Industrial Process Engineer – Machine Vision & Quality | Nonwoven Materials
Position Summary
We are seeking an Industrial Process Engineer – Machine Vision & Quality with experience in nonwoven materials manufacturing and automated camera-based inspection systems.
This position will be responsible for improving manufacturing processes and developing, implementing, and optimizing machine vision inspection systems to detect and prevent defects in nonwoven materials. The engineer will work closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Automation, and R&D teams to improve product consistency, reduce waste, and increase manufacturing efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and optimize inline machine vision inspection systems for nonwoven production lines.
- Identify and classify nonwoven material defects using industrial cameras, lighting, sensors, and image-processing technologies.
- Develop inspection methods for defects including:
- Holes and tears
- Web breaks
- Foreign material and contamination
- Streaks and lines
- Gel or hard spots
- Fiber clumps and agglomerations
- Color variation
- Basis-weight variation indicators
- Wrinkles and folds
- Edge defects
- Uneven web formation
- Coating or bonding defects
- Pattern or surface defects
- Splices and roll defects
- Optimize camera resolution, lens selection, lighting, exposure, focus, and image-processing parameters.
- Establish defect detection thresholds and inspection standards based on customer and product specifications.
- Integrate vision inspection systems with PLCs, HMIs, production equipment, alarms, reject systems, and manufacturing databases.
- Analyze machine vision data to identify defect patterns and correlate defects with manufacturing process conditions.
- Use inspection data to identify process drift, equipment problems, raw-material variation, and potential quality issues.
- Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions for recurring nonwoven defects.
- Develop process controls to prevent defects rather than relying solely on downstream inspection.
- Improve first-pass yield, scrap rate, line speed, uptime, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
- Support process trials and new-product development by establishing appropriate inspection parameters and quality criteria.
- Perform process capability studies, SPC, MSA/Gage R&R, and other statistical analyses as required.
- Develop and maintain Control Plans, inspection procedures, work instructions, and quality standards.
- Work with Quality Engineering to establish defect libraries, defect classifications, and acceptance criteria.
- Collaborate with Maintenance and Automation teams to troubleshoot cameras, sensors, lighting, controls, and inspection hardware.
- Work with machine vision vendors to evaluate new technologies and improve existing inspection systems.
- Train operators, technicians, and engineers on machine vision systems and defect identification.
Nonwoven Process Knowledge
The successful candidate should develop or possess an understanding of processes such as (however we will teach the right candidate):
- Airlaid
- Thermal bonding
- Coating and laminating
- Slitting and converting
- Roll-to-roll processing
Knowledge of relationships between fiber type, basis weight, web formation, bonding, moisture, tension, temperature, line speed, and material properties is highly desirable.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Materials, or a related engineering discipline or minimum 5 years of experience in this field.
- 3+ years of experience in manufacturing/process engineering, preferably within nonwoven, textile, polymer, film, paper, or roll-to-roll manufacturing.
- Experience with automated quality inspection or industrial machine vision.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and statistical process control.
- Ability to analyze production and quality data and identify relationships between process parameters and product defects.
- Experience troubleshooting production equipment and automated inspection systems.
- Ability to read engineering drawings, specifications, process documentation, and quality requirements.
- Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a manufacturing environment and collaborate across departments.
Preferred Machine Vision Experience
Experience with one or more of the following is preferred:
· Uster Technnologies
- Keyence
- Omron
- Teledyne
- AI/deep-learning vision inspection systems
- Line-scan cameras
- High-speed imaging
- Web inspection systems
Experience with line-scan cameras for continuous nonwoven webs is especially valuable.
Preferred Technical Skills
- PLCs and industrial controls
- Python, C#, C++, or MATLAB
- SQL/database systems
- Power BI or similar data-visualization tools
- SPC and statistical analysis
- Industrial Ethernet and machine communication protocols
- Automated defect classification
- AI/ML-based visual inspection
Key Performance Metrics
The engineer will be responsible for driving measurable improvements in:
- Defect detection accuracy
- False-positive/false-reject rate
- Missed-defect rate
- Scrap and rework
- First-pass yield
- Basis-weight and product uniformity
- Line speed
- OEE
- Customer complaints
- Machine vision system uptime
- Process capability
- Material utilization
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a hands-on process engineer with strong nonwoven manufacturing knowledge and an interest in machine vision and automated quality inspection.
They understand that machine vision is not simply a final inspection tool. They can use defect data to determine where and why defects are being created in the nonwoven process, identify the underlying process variables, and implement controls that prevent the defect from occurring.
The candidate should be comfortable working directly on the production floor, adjusting inspection systems, analyzing images and production data, troubleshooting equipment, and working with operators, technicians, quality engineers, and automation engineers to continuously improve the process.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $70,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
Application Question(s):
- Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced production environment where you may need to respond to urgent equipment issues?
- How many years of experience do you have as a Process Engineer?
- Tell us about a time you solved a problem and improved or corrected product quality?
Work Location: In person
