Composite Technician – Swift-Ops

Job Purpose:

Composite Technician will be producing parts and assemblies for the aerospace, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), motorsport, and other product line industries that are developed at our facility in accordance with engineering drawings, written work instructions, and process specifications at varying product life cycle stages from prototype/demonstration to in-production. Swift-Ops operates within varying product life cycle stages, which ranges from demonstration/prototype stage to in-production stage.

Work shifts typically start 6:00 am with a 30 minute meal break.  It is expected that personnel be willing to work night shifts and weekends, if needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Fabricate compliant composite components/tools, which may include bond prep, tool prep, ply kit generation, lamination, bagging, de-tooling, trimming, finishing, core fabrication, integration, bond work, and other composite fabrication processes as required.
• Fabricate compliant metallic components and manufacturing aides.
• Meet manufacturing deadlines
• Complete all paperwork, work orders, task orders, material traceability documentations as required.
• Ensure inventory items are issued and documented properly.
• Handle perishable materials, paying close attention to expiration dates and working life, and traceability information.
• Work with engineering and other composite technicians to execute projects.
• Understand and comply with expectations and requirements dictated by project schedules, travelers, task orders, work instructions, specs, and/or drawings.
• Elevate employee issues to management
• Monitor and audit travelers/planning to ensure that they are properly completed.
• Maintain a neat and orderly work area (e.g. general shop floor, clean room, trimming area)
• Supports and complies with all quality standards and management systems (Swift Internal, NADCAP & AS9100)
• Communicate with other functional areas about issues effecting quality and/or productivity.
• Comply with all Company policies, procedures and regulations

Qualifications:

(Required)

• Applied fundamental knowledge and experience associated with composite fabrication, which includes materials(e.g. pre-pregs, dry fibers, cores, resins, adhesives, releases, solvents), equipment/facilities (e.g. hand, electrical, pneumatic tools & measuring devices, autoclave, oven, Gerber cutting machine, clean room), and processes (e.g. tool prep, tool fabrication, flat patterns creation and kitting, lamination(wet and pre-preg), core shaping, vacuum bagging, curing, trimming, drilling, bonding, assembly).
• Ability to understand and maintain compliance with various quality management systems (AS9100, NADCAP, Swift, external/customer)
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and within a team setting as required.
• High School diploma or GED.
• Effective verbal and written communication.
• A US Person (Resident Alien or US Citizen) per ITAR requirements.
• Ability to pass a background check.

 (Preferred, but not required)

• 3+ years work experience in composite fabrication, preferably in aerospace, marine, automotive, aviation, defense, and/or energy industries.
• Ability to read, interpret, and fabricate composite parts/tools per blueprints, drawings, manufacturing/process specs, work orders/travelers independently and without supervision.
• Ability to masterfully apply composite fabrication techniques and knowledge of various pre-pregs, fabrics, resin systems, adhesives, cores, film adhesives, bagging materials, etc. in a product development setting and on jobs that require NADCAP accreditation.
• Experience working with aerospace prime contractors
• Ability to operate oven and autoclave and formulate cure recipes when required.
• Possess strong mechanical aptitude in mechanical assemblies and ability to use shop aides/fixtures/jigs to mitigate potential assembly/tolerance stack-up risks.
• Experience in metal fabrication (manual mills, lathes, welding, forming, shears, saws)
• Ability to perform automotive/aerospace finishes
• Core prepping, cutting, sanding, trimming, forming, potting, and splicing experience.
• Contamination Controlled Area and Environmental Monitored Environment experience.
• Ability to operate (pattern nesting & ply cutting), calibrate, maintain Gerber Ply Cutting System as required.
• Quality Management, NADCAP, and AS9100 experience

WORKING CONDITIONS 

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, bend, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity. Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range.  Requires working inside a walk-in freezer maintained at -10°F.

Equipment Operated: Gerber Cutting System, fork lifts, computer, vacuum pumps, heat sources, various hand, electric and pneumatic tools, ladders, stands, mechanical stands, hi-reach lifts, autoclave, oven.

Work Location:  Open shop environment.  Occasionally in warehouse, clean room, trim room, and walk-in freezer(-10°F).

Protective Equipment Required: Goggles, safety glasses, face shields, ear protection, aprons, gloves, safety harnesses, respirators, breathing equipment.

Potential Hazards: Exposure to high intensity noise levels, extreme changes in temperature, airborne substances, materials identified on Material Safety Data Sheets, working on unprotected heights or around moving machinery.

Periodic weekend or evening work is expected.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

A review of this position has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbent(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities.

Must be “US Person” per ITAR requirements.  Swift is an EOE.