Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Sheet Metal & Tube Forming

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

About The Position

Mach Industries is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead the development and industrialization of sheet metal and tube forming capabilities, including hydroforming, press brake forming, and tube bending. The role owns manufacturing approaches from part feasibility and equipment selection through tooling development, process qualification, and production ramp. It includes specifying equipment, creating manufacturing process plans, and establishing capacity, material flow, and process controls to deliver high-quality hardware at production rate. This is a hands-on engineering role that works closely with Design Engineering, Production, Tooling, Quality, Supply Chain, and equipment suppliers to establish capabilities, solve forming challenges, and transition prototype methods into repeatable production processes. The role also leads equipment implementation and launch, develops and qualifies tooling, establishes process parameters, and drives improvements in throughput, material utilization, first-pass yield, changeover time, and cost per part. Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company founded in 2023, with approximately 350 employees. It develops autonomous defense platforms and scalable, decentralized defense systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing and process development experience.
At least 5 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, tooling engineering, or a closely related role, with substantial experience in sheet metal or tube forming.
Hands-on experience developing and troubleshooting multiple forming processes, with strong technical depth in hydroforming, press brake forming, or tube bending.
Experience selecting or specifying manufacturing equipment and tooling and taking new processes from development trials into repeatable production.
Strong understanding of metal formability, material condition, grain direction, work hardening, springback, bend allowances, and forming-related defects.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings and GD&T, and use CAD tools to develop or review tooling, fixtures, and manufacturing concepts.
Experience developing manufacturing process plans, estimating cycle times and capacity, and using production data to improve quality, throughput, or cost.
Strong hands-on troubleshooting, technical documentation, and cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to independently drive projects from concept through implementation.
Available to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Must meet U.S. Government export-control eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience launching hydroforming capabilities, developing CNC press brake processes, or implementing mandrel tube bending operations.
Experience forming thin-gauge or thin-wall components in stainless steel, titanium, or nickel-based alloys, in addition to aluminum and conventional steels.
Experience with deep drawing, stamping, roll forming, metal spinning, or forming simulation to evaluate manufacturability and support tooling development.
Experience integrating forming operations with laser cutting, trimming, welding, robotic handling, automated inspection, or quick-change tooling systems.
Experience in aerospace, propulsion, defense, automotive, or other precision manufacturing environments, particularly bringing outsourced processes in-house or transitioning prototype hardware into higher-rate production.

Responsibilities

Own metal forming process development across hydroforming, press brake forming, tube bending, and related sheet metal and tube manufacturing technologies for prototype development and production.
Define manufacturing approaches for part families by evaluating material, geometry, tolerances, production volume, tooling investment, and downstream operations.
Specify and select production equipment, define technical requirements, evaluate supplier proposals, and support capital investment decisions.
Develop end-to-end manufacturing process plans covering material preparation, blanking or cutting, forming sequences, intermediate treatments, trimming, inspection, and handoff to downstream processes.
Design, develop, and qualify forming tooling, including dies, punches, mandrels, fixtures, gauges, and handling aids, in collaboration with internal tooling resources and external suppliers.
Establish and validate process parameters through hands-on trials, developing repeatable setups and process windows that account for material condition, lubrication, springback, dimensional variation, and tooling wear.
Own forming capacity and throughput planning, including models for cycle time, loading and unloading, changeovers, batch sizes, labor, yield, and equipment availability.
Translate production demand into equipment quantities, staffing requirements, and material-flow plans.
Lead equipment implementation and production launch, including supplier trials, acceptance testing, installation, commissioning, operator training, and production-rate demonstrations.
Partner with Design Engineering on manufacturability, influencing material selection, bend geometry, radii, tolerances, datum schemes, and part architecture.
Establish inspection methods and process controls with Quality; troubleshoot forming defects and dimensional nonconformances and implement corrective actions.
Create process routings, setup sheets, work instructions, tooling documentation, and training materials.
Drive measurable improvements in throughput, material utilization, first-pass yield, changeover time, and cost per part.