Controls Engineer Tesla is seeking a highly-motivated engineer to contribute to the design and development of new automation equipment and assembly lines for our advanced electric Powertrain production. These are critical components of the Tesla electric drivetrain and contribute greatly to our powertrain business. This is an exciting opportunity to build a world class manufacturing facility right here in the Bay Area. Tesla Motors is a demanding and fast-paced environment where you will work on a critical subsystem of incredibly exciting products.
The Role: The Controls Engineer will work to develop machine and process concepts along with several Manufacturing Engineering peers. He/She will then implement system architecture under the supervision of more senior/staff Controls Engineers, after which he/she will program all equipment controls components such as PLC, HMI, servo drives, and robots from power-on to debug, and finally to process fine tuning and validation.
In-house automated equipment development:
- Participate in initial equipment conceptual development and carefully balance product specifications, process requirements, layout complexity, cost, and lead-time limits.
- Lay out new industrial electrical control panels which are NFPA79/NEC/UL508A compliant, and create electrical, pneumatic and fluid schematics.
- Develop and debug ladder logic PLC code with an emphasis on generating code that is organized, structured, documented, maintainable and reusable. PLC code will interact with subsystems such as conveyors, robots, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), LabView, machine vision, and 3rd party equipment.
- Implement (ANSI/RIA15.06/OSHA compliant) control reliable safety systems for safeguarding robots, gantries, conveyors, and other high volume manufacturing equipment.
- Generate aesthetically simple HMI screens for complex machinery while providing sufficient feedback for troubleshooting.
- Manage electrical cabinet builds, field wiring, pneumatic and fluid plumbing.
- Introduce automated processes into production, and train and equip Sustaining Team to support automated equipment after deployment into production
Outsourced automation equipment development:
- Participate in specification creation, release to Vendor and quote technical evaluation
- Manage suppliers during specification, design, buyoff and installation of automated manufacturing equipment
- Establish test plans and control test plan execution
- Characterize and validate new automated equipment and fixturing for deployment into production
Existing automation equipment refinement:
- Debug and optimize automated processes to maximize cycle time and uptime.
- Characterize and validate automated processes using a data driven statistical approach such as Capacity test, Capability test (Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility test, Cpk, etc)
The ideal candidate takes pride in his/her hands-on work, analytical ability, organizational skills and attention to detail. He/She appreciates an environment where superior work is encouraged, noticed and rewarded and where individuals carry tremendous responsibility. He/She looks forward to learning an incredible amount on the job.
Requirements:
- Demonstrated proficiency in PLC, HMI, and debugging mechatronic systems
- Exposure to programming microcontrollers and motor controllers
- Proficiency with CAD (AutoCAD, CATIA, SolidWorks) is a plus
- Able to work under pressure while managing competing demands and tight deadlines
- Exemplary verbal and written communication skills
- Well organized with meticulous attention to detail
- Mastery of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio
- BS Electrical Engineering (or equivalent – Majors in: Controls and Computer Control Systems, Mechatronic Engineering, Automation Engineering, etc.)