Subject Matter Expert - Plating

Summary Posted: Aug 29, 2023 Role Number: 200497513 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. As part of Manufacturing Design’s SME team, the Plating SME create new highly cosmetic surface finishes and high corrosion resistance parts. We work with Apple’s Industrial Design and Product Design teams to develop surface finishes with new colors and textures. Key Qualifications Key Qualifications Minimum 5 years of developing new cosmetic plated finishes. Experience applying combined mechanical finishing and plating process to meet ID desired texture and color targets. Be able to develop plated layer stack-up, process and equipment to meet both cosmetic and functional reliability requirements. Ability to plan, implement, and present results from investigations using statistical analysis and clearly communicated results and recommendations. Ability to drive root cause/corrective action activities. Experience with other chemical metal surface treatments for corrosion protection including conversion coating. Understanding of color theory and color, gloss and texture measurement techniques. Have minimum average, preferably superior color discrimination ability. Knowledge of cleaning and surfactants in pretreatment of aluminum and steel for cosmetic plated finishes. Experience working with an international supply chain. Ability to define clear process controls and documentation for a robust process. Fluent English skills. Frequent domestic and some overseas travel expected. Description Description Match, pilot and scale new cosmetic plated or high corrosion resistance finishes for production - Use chemical surface preparation like polish or etching to create textures and decorative plated finishing techniques to meet challenging new targets. - Research new methods for creating new surface finishes and implementing tighter control of existing finishes. - Evaluate manufacturing processes at early stages of product development to define critical process requirements and controls for tightest output. - Plan and implement studies to confirm process capability to achieve excellent quality and high yields on high volume enclosures - Present analysis to key decision makers that will be used to make commercial, cosmetic and design commitments - FA support on plating related parts or cases Evaluate supplier capabilities and address shortcomings relative to company needs - Drive on-site support in conjunction with USA counterparts for implementation of manufacturing processes at supplier locations - Build relationships with these counterparts and suppliers, and cultivate development of their capabilities and expertise Maintain working knowledge of key process drivers and subject matter expertise in the technologies to serve as technical resource on project teams. Investigate and validate new surface finishing processes, techniques, and equipment where appropriate. Education & Experience Education & Experience - BS/MS in engineering (chemical engineering, chemistry or materials science) or equivalent record of industrial experience. Additional Requirements Additional Requirements - Experience developing cosmetic or high corrosion resistance plating finishing. - History of successfully implementing new processes (possibly automation) in a mass production environment. - Expertise in establishing process controls that adhere to strict color specifications - Ability to use advanced analytical tools to characterize surface topography and material characteristics. - Solid understanding of DOE principles and use of statistical software.