Website:
actalentservices.com
Job details:
Job Title: Design Engineer – Automotive Sheetmetal (Body, Closures, Hoods)
Job Description
This role focuses on the end-to-end design and optimization of automotive sheetmetal components for body-in-white, closures, and hoods. You will use advanced CATIA V5 and automotive GD&T to develop highly manufacturable designs that meet stringent structural, NVH, and regulatory requirements. The position requires deep expertise in sheetmetal metallurgy, stamping and forming processes, welding and joining methods, and close collaboration with manufacturing and cross-functional engineering teams. You will manage design data in Teamcenter PLM, leverage digital mockup tools such as Vismockup, and drive robust, production-ready solutions through rigorous analysis, simulation, and problem-solving.
Responsibilities
- Develop and optimize complex sheetmetal component designs for body-in-white (BIW), closures, and hoods using advanced CATIA V5 sheetmetal modeling techniques.
- Ensure all designs comply with detailed engineering specifications, manufacturing constraints, and automotive body structure architecture requirements.
- Execute CAD modeling while strictly adhering to automotive Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards to ensure dimensional accuracy and robust assembly fit-up.
- Perform detailed tolerance stack-up analysis and variation management for critical sheetmetal interfaces to prevent assembly issues and quality defects.
- Conduct in-depth forming feasibility analyses, including evaluation of material flow, thinning, springback prediction, and wrinkle prevention using simulation tools.
- Use forming simulations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to predict and mitigate forming defects such as wrinkling, tearing, and earing, and validate simulation results against physical tryouts.
- Collaborate closely with stamping and tooling engineering teams to review die designs, tool clearances, blank development, and hardware integration, improving die robustness and reducing production variability.
- Apply comprehensive knowledge of sheetmetal metallurgy, including HSS, AHSS, and aluminum alloys, to make informed design decisions that account for formability, strain rate sensitivity, and springback.
- Lead the design of sheetmetal joinery, optimally specifying resistance spot welding, laser welding, adhesive bonding, clinching, and mechanical fasteners to meet structural integrity and NVH targets.
- Incorporate NVH considerations into sheetmetal design to improve panel stiffness, manage load paths, and avoid resonance issues.
- Apply tooling design principles, considering die wear mechanisms and tool maintenance protocols, to ensure long-term dimensional stability and tolerance capability of sheetmetal parts.
- Integrate crashworthiness criteria and relevant regulatory requirements into sheetmetal designs, supporting safe and compliant vehicle body structures.
- Manage PLM processes within Teamcenter, including design data revision control, Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), and adherence to established change management protocols.
- Maintain design baseline integrity and ensure clear, traceable communication of design changes across interdisciplinary teams through PLM best practices.
- Utilize digital mockup tools such as Vismockup to perform integrated vehicle assembly validation, clash detection, and maintenance of digital master models throughout development cycles.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with structural engineers, CAD specialists, material engineers, and manufacturing process engineers to resolve complex issues related to formability, tool wear, and part distortion.
- Perform root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans for sheetmetal quality issues arising during stamping, assembly, or in-service use.
- Communicate design intent, analysis results, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders, supporting informed decision-making throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Work proactively and independently to identify potential risks in design and manufacturing, proposing innovative solutions that enhance quality, cost, and timing.
Essential Skills
- Minimum 5 years of experience in sheetmetal design for automotive body, closures, and hoods.
- Expert-level proficiency in CATIA V5, particularly in sheetmetal modeling for BIW and closures.
- Strong command of automotive Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), with emphasis on flatness, parallelism, profile, and positional tolerances.
- Comprehensive knowledge of sheetmetal metallurgy, including high-strength steels (HSS), advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), and aluminum alloys, with understanding of formability, strain rate sensitivity, and springback.
- Deep expertise in stamping and forming process physics, including progressive die design principles, blank holding, lubrication effects, and multistage forming sequences.
- Proficiency in tolerance analysis and tolerance stack-up for complex multi-component assemblies.
- Experience performing forming feasibility analyses using simulation tools and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to predict defects such as wrinkling, tearing, and earing.
- Strong understanding of welding metallurgy and mechanical joining techniques for sheetmetal, including resistance spot welding, laser welding, adhesive bonding, and clinching.
- Knowledge of NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) considerations and their impact on sheetmetal design, panel stiffness, and resonance behavior.
- Familiarity with automotive body structure architecture, load paths, crashworthiness criteria, and relevant regulatory requirements.
- Proficiency with Teamcenter PLM for design data management, revision control, and Engineering Change Notice (ECN) processes.
- Experience using digital mockup tools such as Vismockup for assembly validation and clash detection.
- Strong problem-solving abilities with a track record of conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions for sheetmetal quality issues.
- Excellent communication skills for effective collaboration with cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.
- Self-motivated work style with the ability to manage tasks independently and drive projects to completion.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience applying tooling design principles, including understanding of die wear mechanisms and tool maintenance, to improve production robustness.
- Managing design baseline integrity and configuration control within PLM environments.
- Exposure to full vehicle development cycles, including maintaining digital master models and supporting integrated assembly validation.
- Ability to translate complex simulation and analysis results into practical design and process improvements.
- Strong collaboration skills for working with structural, materials, CAD, and manufacturing process engineers on multi-disciplinary challenges.
- Demonstrated capability to support manufacturing collaboration, including on-site reviews and feedback loops with stamping and assembly operations.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Actalent, Diversity And Inclusion Are a Bridge Towards The Equity And Success Of Our People. DE&I Is Embedded Into Our Culture Through
- Hiring diverse talent
- Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
- Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
- Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.
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