Robotics and Controls Engineer (687394)

Salary range :  £36,924 - £45,163 per annum

FTE :  1

Term :  Fixed (24 months)

Closing Date : 02 March 2025

Location : NMIS, Renfrew

The University of Strathclyde is a leading international technological institution and has a long history of working with industry to deliver strong business growth from access to research and innovation expertise. The latest major initiative continuing to deliver on this track record is through the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

As a magnet for innovation in advanced manufacturing, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) group of specialist R&D centres, supports manufacturing, engineering and associated tech businesses of all sizes, to thrive domestically and internationally through accelerating productivity, embracing new digital technologies and achieving net-zero targets.

We turn smart ideas into reality and deliver ground-breaking research.

Coming from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, our passionate team works alongside industry, academia, and the public sector to solve problems, train the workforce of the future and generate the creative ideas that will transform manufacturing.

Ultimately, we are growing the economy, developing a vibrant and skilled talent pool and helping create prosperous, sustainable communities.

The Opportunity

NMIS is seeking to appoint a Robotics and Control Engineer to work on a broad range of challenging opportunities that are currently, and will come onto, the robotics and automation theme task list. Currently, the main projects that would be associated with this position are :

• Automated cogging in conjunction with a hydraulic press. The aim of this work is to integrate a 500T hydraulic press and a electric furnace with a robot to automatically cog metal billets. The challenges will include integration of the different systems via low power electronics, heat shielding of necessary components, and press-robot control interaction to ensure that no unwanted forces are transferred from the press to the robot.
• Demonstrator cells of cutting-edge small scale industrial robot applications. The aim of this work is to develop visually and technologically impressive demonstration units for a client to show customers. The challenges will include developing the concepts, integrating the software and hardware required, and programming the outcomes.
• Automated remanufacture of assemblies. The aim of this project will be to, as far as is reasonably practical, examine, disassemble, clean, remanufacture, and reassemble items, for example, gear box shafts. The various stages of this work will be undertaken with different robots, which will need to communicate with one another. The challenges will include selection of the test components, communication between the different robots (from different manufacturers) and integration between the robots and other pieces of equipment required, for example, vision systems to identify faulty components and tools required for disassembly and reassembly.

With a first degree and PhD in an appropriate discipline, e.g. engineering, you will have an established track record in providing solutions in an industrial context, and experience of undertaking research projects. You will have knowledge and, ideally, experience of low power electronics, hot die forging, robot path planning, and mechanical design. You will have a good understanding of general engineering and scientific principles. You will have the ability to work autonomously and to plan and prioritise your own workload with minimal inputs from higher management, in addition to experience of project planning and delivery. In addition, you will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to interact with a range of stakeholders from industry and academia.

For informal enquiries, please contact Scott Brady, Robotics Automation Theme Lead - [email protected]