The Die Maintenance Technician is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and improving aluminum high-pressure die casting tooling to ensure safe operation, dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and maximum die life. This role supports production by minimizing downtime, preventing casting defects, and ensuring dies meet engineering, quality, and customer requirements.
This position is located at our Eau Claire Facility.
First shift, Monday-Friday, 6:00am-2:00pm
Primary Responsibilities:
Die Maintenance & Repair
- Perform preventive and corrective maintenance on HPDC dies, inserts, cores, slides, ejector systems, and trim dies
- Disassemble, clean, inspect, repair, and reassemble dies according to die maintenance standards and schedules
- Identify and repair wear, erosion, soldering, heat checking, cracking, and galling
- Replace or refurbish die components (cores, pins, sleeves, bushings, leader pins, shot blocks, ejector pins)
- Polish and texture die surfaces to restore part quality and release performance
- Participate in training and continuous improvement activities
- Perform all other duties as assigned
Additional Responsibilities:
Troubleshooting & Continuous Improvement
- Troubleshoot casting defects related to tooling (flash, porosity, soldering, short shots, misruns, sticking)
- Work with Process Engineering and Quality teams to identify root causes and implement corrective actions
- Recommend design or maintenance improvements to extend die life and improve productivity
- Support tryouts, engineering changes, and new die launches
Preventive Maintenance & Documentation
- Execute preventive maintenance (PM) plans based on shot counts and condition monitoring
- Maintain accurate maintenance records, die history, shot counts, and repair documentation
- Follow die maintenance checklists, control plans, and work instructions
Safety & Equipment Care
- Follow all safety procedures for lockout/tagout, crane/hoist operation, and hot tooling handling
- Properly use and maintain tools, welders, grinders, polishing equipment, and measuring devices
- Ensure dies are safely stored, transported, and staged for production
- Ability to lift 50 pounds repeatedly and to be physically capable of performing the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without posing a direct threat to the health and safety of the individual or others.
Collaboration & Support
- Communicate die condition and readiness to production, setup, and engineering teams
- Support production changeovers and urgent die repairs to minimize downtime
- Assist with spare parts inventory and tooling readiness
Position Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED required; technical training or trade school certification in manufacturing, machine maintenance, or a related field is a plus.
- 3+ years of hands-on die maintenance, tooling repair, or industrial maintenance experience, preferably in high-pressure die casting or metal manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and repair mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.
- Strong mechanical aptitude with experience using hand tools, power tools, grinders, and other die-shop equipment.
- Ability to read and interpret blueprints, engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation.
- Proficient with precision measuring tools (e.g., calipers, micrometers, gauges).
- Familiarity with preventive maintenance practices, condition monitoring, and maintenance recordkeeping.
- Troubleshooting skills to diagnose die-related casting defects and tooling issues.
- Basic computer skills for maintenance documentation and record keeping.
- Commitment to safety
- A team-first attitude — we’re a small group that depends on each other to succeed.
