New Product Development Engineer

Role & responsibilities

1. Process Planning & Setup

Study product design (lamp PCB layouts, LED specs, driver ICs, passive components) to determine SMT feasibility.

Select appropriate SMT machine programs and feeders for LED and electronic component placement.

Prepare process flow diagrams for the SMT stage of lamp assembly.

Define stencil design (aperture size, shape, thickness) based on LED pad size and solder paste requirements.

Choose solder paste type (SnAgCu, low-temp alloys, no-clean/clean) considering LED heat sensitivity.

2. Equipment & Material Preparation

Configure pick-and-place machine parameters for LED, resistors, capacitors, and IC placement.

Set up reflow oven profiles considering lamp PCB material (MCPCB, FR4) and LED thermal tolerance.

Ensure availability of ESD protection systems for sensitive LED handling.

Collaborate with suppliers for material quality validation (LED binning, paste shelf life, PCB warpage limits).

3. Process Development & Optimization

Develop reflow temperature profiles:

Optimize ramp-up, soak, peak, and cooling stages to prevent LED lens yellowing, cracking, or solder voids.

Tune component placement force to prevent LED lens deformation.

Reduce solder bridging and tombstoning through paste volume and pad design optimization.

Minimize warpage and thermal stress during reflow for large MCPCBs.

4. Quality & Reliability Control

Define inspection criteria:

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) for LED alignment, polarity, and solder joint quality.

X-ray inspection for void analysis in LED thermal pads.

Establish in-process quality checkpoints at printing, placement, and reflow stages.

Validate process against automotive standards (IATF 16949, IPC-A-610, AEC-Q102 for LEDs).

5. Pilot Build & Validation

Conduct trial runs to verify SMT process capability (CP/CPK).

Monitor defect rates (ppm levels) and fine-tune parameters.

Validate through functional tests (light output, beam pattern) after SMT stage.

Perform reliability tests:

Thermal cycling

High temperature/high humidity

Vibration endurance

LED luminous flux stability

6. Documentation & Handover

Prepare SMT work instructions with machine settings, paste handling, inspection criteria.

Create process control plans and PFMEA for lamp SMT stage.

Train operators and technicians on proper SMT handling for lamp components.

Handover to mass production team with signed-off process validation reports.

Preferred candidate profile