Dordan Manufacturing is seeking an early-to-mid career Thermoforming Design & Tooling Engineer to support the design and development of thermoformed packaging and associated tooling for medical, industrial, and consumer applications.

This role is well-suited for an engineer with strong fundamentals, advanced 3D CAD skills, and prior manufacturing or tooling exposure who is ready to grow into specialized thermoforming and cleanroom packaging responsibilities. The position offers hands-on involvement across design, tooling, and production, with mentorship and training provided.

Key Responsibilities

• Create detailed 3D CAD models, components, and assemblies for thermoformed packaging and tooling (NX preferred)

• Support design projects from concept through tooling release, with increasing independence over time

• Review and interpret customer drawings, specifications, and functional requirements

• Apply established engineering standards, documentation practices, and change controls

• Collaborate closely with tooling, engineering, and production teams during prototyping and production

• Support design-for-manufacturing improvements and troubleshooting

• Gain exposure to CNC programming and manufacturing interfaces (training provided)

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Plastics Engineering, or equivalent experience

• 3–5 years of relevant engineering, tooling, or manufacturing design experience

• Advanced 3D CAD capability (NX or similar)

• Strong attention to detail, documentation discipline, and engineering process adherence

• Interest in long-term growth within a manufacturing environment

Preferred

• Experience in plastics processing, packaging, or thermoforming environments

• Exposure to production tooling or manufacturing equipment

• Familiarity with cleanroom or regulated manufacturing environments

• Basic understanding of CNC machining or tooling workflows

Compensation

$70,000 – $85,000, commensurate with experience, with opportunity for growth as responsibilities and technical independence increase.

Benefits

• Health insurance

• 401(k) retirement plan

• Paid time off and holidays

• Long-term career development in a stable, family-owned manufacturing environment

  Why Dordan

• ---

  
  

  Dordan Manufacturing is a family-owned custom thermoformer specializing in medical, industrial, and consumer packaging. We offer a collaborative, hands-on engineering environment where designers work closely with tooling and production teams to bring concepts to life. This role is ideal for engineers seeking stability, technical growth, and long-term career development within manufacturing.

  To Apply

• ---

• Apply on LinkedIn or Email resume to cslavinbond@dordan.com. 

Anaheim, CA -- Feb. 3-5 -- At MD&M West, Dordan Manufacturing will debut a new behind-the-scenes video featuring the installation and assembly of a Kiefel thermoforming machine within its ISO Class 8 cleanroom manufacturing environment. The video will be featured at the company’s booth #1082 as a visual look into cleanroom equipment integration for medical packaging manufacturing.

The footage documents the full installation process, from delivery and positioning through mechanical assembly and setup, offering rare visibility into the controlled steps required to bring new thermoforming equipment online in a regulated cleanroom setting.

Installing equipment intended for cleanroom operation extends beyond mechanical assembly. Layout planning, material flow, utilities, and contamination control must be carefully coordinated to ensure seamless integration with existing cleanroom processes. Each phase of the installation—from positioning and assembly to final setup—supports repeatability, process control, and long-term production reliability in medical applications.

By sharing this behind-the-scenes installation process at MD&M West, Dordan is providing insight into how cleanroom thermoforming capacity is added in practice. The newly installed equipment is intended to support cleanroom production of medical trays, blisters, and kit packaging, where environmental control, consistency, and quality system compliance are critical.

Attendees are invited to visit Dordan Manufacturing at booth #1082 to view the installation video and learn more about the company’s medical packaging capabilities.

Get 20% off MD&M registration with Dordan's comp. code, INVITE23102

Below: Video snap shot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dordan Debuts New Tooling and Thermoforming Investments for Medical Packaging at MD&M West 

Anaheim, CA. -- February 3-5, 2026 -- Custom thermoforming company Dordan Manufacturing will exhibit at MD&M West at the Anaheim Convention Center. MD&M West is the largest domestic trade show and expo for the medical device industry, bringing together stakeholders from across the supply chain to share innovations in medtech.

Dordan will showcase its thermoformed medical packaging solutions—including device trays and blisters, procedural and surgical kits, and sub-component assembly trays—at booth #1082. The company is a full-service medical packaging thermoformer offering in-house design, tooling, thermoforming, and ISO Class 8 cleanroom manufacturing. Dordan is ISO 13485:2016 certified for medical packaging design, manufacturing, and distribution.

This year, Dordan purchased a new Formetec prototyping press and a Kiefel thermoforming machine for its cleanroom. These investments support the growing demand for high-quality, precision-formed medical packaging.

“Our investment in new equipment directly supports operational efficiency, scalability, and quality,” said Daniel Slavin, President & CEO of Dordan Manufacturing. “We’re excited to highlight both our packaging solutions and the manufacturing technologies that help us deliver consistent, high-performance results for our medical customers at MD&M West.”

Dordan’s packaging showcase—paired with information about the company’s recent technology investments—will provide attendees with insight into design-for-manufacturing principles, the relationship between tooling and part quality, and how medical packaging performance is directly influenced by the equipment it is formed on. Visitors are encouraged to stop by Dordan’s booth to learn how the company selects machinery and tooling to meet the unique needs of medical device manufacturers seeking high-quality, reliable packaging.

Register with Dordan's complimentary code INVITE23102 for 20% off registration and visit Dordan at booth #1082.

About Dordan Manufacturing

Dordan Manufacturing is a fourth-generation, family-owned custom thermoforming company specializing in high-quality medical, pharmaceutical, industrial, and consumer packaging solutions. Located in Woodstock, Illinois, Dordan offers in-house design, rapid prototyping, tooling, ISO Class 8 cleanroom thermoforming, and certified quality management systems (ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015). With more than 63 years of experience, Dordan partners with OEMs to deliver precision-engineered packaging that drives product protection, performance, and manufacturability. 

About MD&M West

MD&M West is the largest medical design and manufacturing event in North America, bringing together engineers, buyers, executives, and innovators from across the medtech supply chain. The annual event features educational sessions, product launches, networking, and technology demonstrations spanning medical devices, packaging, automation, materials, and manufacturing solutions. MD&M West is produced by Informa Markets and held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

As packaging requirements across medical device, industrial, and consumer markets continue to change and intensify, access to clear, concise technical information is needed. Customers consistently request greater visibility into thermoforming workflows, materials performance, cleanroom operations, and quality systems.

Historically, our social media channels have highlighted company culture, corporate milestones, and behind-the-scenes snapshots of life at Dordan. To build on that foundation, we areexpanding our content approach to include short-form, engineering-focused educational videos on Instagram and TikTok. This new stream of technical micro-videos will give packaging teams quick, accessible views into packaging design, prototyping, thermoforming, materials, and quality controls.

Followers can expect:

• Faster access to technical information

• Clearer visibility into manufacturing workflows

• Better understanding of material behavior and process capability

• More transparency into quality and regulatory controls

Followers will have access to:

• Cleanroom Thermoforming Walkthroughs: Step-by-step overviews of ISO Class 8 thermoforming, from material conditioning to forming, trimming, and in-process inspection.

• Material Comparisons & Performance Insights: Draw ratios, heat-related distortion, clarity considerations, and forming behavior.

• Toooling & Prototyping Processes: CAD modeling, CAM programming, CNC machining, sample forming, and design-for-manufacturing best practices.

• Quality & Regulatory Topics: ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 13485:2016 certified controls, IQ/OQ/PQ fundamentals, traceability, sampling plans, and process capability discussions.

• Sustainability & Circularity: Recyclability of common thermoformed materials, strategies to reduce SKU complexity, and design impacts on material efficiency.

• Behind-the-Scenes Videos: Real-time looks at tooling, thermoforming, trimming robotics, QC inspection, and workflow optimization.

Where to Find Us

Instagram: @dordan_manufacturing
TikTok: @dordanmfg

New video coming soon: A day in the life of a Quality Control Manager!

Determining the appropriate level of quality control for thermoforming medical packaging requires an understanding of the procedures and production environment. Below is a report comparing cleanroom manufacturing, non cleanroom medical manufacturing, and standard production. This will help medical device companies determine what kind of production environment is required to meet their quality expectations. 

Looking for high-quality medical packaging? Contact us or request a quote today.

There will be many packaging suppliers exhibiting at MD&M Midwest, so we'd like to take this opportunity to provide some technical resources on medical packaging that may help you compile your agenda. Below are our top-three most viewed articles that offer insight into the medical packaging development process.

Our most popular articles on medical packaging

"What to Know When Developing Medical Tray Packaging" -- This addresses the main factors of the packaging development process, including design, prototyping, tooling, manufacturing, and quality control requirements. This article offers a roadmap to collaborate with thermoformers on medical packaging projects. 

"Selecting the Right Material Thickness for Thermoformed Packaging" -- Understand how package design and the appropriate material type and thickness go hand-in-hand when developing a high quality thermoformed packaging. 

"Explore the Key Features Behind Medical Packaging Pricing" -- This report breaks down the main cost drivers for medical thermoformed packaging, including material type and thickness, package size and functionality, order quantities, and quality control requirements. 

Dordan Manufacturing is a 4th generation family-owned and operated custom thermoformer of medical packaging solutions. ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certified, Dordan is a full service packaging supplier, offering in house design, tooling, thermoforming, and cleanroom manufacturing. Based outside of Chicago in Woodstock, IL., Dordan has over 63 years of custom thermoforming experience. 

Join Dordan at MD&M Midwest, booth #2531, to speak with our sales engineers about medical packaging and register for 20% off with Dordan's comp code, INVITE23102.

Medical Design & Manufacturing Midwest (MD&M Midwest) begins Oct. 21 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Custom medical thermoforming company, Dordan Manufacturing, will be displaying its most recent medical packaging innovations, accompanied by demonstrations from sales engineers with 30+ combined years of custom thermoforming experience. Register for MD&M Midwest for 20% off with Dordan's comp code, INVITE23102, and visit Dordan in booth #2531. 

MD&M Midwest is the region's largest event for the medtech industry. Dordan is located outside of Chicago, which aligns geographically with many of the show attendees. Coupled with the fully-integrated design, tooling, thermoforming, and cleanroom manufacturing services and ISO 13485:2016 certification, Dordan is an ideal supplier of custom thermoformed medical packaging solutions. 

Join Dordan at MD&M Midwest, booth #2531, to speak with our sales engineers about medical packaging and register for 20% off with Dordan's comp code, INVITE23102.

A recent feature in Plastics Today explores how production environments, regulatory classifications, and process validations shape the way medical packaging is designed and manufactured. I was grateful for the opportunity to share Dordan’s perspective on how we approach quality as an ISO 13485:2016 certified medical thermoformer.

As the Midwest’s leading medtech trade show, MD&M Midwest connects medical device engineers, buyers, and manufacturers with innovations in packaging, automation, materials, and design. It’s a valuable event for healthcare professionals involved in product development, regulatory compliance, and supply chain optimization.