Manufacturing Engineering Planning

ACME Core Values

Every ACME team member is expected to demonstrate our four core values in their daily work:
Dedicated - Get the job done attitude • Hungry for achievement • Act with urgency
Persistent - Iterative mindset • AH-HA moments drive us • Long-term view
Creative - Safer • Faster • Better • Unique problems, unique solutions • Open-minded
Supportive - Every stakeholder matters • Trust through integrity • Say YES! Let's win together
About ACME Industries MFG, Inc.

ACME Industries MFG, Inc. is a 75+ year precision CNC contract manufacturer headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Operating from two facilities on Pratt Boulevard and Chase Avenue, ACME specializes in the machining of large, complex castings and forgings for customers in aerospace, defense, power generation, rail, and industrial markets.
ACME's core competency is manufacturing solutions for complex parts in critical applications - components where dimensional accuracy, material integrity, and repeatable process control directly affect mission outcomes. Our customers depend on ACME for low-volume, high-mix production of mission-critical hardware that other shops cannot or will not attempt.
ACME Components - Large Castings and Forgings

The parts ACME machines are not commodity work. Typical jobs involve raw aluminum, titanium, steel, Inconel, or ductile iron castings and forgings weighing tens to hundreds of pounds - parts that require careful material entry strategies, massive fixturing, and precise probing sequences before a single cutting tool engages. Characteristics of ACME's product mix include:
Large bores, deep pockets, and complex multi-axis contours on parts that will not fit on a standard machining center
Tight geometric tolerances (true position, concentricity, flatness) in materials prone to movement and hard spots
Long cycle times - many jobs run 4 to 20+ hours per operation across turning, milling, boring, and finishing
First-article and production runs supporting active aerospace / defense programs where traceability, AS9100 documentation, and ITAR compliance are non-negotiable
Horizontal boring mill (HBM) and vertical turret lathe (VTL) work for the largest components at the Chase facility
ACME's equipment fleet includes Haas VMCs, Mazak turning centers, Mori Seiki machining centers, Okuma lathes, Doosan lathes, VTLs, HBMs, and FANUC-controlled multi-axis platforms. By April 2027, four additional machine tools and a dedicated CMM lab will expand ACME's production capacity as we execute a production plan scaling from 250 to over 1,500 units across key product lines over the next three years.
Why This Role Exists

Production is doubling. New machine tools are arriving. Key senior engineers are retiring, taking with them decades of institutional process knowledge. ACME is hiring Manufacturing Engineers - not just programmers, not just estimators, not CI specialists - engineers who cut chips, own processes, and build ACME's capability from the inside out.
Position Summary

The Manufacturing Engineer is the technical backbone of ACME's production operation. This is a hands-on, floor-present role that bridges the Engineering department and the machine shop - from the first customer RFQ through NPI, first article, production launch, and ongoing continuous improvement. The Manufacturing Engineer owns the manufacturing process: how parts are held, how material is removed, how sequences are built, and how each operation is documented so that quality and repeatability can be achieved on every run.
ACME does not have a mentor structure to ramp up junior engineers. This role requires someone who arrives independently capable - a machinist-turned-engineer or a degreed engineer who has cut chips - and who can immediately take ownership of active work while building new capability alongside the team.
The Manufacturing Process - What You Will Own

ACME's manufacturing process for complex castings and forgings moves through five interconnected phases. The Manufacturing Engineer has a role in every one.
Phase 1 - Advanced Planning: RFQ and New Product Introduction (NPI)
Before a part is ever cut, it has to be quoted, won, and introduced. The Advanced Planning function coordinates the front-end of this cycle. The Manufacturing Engineer is the engineering voice in that process:
Review customer drawings, models, and specifications at the RFQ stage; assess manufacturability and flag DFM concerns early
Estimate machining cycle times, tooling costs, setup hours, and material removal rates to support accurate cost builds
Provide operation sequences and routing concepts that give Sales and Quoting a realistic basis for pricing
Participate in NPI kickoff meetings; translate engineering intent into a manufacturable process plan before the first PO drops
Identify special-process requirements (heat treat, coating, outside processing) that affect schedule and cost
Phase 2 - Process Design: Routing, Tooling, Fixturing, and Setup Documentation
Once a job is awarded, the Manufacturing Engineer owns the detailed process design - the decisions that determine whether a part can be made profitably and repeatedly:
Develop operation sequences and route sheets defining machine selection, clamping strategy, datum structures, and inspection hold points
Select cutting tools, inserts, toolholders, and speeds/feeds for each operation; build and maintain the tool lists that operators and programmers rely on
Design or modify workholding fixtures; coordinate fabrication through the Tool Room; validate fixturing for rigidity, vibration damping, and datum repeatability on large, asymmetric castings
Write setup instructions and operation sheets with sufficient clarity that any qualified machinist can execute the setup without Engineering on the floor
Identify and resolve GD&T interpretation questions with Quality before programming begins, not after first article fails
Specify probing logic and in-process gauging requirements to catch drift before it becomes scrap
Phase 3 - CNC Programming and CAM
ACME's programming environment centers on TopSolid and MasterCam, with FANUC controls across the machine fleet. The Manufacturing Engineer programs - this is not a hand-off to a dedicated programmer role:
Develop and prove CNC programs using CAM software (TopSolid, MasterCam) for turning, milling, 5-axis turn-mill, HBM, and VTL operations
Post-process programs with correct machine-specific settings; validate tool path simulation before shop release
Write and optimize probing routines for in-cycle part measurement and work offset verification
Maintain a documented and version-controlled program library; ensure revision history is current with AS9100 requirements
Support the CNC Programmer on complex 5-axis and multi-setup jobs; serve as technical escalation point for programming problems on the floor
Eliminate outsourced programming spend by building in-house capability on jobs currently sent to outside vendors
Phase 4 - Production Launch and Floor Support
Engineering doesn't stop at the office door. ACME's Manufacturing Engineers are present on the floor, especially during new job launches:
Lead machine prove-outs; stand at the machine for first-off cuts and verify dimensions against print before releasing for production
Walk the floor daily; identify process drift, tooling failures, and setup inconsistencies before they produce nonconforming parts
Support machinists with technical questions on GD&T, fixturing adjustments, and in-cycle troubleshooting
Coordinate first-article inspection with Quality; resolve dimensional findings through process adjustments, not just rework
Ensure AS9100-required documentation (control plans, FMEAs, first article records) is complete and filed before a job goes into production
Phase 5 - Continuous Improvement
The Manufacturing Engineer is a primary driver of productivity growth:
Analyze machine utilization, cycle time variance, and scrap / rework data to identify the highest-value improvement targets
Drive structured CI projects - cycle time reduction, feed rate optimization, setup time reduction, tooling cost per part
Update route sheets, programs, and setup documentation to lock in improvements and prevent regression
Collaborate with Quality on control plan updates, SPC implementation, and process capability studies
Support capital equipment justification for new machine tools by modeling throughput and cycle time impacts
Document institutional process knowledge - speeds, feeds, fixture nuances, program notes - so it survives personnel transitions
Key Responsibilities
Process Ownership: Own end-to-end process design for assigned product families - from raw casting entry to finished part delivery.
CNC Programming: Develop, prove, and maintain CNC programs for turning, milling, 5-axis, HBM, and VTL operations using TopSolid and MasterCam.
Route Sheets & Documentation: Create and maintain route sheets, operation sheets, setup instructions, and tool lists meeting AS9100 documentation standards.
Fixturing: Design, specify, and validate workholding fixtures for large, complex, asymmetric castings and forgings; coordinate Tool Room fabrication.
Quoting Support: Provide cycle time estimates, tooling cost inputs, and operation sequence concepts for RFQs and NPI pricing.
Floor Presence: Stand at the machine during prove-outs and critical setups; proactively identify and resolve quality and efficiency issues on the production floor.
First Article Coordination: Lead first-article prove-outs; coordinate with Quality to resolve dimensional findings through process correction.
Continuous Improvement: Execute structured CI projects targeting cycle time, OEE, scrap reduction, and tooling cost; document and lock in results.
CAD / SolidWorks: Create and modify process drawings, fixture layouts, and DFM-annotated models in SolidWorks and AutoCAD.
AS9100 Compliance: Ensure all process documentation meets AS9100:D quality management system requirements; support internal and external audits.
Knowledge Retention: Actively capture, document, and transfer institutional process knowledge across the Engineering team.
Requirements
Qualifications
Required

• 7+ years of hands-on CNC machining and/or manufacturing engineering experience - must include chip-cutting experience on production machines, not engineering support only
• Demonstrable proficiency in CNC programming (G-code, CAM software); TopSolid or MasterCam experience highly valued
• Experience machining large, complex parts: castings, forgings, or equivalently challenging billet work with tight GD&T requirements
• Ability to create and interpret route sheets, operation sheets, setup instructions, and tool lists
• Fixturing design experience: understands vibration, deflection, datum strategies, and clamping force for large asymmetric workpieces
• Working knowledge of speeds, feeds, tooling selection, and material-specific cutting parameters for steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel, and ductile iron
• Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5
• AS9100 or equivalent quality system experience; familiarity with first-article documentation, control plans, and traceability requirements
• U.S. Person status required (U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident) - ITAR-regulated environment

Strongly Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field - or equivalent combination of technical education and demonstrated shop-floor achievement
• 5-axis turn-mill programming experience
• HBM (Horizontal Boring Mill) and/or VTL (Vertical Turret Lathe) programming or setup experience
• Probing logic experience: in-cycle part measurement, work offset verification, automated gauging routines
• Low-volume, high-mix production environment experience (aerospace, defense, power generation, or precision industrial)
• SolidWorks proficiency for fixture modeling and process drawings
• Lean / structured CI methodology experience (Kaizen, PFMEA, 8D, or similar)
• Experience in a job shop or contract manufacturing environment where breadth of product and process variance is the norm

Character Traits ACME Hires For
Independent - owns problems without waiting to be assigned solutions
Floor-present - comfortable at the machine, not just at the desk
Practical - balances engineering rigor with production reality
Thorough - documents work so the next person can pick it up
Communicative - tells the team what is happening before it becomes a problem

Success Milestones and Growth Trajectory

ACME's Engineering function is growing to match the company's production plan. This role has a clear path toward expanded process ownership, quoting depth, and eventual technical leadership as the team scales.
Salary Description

$95,000.00 - $110,000.00