Master Prototyper

Introduction

• Description: We are looking for a Master Fabricator/Machinist/Prototyper to lead the build-out of GVCS machine prototypes. Unique opportunity with innovative open source machine development organization. See Master Prototyper and Machine Designer Invitation.
• Date of Recruiting Announcement - 8/25/12
• No. of Positions: 1
• City: Maysville
• Country / State: USA: Missouri
• Enterprise: Open Source Ecology
• Job Title Suffix: Prototyping Director

Basic Terms

• Must live on-site at Factor e Farm (accommodations and fast internet are provided, applicant covers their own food) and follow Factor e Farm General Guidelines
• Full time commitment (no outside jobs or telecommuting unless specifically negotiated)
• Applicant covers travel to and from FeF, and any insurance needs
• Financial compensation based on risk-sharing, experience, and culture fit to OSE
• Biweekly blog posting on the Factor e Farm Blog according to FeF Blogging Standards
• Alignment with open source culture, and openness to lifelong learning

Skill Set Requirements

Basic Requirements

• Professional (or equivalent) experience in custom fabrication and machining
• Professional (or equivalent) competency in precision machining and CNC precision machining
• Excellent practical working proficiency in machine design, technical drawing, and CAD
• Reading fabrication drawings, setting up jigs, squaring, measuring distances and angles
• Hydraulic power system design and build
• Excellent working knowledge of mechanisms, mechanics, electromechanical devices, and mechatronics
• Excellent working knowledge of engines, engine repair, and electrical wiring
• Creating bills of materials, sourcing, bidding, and preparation of work contracts
• Experience with heavy machine operation

Desired Experience

• CAM, automation, and robotics
• Fabrication of gears
• Engine building from the ground up
• Tool and die making, heat treating
• Metallurgy and alloying
• Metal casting
• Power electronics design and fabrication
• Electrical generator design and fabrication
• Teaching experience
• Managing a workshop
• Precision machine design
• Agricultural machinery design
• Heavy equipment design
• Programming milling machines in both G & M codes and makimg required fixturing
• Setting standards for and executing workshop facility organization, cleanliness, and maintenance
• Farming
• Construction

Role

• The core of the Master Prototyper role is prototyping GVCS machines. This requires a number of responsibilities: fabrication, workshop and tool management, apprentice training, strategic planning, documenting, product quality control and testing, design work, and others.
• Enforces shop conduct standards covering safety, quality control, organization, and cleanliness
• Reports to Founding Director (FD) and executes development priorities set by the FD
• Assists FD in strategy on issues of fabrication optimization
• Collaborates with other team members on documentation, planning, field testing, and other common activities
• Performs planning, review, and reporting process on Flashy XM platform according to Planning and Review Strategy (in development)
• Builds prototypes on an ongoing basis, and in absence of fabrication drawings or plans, engages in design work
• Performs field testing of prototypes to collect performance data, evaluate prototypes, and make improvements
• Leads teams of fabricators and apprentices in prototyping and production runs
• Develops fabrication procedures according to Fabrication Diagram method
• Keeps workshop well-organized, ergonomic, and clean, and maintains tools in good working order
• Develops standards for cleanliness, tool organization, and workflow
• Performs quality control on prototyping work
• In addition to building from stock components, must also be able to build precision components as needed
• Trains apprentices and team members in machine operation and tool use
• Coordinates with remote fabrication teams (Prototyping Flash Fab Mobs) to build prototypes and components thereof
• Instills a sense of pride in craftsmanship and inspires others towards mastery
• Crafts strategies for organization and replication of the workshop with management team
• Advises the Director of Learning in developing curriculum covering fabrication and machining
• Organizes cleanup of workshop and maintenance of tools and machines in collaboration with the rest of the team
• Designs processes with intent of cross-training in mind

Requirements

The MP must be able to:

• Follow verbal and written work instructions, take initiative as necessary, and have the wisdom to understand the difference between the two
• Read blue prints and understand G.D.T. and how it applies to the part and the manufacturing process
• Work tool steel and carbide tooling
• Work with indexing heads, sine plates, and and know trigonometry to figure distances and angles from construction holes and tooling balls
• Work with engineering and documentation personnel
• Manage interruptions and organize apprentices to meet monthly prototyping and production schedules
• Be responsible for sound judgment
• Ask questions when uncertain or blocked
• Work with minimum supervision or work closely with teams on a schedule on teams
• Be in good physical condition
• Have excellent communication skills
• Teach apprentices
• Provide leadership and inspiration to apprentices

Application Form

Introduction

• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Link to Resume. If not available, email an attachment to recruiting at opensourceecology dot org
• Link to 3 work samples. If not available, email an attachment to recruiting at opensourceecology dot org
• Age

Core Experience

List the years of experience that you have. If not applicable, leave blank. For any items you fill - quantify your skill level with 1= good working proficiency; 2=master.

• Precision machining (mill, lathe, surface grinder, etc.)
• Custom fabrication (torching, welding, drilling, etc)
• Machine design (conceptual or CAD)
• Creating fabrication drawings
• Mechanical design with CAD
• Power electronic device design
• Electronic design
• Computer programming
• Performing CAE analysis
• Developing/managing a startup enterprise
• Heavy eqiupment operation
• Fluid power systems

Specific Skills

Please write 1 if you have solid working proficiency with any of the following, and leave blank otherwise. Please do not put 1 for 'something that you could do without a problem but have never done before' - as this is an assessment of your experience level.

Survey of Relevant Hands-on Skills

• Drilling
• Mag drilling
• Milling
• Lathing
• MIG welding
• TIG welding
• Stick welding
• Fabricating gears
• Fabricating shaft couplers
• Fabricating electrical motors
• Fabricating engines from the ground up
• Fabricating precision machines
• Making bolts
• Building hydraulic circuits
• Making ball bearings
• Oxyacetylen cutting
• Oxypropane cutting
• Water jet cutting
• Cold saw operation
• Oxyhydrogen cutting
• Surface grinding
• Band sawing
• Metal shear/punch operation
• Sharpening drill bits by hand
• Sharpending drill bits on a sharpener
• Lapping metal surfaces
• Using a digital readout
• Designing machines
• Design of power electronic devices
• DRO
• Sheet metal stamping
• Technical writing
• Creating exploded part diagrams
• Metal Casting
• Hardening steel
• Working with tool steel
• Tool-and-die making
• Press forging
• Blacksmithing
• Hot metal rolling
• Populating surface mount circuits
• Etching or milling circuits
• CNC routing of wood
• Building microcontroller circuits and sensors
• Using an induction furnace
• Sawmilling
• Table sawing
• Carpentry work
• Plumbing installation
• Pottery
• Animal husbandry
• Forest management
• Orchard management
• Farm management
• Auto mechanic work
• Small engine repair
• Chainsaw use
• Using a torque wrench
• Mortise-and-tenon construction
• Steel building erection
• High ropes fabrication work
• Bulldozing
• Plowing
• Disking
• Backhoe work
• Bobcat work

Design

• Sketchup modeling
• Professional CAD package use
• Electronic schematics design
• PCB layout design
• Power electronics design
• Windmill design
• Automotive design
• Interior design
• Architectural design
• Structural engineering design
• Thermal calculations
• Computer programming
• Web design
• Making presentations
• Speech and script writing
• On-demand publishing

Analysis and Planning Work

• Google spreadsheets and drawings
• Image processing
• Statistical analysis
• Quality control work
• Analyzing smoothness of surfaces
• G,D & T
• Site master planning
• Site analysis for planning
• Creating bills of materials
• Estimating costs
• Land surveying
• Leveling a site
• Measuring hydraulic flow rate and pressure
• Strategic planning
• Business planning
• Implementation planning
• Interviewing
• Systems design
• Mechanical interface design

Soft Skills

Please write 1 if you have solid working proficiency with any of the following, and leave blank otherwise.

• Teaching students
• Managing teams
• Emotional intelligence
• Videograohy
• Photography
• Cooking
• Editing video
• Blogging
• Counseling
• Mediation
• Meditation
• Reading body language
• Empathizing
• Yoga, Tai Chi, and other body-mind arts
• Massage
• Integrative transformative practice
• Public speaking