CNC Programmer

Ace Metal Crafts•Bensenville, IL

About The Position

ACE Metal is a sheet metal fabrication and machining company specializing in stainless steel and serving customers across the Midwest. Its OEM customers are primarily in the food processing, food packaging, environmental, and pharmaceutical industries. The company is seeking an experienced CNC Programmer to support CNC machining and production, develop CAM programs and standards, provide technical assistance, and improve machining processes. The role programs CNC lathes and mills, plans tooling, supports the tool crib, and assists production with CAM and conversational programming. It also provides technical support to production, quality, purchasing, customers, and sales; helps address machining and part-quality issues; and shares CAM and machining knowledge with engineering and production staff. The programmer is expected to take ownership of programs from development through production, work collaboratively on the shop floor, and independently troubleshoot programming and machining issues. The position focuses on continuous improvement, including optimizing cutting tools, machining strategies, toolpaths, workholding, setups, cycle times, and production efficiency. This is a safety-sensitive position.

Requirements

At least 5 years of CNC programming and machining experience in a precision manufacturing environment.
Strong hands-on experience with Mastercam; Mastercam 2018 or newer is required.
Proficiency in 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks, Siemens NX, or equivalent.
Experience programming and supporting 3-axis and 4-axis milling operations.
Strong understanding of machining practices, cutting strategies, tooling, and workholding.
Ability to support CNC programs and machining operations on the shop floor.
Ability to independently identify, troubleshoot, and resolve CAD/CAM programming and machining issues.
Ability to take ownership of programs from initial development through successful production.
Deep understanding of materials, including stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, and mild steels, and how they behave during machining.
Ability to analyze KPI metrics and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Strong leadership, communication, and team-building skills, including the ability to lead and mentor machinists and junior engineers.
Strong grasp of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.
Ability to interpret complex blueprints and create designs using SolidWorks.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems.
Ability to prioritize and multitask.
Emotionally intelligent people skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with machinists, supervisors, and other team members.

Nice To Haves

SolidWorks experience.
CNC turning experience.

Responsibilities

Participate in the daily programming huddle and complete assigned CAM programming projects for CNC lathes and mills.
Identify and plan tooling for projects and provide CAM reports as needed.
Support the Tool Crib system, including identifying tool-bin locations for new parts and answering purchasing or production questions.
Support production with CAM and conversational programming questions and requirements.
Develop ACE’s standards for CAM programming, tooling libraries, and program-file storage systems.
Use and support production with newly introduced technology.
Provide production teams with technical support on in-process parts, including CAD information, tolerances, finish requirements, materials, and FAI.
Work with quality personnel to maintain part quality, address quality issues, and assist with FAIR requirements.
Support purchasing with technical questions about materials or parts required for projects.
Provide technical support to customers and the sales team for new, current, and previously supplied parts.
Train and share CAM and machining knowledge with engineering and production teams.
Assist production in troubleshooting machining equipment problems.
Maintain cooperative working relationships with team members to promote productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Identify and implement improvements to machining processes, efficiency, and productivity.
Evaluate and optimize cutting-tool selection, machining strategies, CNC programming methods, toolpaths, workholding, setup methods, cycle times, and overall machining efficiency.
Focus on quality, consistency, and reducing production costs through continuous improvement.
Communicate effectively with machinists, supervisors, and engineering personnel; explain programming decisions, machining strategies, and process changes.
Provide approachable and responsive technical support on the shop floor.
Work effectively as part of a team while taking individual ownership of assigned responsibilities.
Analyze KPI metrics and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Lead and mentor machinists and junior engineers.