Welding Engineer

BSI makes the metal bellows used in spacecrafts, launch vehicles and aircrafts, built from foil thin gauge alloys, where one bad weld is not an option. You will own the weld process, set the parameters, write the procedures and see your work on real flight hardware. If you have ever looked at a weld schedule and known exactly why it blew through, we want to talk.

Welding is our most important process and our biggest opportunity. You will own first pass yield on thin wall welds: finding the root cause, tightening parameter windows, and building schedules, fixtures and work instructions that make good welds repeatable.

In your first 12 months, we expect you to:

• Reduce blow through and NDT rejection rates.
• Cut weld related rework hours.
• Qualify and release new or revised welding schedules and WPS documents.
• Support our next Nadcap audit with clean, audit ready records.

• Own welding processes: define parameter windows, qualify new schedules and specifications, write work instructions and design welding fixtures.
• Lead root cause analysis on blow through, porosity, cracking, incomplete fusion and NDT rejects, and drive corrective action to closure.
• Develop, qualify and maintain WPS and PQR documentation to AWS D17.1, AWS D17.2 and ASME Section IX.
• Support Nadcap accreditation, audits and corrective actions.
• Run controlled experiments and process verification, and keep detailed records of trials, test results, dimensional inspection and design iterations.
• Work with design and quality engineers on first article and new product welds, and contribute to design reviews for weldability.
• Train and support operators and technicians on process changes.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgy or a related field. Significant prior GTAW process development and WPS creation experience may be accepted in place of a degree. Please show your WPS and PQR experience on your resume, including processes, materials and codes.
• Experience writing, developing and qualifying welding procedure specifications and schedules for fusion welding, resistance welding or both.
• Working knowledge of AWS D17.1, AWS D17.2 and ASME Section IX.
• Practical experience with thin gauge nickel alloys (Inconel 625 and 718, Hastelloy), 300 series stainless steels and titanium.
• Strong technical writing skills for code specific documentation.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings. Familiarity with bellows, tubular components or sheet metal forming is a plus.
• A methodical, critical thinker who works well in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Ability to read, write and speak English, and to lift 50 lbs from floor to waist, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Metallurgy and metallographic inspection: 3 years
• WPS, PQR and schedule development: 3 years
• Resistance seam and spot welding: 2 years
• Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW): 2 years
• Micro plasma and plasma welding on thin foil: 1 year
• NDT literacy: FPI, radiography and helium leak testing
• Nadcap audit participation

Desired overall experience is 2 to 5+ years. No resistance seam welding experience? We provide machine specific training, including on resistance seam welding, for candidates with a strong fusion welding foundation.

• Split between engineering workstations, and active shop floor. Safety training and equipment are provided.

Bellows Systems, Inc. (BSI) makes precision metal bellows and expansion joints for spacecraft, launch vehicles and aircraft. You will work directly with engineering and operations leadership, not behind layers of management.

This position requires access to export controlled technical data. Applicants must be a U.S. Person as defined under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). BSI cannot transfer or sponsor a work visa or employment authorization for this position.

BSI is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, and we provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Resistance seam welding for thin gauge material is a craft, and only a few people do it well. If you are one of them, we will give you the machines, the authority and a real say in how precision bellows get built.

We are seeking an experienced Welding Engineer / Process Specialist focused on Resistance Seam Welding (RSEW) for our precision bellows and expansion joint manufacturing. You will lead process development, schedule qualification and optimization, operator training and technical compliance to AWS D17.2 and Nadcap (AC7110 and AC7110/4) requirements.

In your first 12 months, we expect you to:

• Stabilize and tighten RSEW parameter windows, reducing weld related rejects and rework.
• Qualify and release new or revised RSEW schedules with complete WPS and PQR documentation.
• Own the RSEW section of our next Nadcap audit.

Qualify additional resistance welding operators

• Process Development and Parameter Optimization. Develop, qualify and optimize RSEW schedules for thin gauge nickel alloys (Inconel 625 and 718, Hastelloy), stainless steels (300 series, 321, 316L) and titanium used in bellows assemblies.
• Specification Compliance (AWS D17.2). Establish, document and maintain WPS and PQR in alignment with AWS D17.2 Class A, B and C requirements.
• Nadcap Accreditation. Serve as technical lead for Nadcap welding audits (AC7110 and AC7110/4 for Resistance Welding). Manage compliance matrices, pre audit gap analyses and corrective actions including root cause and corrective action (RCCA).
• Tooling and Fixturing. Work with tooling and design teams on electrode wheels, chill rings, expanding mandrels and alignment fixtures that give repeatable setup, consistent weld quality and minimal heat affected zone distortion.
• Metallurgical and Mechanical Testing. Coordinate metallographic preparation and evaluate cross sections, micro hardness profiles, peel and shear tests, and pressure and burst tests to verify joint integrity and nugget overlap per drawing and specification.
• Shop Floor Support and Operator Qualification. Lead training, technical oversight and formal performance qualification of resistance welding operators to aerospace standards.
• Continuous Improvement. Troubleshoot expulsion, cracking, porosity, incomplete fusion and related defects using root cause methods, 5 Why and Statistical Process Control (SPC).

• Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgy or Mechanical Engineering with 2+ years of hands on resistance welding experience; OR an Associate degree in Welding Technology or Manufacturing Technology with 5+ years of direct experience programming, qualifying and troubleshooting RSEW equipment in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience developing and qualifying resistance welding procedures to AWS D17.2, OR direct experience with Nadcap resistance welding requirements.
• Working knowledge of resistance welding controllers (weld monitors, constant current or energy feedback, secondary monitoring) and machine calibration.
• Blueprint reading and GD&T, and familiarity with AS9100 quality system requirements.
• Ability to inspect precision weld samples under magnification and review macro and micrographs.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs from floor to waist, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Experience participating in or leading Nadcap AC7110/4 audits.
• Familiarity with thin walled tubular components, expansion joints, or hydroformed and edge welded bellows geometries.
• Background in adjacent aerospace resistance welding such as jet engine, fuel system or battery applications.
• Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or ASQ certification.

We provide machine specific training and knowledge transfer support for the right candidate.

• Split between engineering workstations, metallurgical testing lab and active shop floor. Safety training and equipment are provided.

Bellows Systems, Inc. (BSI) makes precision metal bellows and expansion joints for spacecraft, launch vehicles and aircraft. You will work directly with engineering and operations leadership, not behind layers of management.

This position requires access to export controlled technical data. Applicants must be a U.S. Person as defined under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). BSI cannot transfer or sponsor a work visa or employment authorization for this position.

BSI is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, and we provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.