Tool Designer
Job Summary:
The Tool Designer is responsible for designing, developing, and improving injection molds, fixtures, and related tooling used to manufacture precision components for medical-device customers. This role translates customer and engineering requirements into robust, manufacturable tooling solutions and partners closely with Tooling, Process Engineering, NPI, Quality, Operations, suppliers, and customers from concept through qualification and production support at Forj Medical's Vadnais Heights site.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Create and maintain detailed 3D models, assemblies, drawings, bills of materials, and design documentation for injection molds, mold components, fixtures, and related tooling.
Develop tooling concepts that address part geometry, resin characteristics, shrink, gating, venting, cooling, ejection, manufacturability, cycle time, quality, serviceability, and expected tool life.
Lead and support design-for-manufacturability reviews with customers and cross-functional teams; identify technical risks and recommend practical solutions early in the development process.
Review customer models, prints, specifications, tolerances, and revision requirements to ensure tooling designs align with intended product and process requirements.
Collaborate with toolmakers, machinists, process engineers, and external tool shops to ensure designs can be manufactured, assembled, sampled, maintained, and repaired effectively.
Support mold-flow analysis, tolerance analysis, stack-up reviews, material selection, and tooling standards as appropriate to the program.
Participate in tool design reviews, project meetings, mold trials, troubleshooting, qualification activities, and production-readiness reviews.
Evaluate existing molds and recommend design changes to improve part quality, cycle time, reliability, cavitation, uptime, and ease of maintenance.
Manage design changes and technical records in accordance with document-control, configuration-management, customer, quality-system, and regulatory requirements.
Provide accurate technical inputs for quotations, schedules, capital requests, and supplier decisions.
Support root-cause investigations and corrective actions related to tooling performance or molded-part quality.
Contribute to standard work, design libraries, lessons learned, and continuous-improvement efforts across the molding organization.
Perform other duties and support strategic projects as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education
Associate degree in Mechanical Design, Tool Design, Engineering Technology, or a related field required; bachelor's degree preferred.
Equivalent combination of education, apprenticeship, and directly related experience may be considered.
Experience
Five or more years of injection-mold or precision-tooling design experience preferred.
Experience designing complex, multi-cavity, hot-runner, insert-molding, overmolding, or high-precision tooling strongly preferred.
Experience in medical device, regulated manufacturing, or contract manufacturing preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Advanced proficiency with 3D CAD and detailed drawing practices; SolidWorks or comparable software experience preferred.
Strong knowledge of injection-mold construction, machining methods, tool steels, polymers, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFM principles.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements.
Practical problem-solving, organization, and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to collaborate effectively with customers, suppliers, engineering, quality, operations, and hands-on technical teams.
Working Conditions
Office environment
Manufacturing environment
Compensation
The expected starting salary for this position is $95,000 to $120,000 depending on qualifications. As part of your overall rewards, we offer a comprehensive benefits program.