Fabrication Technician

Responsibilities

Equipment Commissioning & Maintenance

• Commission, set up, and bring online new fabrication equipment including 3D printers (FDM, SLA/DLP, SLS), desktop CNC mills, laser cutters, and other bench top tools.
• Own routine maintenance, calibration, and consumables management for all prototyping equipment; proactively prevent downtime.
• Troubleshoot equipment issues, coordinate service calls, and maintain maintenance logs.
• Evaluate and recommend new tools, materials, and processes to expand lab capability.

Fabrication & Precision Assembly

• Fabricate mechanical parts using additive, subtractive, and manual methods to meet drawing specifications and tolerances.
• Perform post-processing: support removal, sanding, bonding, tapping, heat-setting inserts, painting, and surface finishing.
• Execute precision hand assembly of compact electro-mechanical prototypes—including sub-cm enclosures, press fits, threaded fasteners, and delicate component integration.
• Build and maintain jigs, fixtures, and test rigs used in prototype assembly and validation.
• Read and interpret mechanical drawings, GD&T callouts, and 3D CAD models to execute fabrication tasks with minimal supervision.

Lab Operations & Organization

• Maintain a highly organized, clean, and safe lab environment; enforce 5S principles across workstations and storage.
• Manage lab inventory including materials, consumables, fasteners, adhesives, and tooling; reorder supplies before stockouts.
• Follow and improve build procedures; document builds with photos, measurements, and structured notes.
• Coordinate with vendors for outsourced parts: obtain quotes, track orders, inspect incoming parts for conformance.
• Support engineering testing by preparing samples, running measurements, and logging data.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in mechanical fabrication, prototyping, or a related role in consumer electronics, robotics, or hardware development.
• Demonstrated skill in commissioning and maintaining benchtop fabrication equipment (3D printers, CNC, laser cutters).
• Strong hand-tool proficiency and precision assembly skills, comfortable working with small parts, tight tolerances, and delicate components.
• Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, GD&T callouts, and 3D models.
• Strong understanding of common engineering materials: plastics (ABS, PC, nylon), metals (aluminum, steel, brass), adhesives, and fasteners.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to a clean, well-maintained lab.
• Dependable, safety-conscious, and able to prioritize and manage multiple concurrent tasks.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience at a startup or early-stage hardware company.
• Familiarity with MCAD tools (SolidWorks, Fusion 360) for viewing and measuring models.
• Experience with soft goods, textiles, or composite materials.
• Comfort with basic electrical assembly: connectors, cable harnesses, simple soldering.
• Exposure to metrology tools: calipers, micrometers, height gauges, optical comparators.