CNC Tooling Engineer

About the role

Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. The CNC Tooling Engineer role is crucial in ensuring the precision and efficiency of our CNC manufacturing operations.

Responsibilities

• Own Mach’s CNC tool database management system, including tool records, assemblies, holders, offsets, cutting data, vendor information, and standard tool libraries.
• Standardize tooling across production jobs, CNC machines, CAM platforms, and manufacturing cells to reduce variation and improve repeatability.
• Build and maintain tool assemblies for common machining operations, including milling, turning, drilling, boring, threading, grooving, profiling, finishing, and specialty operations.
• Define tooling standards for holders, shrink-fit assemblies, gauge length, set height, runout, balance, stick-out, torque requirements, coolant delivery, and inspection requirements.
• Work closely with Manufacturing Engineering, CNC Programming, Machinists, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production leadership to ensure tooling supports high-rate manufacturing.
• Optimize tooling selection for production and general shop use, balancing tool life, cycle time, surface finish, cost, availability, and process reliability.
• Ensure tooling data is accurately connected to CAM platforms, verification systems, pre-setters, machine controls, and production documentation.
• Coordinate with smart cabinet and vending systems to maintain real-time inventory visibility, min/max levels, reorder points, controlled access, and consumption tracking.
• Partner with Supply Chain and vendors to establish purchasing workflows based on inventory control, forecasted demand, tool usage, and approved tooling standards.
• Develop reporting on tool usage by job, program, machine, operator, material, operation, and tool family.
• Analyze tool wear, failure modes, usage history, and job-level consumption to improve tool life expectancy and reduce cost per part.
• Support root-cause analysis for tooling-related production issues, including poor surface finish, chatter, premature wear, breakage, runout, dimensional drift, and tool availability delays.
• Establish standards for which holders, extensions, shrink holders, collet systems, hydraulic chucks, boring systems, and specialty holders should be used for different processes.
• Maintain approved tooling lists and preferred vendor catalogs for common materials, including aluminum, steels, stainless steels, titanium, nickel alloys, composites, plastics, and other production materials.
• Create work instructions, setup documentation, tool crib procedures, and training materials to ensure consistent tooling practices across shifts and teams.
• Continuously improve the tooling ecosystem to support faster setup, fewer shortages, better standardization, and more reliable production execution.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on background in CNC machining, tooling selection, manufacturing engineering, CNC programming, tool crib management, or production tooling operations.
• Deep understanding of cutting tools, toolholding systems, inserts, coatings, grades, geometries, feeds and speeds, tool wear, and material-specific machining strategies.
• Experience selecting and standardizing tooling for milling, turning, drilling, boring, threading, finishing, and high-production machining operations.
• Familiarity with CAM systems, tool libraries, machine setup documentation, and CNC production workflows.
• Working knowledge of tool presetting, gauge length control, runout measurement, shrink-fit systems, torque standards, coolant-through tooling, and holder maintenance.
• Ability to work directly with machinists, programmers, engineers, production leads, supply chain, and vendors to solve practical production problems.
• Experience managing tooling inventory, crib systems, vending/smart cabinet systems, reorder points, cycle counts, or purchasing workflows.
• Strong documentation discipline and ability to create standards that are clear, usable, and followed on the production floor.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to track usage, identify trends, and convert tooling data into production improvements.
• High ownership, urgency, and comfort operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tool database systems, digital tool management platforms, or integrated CAM tool libraries.
• Experience integrating tooling data across CAM, verification, ERP/MRP, MES, tool pre-setters, smart cabinets, or machine controls.
• Experience with RFID, QR code, barcode, or serialized tool tracking systems.
• Experience with Vericut, NCSIMUL, Mastercam, Fusion, NX CAM, ESPRIT, Hypermill, or similar CAM/verification platforms.
• Experience implementing tool life management, tool usage dashboards, job-level cost tracking, or predictive replacement strategies.
• Strong vendor network across cutting tools, holders, vending systems, presetters, and machining accessories.
• Experience machining aerospace, defense, propulsion, UAV, automotive, or other high-complexity precision hardware.
• Familiarity with high-mix, low-volume environments transitioning into higher-rate production.
• Experience defining shop-wide standards for holders, shrink tooling, presetting, inspection, tool crib operations, and production readiness.