Senior Research Technician R&D

Title: Senior Research Technician (R&D)

Job Description:

Assist Research Metallurgist in all activities related to developing, manufacturing, and testing of new and established alloys, technology development, production support, and customer support.

Supervisory Responsibilities:  None

 Duties/Responsibilities:

 Development of new alloys.

• Assist Research Metallurgist in new alloy development programs and preparing customer samples.
• Measure elements for casting and cast alloys from compositions received from Research Metallurgist. Keep a database of alloy identification and composition.  
• Create trial routers for processing as cast alloys to final size and condition for use in general research, specific mechanical property determination, or customer trials.
• Use R & D and production equipment and follow routers to bring alloys to final size(s) and condition(s). Equipment used: scales, induction Melter / spin caster, rod / wire mills, bull block, draw bench, multidraw, strand annealer, rolling mills, heat treat and annealing furnaces.
• Perform R & D testing on alloys to determine properties. Testing includes, but not limited to: mount preparation / polishing / etching, microhardness, photomicrography, differential thermal analysis, , tensile, minimum bend ratio, contact resistance, corrosion testing, electrical resistivity, elevated temperature stress relaxation, and SEM / EDS analysis.
• Tabulate data for use in reports and databases, using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
• Maintain detailed records of weights of elements and alloys to track process losses.  

Production / Customer Support:

• When requested, work with all relevant personnel to solve problems arising in the manufacture and use of Deringer-Ney products.
• Have a working knowledge of materials and parts manufactured by the company as a basis for determining where problems may originate.
• Analyze material or parts for failure modes or defects. Frequently requires use of stereo microscope, scanning electron microscope, and EDS analysis.
• Perform testing / trials as needed to determine root causes and solve problems.
• Perform material certification inspections requiring specific R & D equipment.
• Maintain and order office and laboratory supplies.
• Calibrate, maintain, and repair equipment not requiring ASTM certification.
• Create data sheets to streamline data acquisition, spreadsheets to analyze data, and databases to catalog data for future reference. Use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

 Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to multitask.
• Good motor skills.
• Good organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team as the need arises.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in oral and written form.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with personnel from different departments and backgrounds.
• Computer literate.
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 Experience  Education Requirements:

• Associates Degree or equivalent in technical, chemical, or scientific field.
• Minimum of 5 years lab or metallurgy experience.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.
• Must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization’s facilities.