Optical R&D Engineer

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Vacancy closed

Optical R&D Engineer

IMS Almelo

What is required?

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in optical engineering and/or mechatronics
  • At least 2 years relevant work experience
  • Able to develop optical systems
  • Excellent command of English. Command of Dutch is an advantage
  • Independent, practical and enterprising

What will you get?

  • €3.000 - €5.000 gross p/m, depending on knowledge and experience
  • 32 to 40 hours working week
  • 27 holiday days + 7 atv days
  • Personal training budget

What will you do?

  • 5% Supervising students
  • 5% Consultation R&D team
  • 10% Project consultation
  • 10% Debugging optical measuring systems
  • 10% Answering questions from colleagues
  • 60% Modelling, testing and analysing optical measuring systems

This vacancy has been created based on interviews with employees to help you get a realistic preview of the job.

Ask a question directly

Mark Regnery

HR Advisor

Vacancy

As an Optical R&D Engineer at IMS, you are responsible for the development of automated Vision systems for production lines and machines. This mainly concerns new machines: think of a combination of cameras, lenses, mirrors and lighting ensuring that a product or part is checked or measured. You take care of the optical components assembling this combination. These combinations are, for example, used in telephones and headlights. You model the measurement components, after which you test, analyse and improve them in practice.

You will work a lot with the software programme Zemax OpticStudio and with Vision software, such as Halcon or OpenCV. You use Zemax OpticStudio for theoretical purposes: modelling the optical components. Then you will use Vision software for the practical side: you will model the algorithm and test it extensively, before it is built into a machine. Your goal is to design a robust measurement system. You will therefore also interpret the test results and use them to improve, debug and validate.

Half of your time is spent on modelling, while the rest is spent on building and testing in practice. The office and workshop are adjacent, so you can quickly and easily see the results of what you have modelled.

You work in the R&D team, which consists of nine colleagues from different disciplines. However, most colleagues have a background in mechanics and/or mechanical engineering. You work on both internal and external projects: sometimes IMS wants to completely build a machine itself, before involving a customer. Finally, you sometimes supervise one or more students who are working or doing an internship at IMS.

Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. We do not derive rights or obligations from profiles and cv's that are sent unsolicited. Therefore, we regard them as not being sent. 

If you like to design visual measurement systems and then test this in practice, and you find it challenging to do very analytical work, then this is a job for you.

Working week

Optical R&D Engineer
Richard Lubbers

On an enjoyable working day, I help in debugging the Vision algorithm of an optical alignment system. This allowed everyone to move on with the project again.

During a less enjoyable day, I am busy answering questions from colleagues. It's nice that colleagues ask me for advice, but it prevents me from doing my own work.
  • 08:00
  • 09:00
  • 10:00
  • 11:00
  • 12:00
  • 13:00
  • 14:00
  • 15:00
  • 16:00
  • 17:00
  • 18:00
    • Setting up test environment
    • Meeting project team
    • Meeting R&D colleague
    • Answering questions from colleagues
    • Lunch
    • Working on a machine
    • Managing a student
    • Testing optical measuring system
    • Answering questions from colleagues
    • Administration
    • Administration
    • Managing a student
    • Analyzing measurements
    • Answering questions from colleagues
    • Lunch
    • Analyzing measurements
    • Meeting R&D colleague
    • Debugging optical measuring system
    • Modellign
    • Analyzing measurements
    • Modelling
    • Meeting project team
    • Lunch
    • Setting up test environment
    • Learning Cycle Event (internal project)
    • Testing optical measuring system
    • Testing optical measuring system
    • Meeting R&D colleague
    • Debugging optical measuring system
    • Managing a student
    • Lunch
    • Debugging optical measuring system
    • Modelling
    • Administration

Firsthand experience

You are testing a recently developed optical measuring system and notice the camera displaying a distorted image, as a result of which the system cannot measure the aspects of the image properly. How do you solve this?

The image the camera shows is sharp in some places and blurred in others. Also, the image in the corners is somewhat darker. Fortunately, you discover this during the set-up and testing phase, so there is still time to solve this issue. The underlying algorithm tries to obtain a measurement from the images, contours and colours recognised by Vision. In this case, the blurred and dark parts of the image should not be included by the algorithm, as they cannot be measured. Therefore, you adjust the algorithm so that this can no longer happen. At the same time, you look for the cause of the blurred and dark parts of the image. You work meticulously and consult a lot, so that you can eventually link optical parameters and come up with a good solution.

Growth

The growth path within IMS is not fixed. You will be given the opportunity and room for personal and professional growth, for example by following training courses. IMS draws up a budget and sets time available for this. In addition, initiative and entrepreneurship are highly valued within IMS.

Optimal R&D Engineer
Architect

Working at IMS

IMS (Integrated Mechanization Solutions) develops and supplies highly accurate production systems. IMS has been doing this for twenty years, with Almelo as its place of business. IMS specialises in building (automated) assembly lines and in process automation for small, complex products and assemblies. IMS always strives for accuracy and high volumes in the assembly lines.

The customers IMS supports are mainly OEMs and TIER 1 suppliers in the field of automotive, photonics, smart devices and the medical world.

*Acquisition in response to vacancies is not appreciated. We do not derive rights or obligations from profiles and cv's that are sent unsolicited. Therefore, we regard them as not being sent. 

View company profile of IMS
  • Headquarters in Almelo
  • Installations based in more than 20 countries
  • 120 employees in the Netherlands
  • 20 % / 80%
  • Average age 40 years
  • Possibility to work from home 20% of your time

Colleagues

Daniël (32) - Mechanical Engineering

Why did you decide to work for this company?
At IMS you work for a lot of types of clients, although you also go into depth. That attracted me more than going for one niche in mechanical engineering. Moreover, we develop our machines ourselves from start to finish. It is also very nice to see that something, which you have thought up and calculated yourself, really works.

What did you study?
Master Mechanical Engineering at University of Twente.

What do you do in your spare time?
Producing music

Bart Oude Lohuis (35) - Lead Engineer (Mechanical Engineering)

Why did you decide to work for this company?
At IMS you are involved in the development and realization of a machine from the beginning to the end. What you come up with and design, is in front of you a few weeks later and needs to be tested. There is also a lot of variety in the projects: from machines for automotive products to components for smartphones and medical implants. At IMS it will all pass by!

What was your previous job?
Mechanical Engineer at Viro

What do you do in your spare time?
Mountainbiking and running

Richard Lubbers (35) - R&D Engineer

Why did you decide to work for this company?
Technically challenging, varied and making machines from the beginning to the end (invent, design, build and install).

What was your previous job?
Project officer at a consulting and engineering company in Deventer

What do you do in your spare time?
Soccer and mountainbiking

Dennis Meijerink (29) - Controls Engineer

Why did you decide to work for this company?
During my studies, I carried out my graduation project at IMS. During this period I got a good impression of the company. The projects and the techniques used at IMS really appealed to me.

What did you study?
Bachelor Elektrotechnique at the Hogeschool Saxion

What do you do in your spare time?
Crafting

Application process

Telephone introduction with recruiter
± 2 days
First meeting with recruiter and hiring manager
± 3 days
Second meeting with two colleagues
± 3 days
Terms of employment interview
± 2 days
You got the job!

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