Nikon SLM Solutions: Principal Applications Engineer
Full Time
Location: Long Beach, CA The Principal Application Engineer serves as the technical authority for complex metal additive manufacturing (L-PBF) application projects and strategic customer engagements. This role provides expert guidance throughout the entire additive manufacturing process, from design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) through qualification and production, while supporting customers in highly regulated industries such as aerospace, defense, medical, and energy. The Principal Application Engineer partners closely with customers and cross-functional teams to develop manufacturable solutions, optimize processes, resolve technical challenges, and advance best practices across the organization.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS:
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgy, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Extensive hands-on experience with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) metal additive manufacturing.
- Demonstrated expertise across the complete additive manufacturing process, including build preparation, parameter development, post-processing, inspection, and qualification.
- Experience supporting customers within regulated industries such as aerospace, defense, medical, energy, or industrial manufacturing.
- Strong understanding of process-structure-property relationships, including melt pool behavior, residual stress, porosity mechanisms, microstructure development, cracking, anisotropy, and heat treatment.
- Experience with common L-PBF materials including titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, nickel superalloys, stainless steels, maraging steels, cobalt chrome, and copper alloys.
- Strong understanding of powder handling, material traceability, contamination control, and feedstock management.
- Experience troubleshooting additive manufacturing processes including laser parameters, recoating, gas flow, preheating, and build monitoring.
- Demonstrated experience leading customer design reviews, qualification planning, and technical risk assessments.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present highly technical information to customers and executive stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with DfAM and computational design software such as Siemens NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion, or nTop.
- Experience using additive manufacturing software including Materialise Magics, Netfabb, 3DXpert, or AM Studio.
- Familiarity with simulation software such as Amphyon, PanX, Ansys Additive, or Simufact Additive.
- Knowledge of ISO/ASTM additive manufacturing standards, SAE AMS specifications, and qualification methodologies.
- Experience analyzing CT scan data, machine logs, qualification datasets, and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) results.
- Previous experience mentoring technical teams and leading cross-functional engineering initiatives.