OC Business Title:    Alloy Bushing Engineer

Job Title:                    Sr Engineer R&D

Job Code(s):              REU503 / 5B

Revision Date:           Dec 9, 2024

 

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

 

At the heart of a continuous-strand fiberglass manufacturing operation is the bushing, a precious metal alloy component similar to an extrusion die.  The design, manufacture and operation of these bushing components are critical to the success of Owens Corning.  The primary responsibility of the Bushing Design Engineer is to design bushings and ancillary fiberizing equipment that performs to expectations.  Understanding of fiberizing process physics and the mechanical design process is required.  Development of mechanical/thermal/fluid systems components and the engineering documentation supporting large scale manufacturing of the components and implementation of these components into the glass plants is key to success in this role.  The design process includes the routine use of advanced Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools as well as multi-physics Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for the analysis of bushing designs, glass delivery, and the fiberizing environment as well as analytical and Finite Element structural analysis of the components.  The purpose of the simulations is to provide a-priori design guidance and the necessary insight to optimize bushing performance to eliminate waste in support of the global Glass Reinforcements (GR) plants.  A successful candidate in this position will build and execute large complex simulations, perform post processing, write java scripting, and develop and refine the simulation procedures and translate that information into designs for operating fiberizing components. 

 

The Bushing Design Engineer is expected to improve the understanding of bushing fiberizing fundamentals, platinum/rhodium alloys for fiberizing bushing and the processes surrounding the bushing.  Innovation in these areas is typically include developing new or improved simulation techniques for thermal and structural modeling of bushings and surrounding systems while experimentally validating the simulation results.  They are tasked with developing laboratory methods for testing operational hypotheses and solutions.  Due to the high cost of precious metal alloys, developing solutions for improved alloy efficiency via increased throughput or reduction in alloy utilization are critical to this role.  It is also the responsibility of the research scientist to deepen the understanding of fiberizing physics through fiberizing trials with experimental glasses and alloy types.

 

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

 

Bushing Engineering

Develop bushing designs and hardware package for the plants Designs driven by performance, bushing life, increased thruput, metal savings &/or business reasons Develop and oversee mechanical drawing packages with appropriate standards and tolerancing Check and approve production drawings Develop vendors for new applications and materials as necessary Work with Support team to troubleshoot/solve problems Evaluation of failures and inspections Support team communicates back to plant Support Innovation projects Work with plant and support team to gather initial data required for modeling/design work Fabrication shop support for “new/unique” design changes Responsible for maintaining Standard Work documents Design and operations Material specs Bushing evaluations Combination of “on-site” Support team depending on timing/travel/plant experience Tracking data “deep dive” in conjunction with troubleshooting specific problems Trial bushings track performance, thruput, tex control, fiber diameter Do post analysis to learn from failure inspections Interaction with Capital Delivery team Rebuild support with bushing designs, hardware package and start-up Customer interaction with specific plants Monthly customer calls Create agenda prior to any plant visit, validate agenda upon arrival & complete trip with closing meeting reviewing findings & agreed to action plans as true partners Safety observations at GR plants & lab inspections in Granville

 

Simulation and Post Processing

Work directly with CAD resources to define and build appropriate high-fidelity geometry for simulations Assign appropriate boundary conditions and physics models Refine the geometry creation process, increase the robustness to parametric changes Conduct simulations of the fiberizing process components as necessary utilizing high-end workstations and the HPC cluster Develop Java scrips for automating simulation setup and definition Provide concise post processing reports to the design engineers including interpretation results and estimations of error. Develop experiments and conduct validation of simulation procedures in both lab and factory settings.

 

 

 

JOB REQUIREMENTS

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

MS in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in thermal/fluid sciences (or other engineering degree with applicable experience) Experienced in mechanical design, mechanical drawings and standards Experience in design, development, and manufacture of mechanical parts Demonstrated expertise/academic concentration in Computational Fluid Dynamics and structural FEA codes. Java, or other object-oriented coding experience 0-5 years’ experience in a CFD analyst role or thermal/fluid systems design

 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

Field experience either working in or directly supporting manufacturing operations PhD in Mechanical Engineering Advanced expertise in thermal/fluid sciences Experimental experience with high temperature fluid and mechanical systems Expertise with thermal radiation, turbulence, and combustion Expertise in electrical heating and controls Expertise in metalworking and manufacturing welded components Experience with data visualization/VR Project leadership including scope, schedule, risk and change management

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Ability to communicate with and engage employees at all levels of the organization. Proven problem solver, able to lead a team to define problem, root cause and corrective actions. Experienced with common office software and able to quickly learn other software tools. Self-motivated, engaged, and organized. Driven to continue to learn and grow and become an expert in a very specified, niche field. Ability and desire to be hands on in a lab to build and execute experimental programs. Willing to travel up to 10%, some international

 

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About Owens Corning

Masonite is now proudly part of Owens Corning. Owens Corning is a global building and construction materials leader committed to building a sustainable future through material innovation. Our four integrated businesses – Roofing, Insulation, Doors, and Composites – provide durable, sustainable, energy-efficient solutions that leverage our unique material science, manufacturing, and market knowledge to help our customers win and grow. We are global in scope, human in scale with more than 25,000 employees in 31 countries dedicated to generating value for our customers and shareholders, and making a difference in the communities where we work and live. Founded in 1938 and based in Toledo, Ohio, USA, Owens Corning posted 2023 sales of $9.7 billion. For more information, visit www.owenscorning.com.

Owens Corning is an equal opportunity employer.