Mechanical Engineer - Precision Systems
Designs, prototypes, and builds precision mechanical systems for semiconductor fab equipment, including motion stages, frames, and metrology tools targeting nanometer performance. Requires 3+ years hands-on experience in precision machine design and integration of components like bearings and interferometers.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Design and iterate on precision machines, motion stages, structural loops, metrology frames, opto-mechanical mounts, test fixtures, and inspection tooling targeting sub-micron to nanometer performance
- Lead mechanical system integration, alignment procedures, and cross-team coordination with electrical, controls, and optics engineers
- Drive mechanical design of frames, stages, and assemblies with GD&T, tolerance analysis, and a practical eye toward manufacturability and assembly
- Rapidly prototype, build and characterize new designs on the bench using a variety of tools and characterization equipment
- Select and integrate precision components: bearings, encoders, interferometers, actuators, isolators, and dampers
- Develop error budgets and tolerance stack-ups; identify and mitigate dominant error sources (thermal, vibrational, structural, kinematic)
Required Experience
- 3 years designing and building precision mechanical systems that had to hit real accuracy and repeatability targets
- Working fluency in precision machine design fundamentals: exact-constraint design, kinematic couplings, flexures, error budgeting, structural loops, tolerance analysis
- Hands-on prototyping, fabrication, assembly, and alignment experience — you're comfortable on a mill, on a granite surface plate, and behind an interferometer
- Experience selecting and integrating precision components (bearings, stages, encoders, isolators, actuators)
- Experience with dimensional metrology: interferometry, LVDTs, capacitance probes, autocollimators, and CMMs
Nice-to-have
- Formal training in precision engineering
- Experience at an early-stage startup
- Familiarity with firmware, controls, or electrical engineering
- Opto-mechanical design and alignment experience
Compensation
- Annual salary range: $115,000 – $180,000
- Total compensation includes generous equity
Skills
GD&T, Tolerance Analysis, Kinematic Couplings, Flexures, Error Budgeting, Interferometry, Lvdts, Capacitance Probes, Autocollimators, Cmms, Bearings, Encoders, Actuators, Isolators, Dampers
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