Job Description

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1) Job Purpose:
The position of New Materials Engineer is to (1) Develop material solutions with new materials and forms of Al alloys that are customized to meet customers unique needs and expectations; (2) Identify and support development of processing and production pathways for these new materials.
4) Key Result Areas/Accountabilities:
Key Result Areas/Accountabilities
Supporting Actions
Product development

• Research, design, and develop new product applications using advanced materials and forms of aluminum alloys, such as aluminum foams, composites, and honeycomb structures.
• Conduct feasibility studies and performance evaluations to understand the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of new materials.
• Optimize aluminum alloys for specific applications, focusing on enhanced durability, weight reduction, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
• Explore and implement new applications of these alloys in various industries, such as automotive, aerospace, construction, and consumer products.

Process Development

• Innovate and refine manufacturing processes tailored to advanced aluminum alloy forms, ensuring these processes are efficient, scalable, and meet high-quality standards.
• Develop and test new fabrication techniques, including molding, casting, 3D printing, and bonding, that suit the requirements of aluminum foams, composites, and honeycomb structures.
• Conduct process simulations and modeling to predict material behavior and optimize production workflows.
• Focus on sustainability by designing processes that minimize waste and energy consumption.

Prototyping and pilot development

• Collaborate with external vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers to source materials and build prototypes of new aluminum alloy products.
• Coordinate prototype development, ensuring alignment with design specifications and performance criteria.
• Troubleshoot technical challenges in prototype manufacturing, working closely with suppliers to resolve issues and refine product designs.
• Establish strong, collaborative relationships with suppliers and ensure all quality, budget, and timeline requirements are met.

External and internal customer insight generation

• Pursue design thinking and identify the key pain points of the internal/external customer
• Develop keen understanding of the key functionality of product/technology to be developed
• Quantify the value generated for the customer upon attainment of the key technical specifications/features of the product/technology

Capability enhancement and development

• Maintenance and enhancement of existing lab and pilot capabilities along with the lab-in-charge
• Identify opportunities for external collaboration for capability enhancement
• Identify and prepare capex proposals for in-house capability development

Knowledge creation and dissemination

• Document the key research findings in high quality, peer reviewed publications and internal technical memorandums.
• Document and record inventions in Invention Record and work with legal team for patent filing where applicable
• Present non-sensitive research findings in international journals, conferences to more widely disseminate knowledge and showcase Hindalco R&D capabilities