El Forge Ltd.
Website:
elforge.com
Job details:
Job Title: Senior Design Engineer – Hot Forging (NPD)
Experience: 4–6 Years
Location: Chennai (Appur / Sriperumbudur TN)
Reporting to: Head of Engineering / Plant Head
Job Purpose:
The Senior Design Engineer will lead end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) projects — from concept and die design through to successful shop-floor implementation. The role demands knowledge of simulation to help improve design and reduce trial-and-error, along with strong practical leadership to coordinate with Tool Room, Quality, Production and Maintenance teams for effective execution
Key Responsibilities:
1. Design & Simulation (The Core Technical Role):
• Design closed-die forging sequences for complex automotive and industrial components using CAD (AutoCAD/SolidWorks/CATIA).
• Creative Pre-forming: Develop innovative pre-form (blocker) designs to ensure optimal metal flow, reduce flash percentage, and prevent common defects like laps or cold shuts.
• Advanced Simulation: Execute virtual trials using Q-Form or DEFORM-3D to validate grain flow, thermal load on dies, and load requirements.
• Perform analysis of material yield across product families/portfolio to identify high-waste parts for redesign.
2. Cross-Functional Liaison (The Execution Lead):
• Tool Room Coordination: work with the tool room lead for die manufacturing, ensuring that CNC programs and EDM processes align strictly with design tolerances and standards.
• Maintenance Partnership: Act as the technical bridge to the Maintenance Lead. Work together to troubleshoot press related issues that affect the quality of the forged part.
• Shop Floor Trials: Lead physical trials on the floor, collecting real-time data to "close the loop" between simulation results and actual forging results.
• Quality improvement: work closely with the head of quality and production to address any die related and other quality issues in the forgings
3. Process Improvement (NPD & Current Jobs):
• Review existing "problem jobs" and propose design modifications (revised draft angles, fillet radii, or lubricant application) to increase die life and reduce rejection rates.
• Standardize tooling components to reduce the spare parts inventory handled by the maintenance department.
Required Candidate Profile:
• Education: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical or Production Engineering.
• Experience: 4-6 years in a Hot Forging setup with design experince.
• Software Proficiency: Candidates with high proficiency in Q-Form or DEFORM-3D. and mandatory: 3D Modeling (SolidWorks/NX) preferred
• Technical Skills: Forging, preform design knowledge and deep understanding of material behaviour at high temperatures (Steel/Alloy/Micro-alloy) along with heat treatment
o Overall familiarity with hot forging equipment
o Knowledge of post forging machining and surface treatment processes
• Behavioural Competencies: * Diplomatic Leadership: Ability to work with cross functional teams and practical shop-floor leads without friction.
o Ownership: Goal oriented attitude toward pushing NPD projects through any bottlenecks
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
1. Lead Time Reduction: Shrinking the time from design to "First Time Right" (FTR) sample.
2. Yield Optimization: Achieving target weight reductions through creative pre-forming.
3. Die Life Improvement: Percentage increase in average hits per die set.
4. Audit Compliance: Successful implementation of efficiency improvements (e.g., air leak rectifications identified in energy audits).
Click on Apply to know more.