trip reports and other documentation

• Provide on-site and remote support to global Glass Reinforcements Plants to troubleshoot operational issues and support production startups.
• Optimize bushing operational performance
• Conduct audits of the fiberizing component operational work standards
• Mentor and develop Glass Reinforcements staff

• Conduct post-mortem analysis on failed bushing components to determine root cause
• Provide fabrication/tooling support for internal bushing fabrication shops

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in thermal/fluid sciences (Aeronautical/Chemical Engineering degree with applicable experience)
• Experience in mechanical design, mechanical drawings, and standards
• 0-5 years’ industrial design/operations experience

• Field experience either working in or directly supporting manufacturing operations
• Experience in metalworking, machining, and welding
• Experience with commercial CAD, CFD codes, and FEA codes
• Project leadership including scope, schedule, risk and change management

• Self-motivated, engaged, and organized. Driven to continue to learn and grow to become an expert in a very specified, niche field.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven problem solver, able to lead a team to define problem, root cause and corrective actions.
• Ability and desire to be hands on in a lab to build and execute experimental programs.
• Willing to travel up to 35%, some international
• Experienced with common office software and able to quickly learn other software tools.

• Manage multiple projects independently

Equal Opportunity Employer

OCF is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.