CNC Programmer

About the role

About fab2

The fab2 team can build anything. We design all the hardware and software needed to make chips and we make the fabs, tools, and components ourselves.

We're looking for exceptional, hands-on people who can iterate to the limits of what's possible.

fab2 was founded by Sam Zeloof https://www.youtube.com/@SamZeloof and Jim Keller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Keller_(engineer). Sam is best known for making chips in his garage, and Jim has been a leader in the semiconductor industry for the past 40 years.

About the team

The fab2 production team manufactures chip fabs. From deposition and etching tools to lithography and metrology, we are building every tool ourselves. We fabricate the metal parts, operate SMT lines to build PCBAs, and assemble the tools in-house.

About the role

fab2 is building a new generation of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. We're staffing up our first production facility, and the CNC programmer is the seat that decides how fast we can build them.

You own the CAM programs that run our Haas fleet — three UMC-500SS five-axis VMCs, one UMC-750SS, two DS-30Y mill-turn lathes. Today our chassis-mix mill cycle is ~45 min/part. Your year-one target is to drop that to 20 min/part through better toolpaths, smarter fixturing, optimized tool selection, and disciplined process documentation. That single number controls how many cubes we can ship per month.

Responsibilities

- CAM programming for 5-axis VMC and mill-turn lathe work (Mastercam, Fusion 360, or HSMWorks)

- Toolpath strategy on stainless and aluminum semiconductor-grade parts (typical ±0.001")

- Probing routines for in-process inspection

- Tool library, tool-life tracking, and offset management at the Zoller presetter

- Pallet-pool lights-out programs for the UMC fleet

- DFM feedback to the design team — "this would run 30% faster if you opened that radius up"

- Process documentation that survives operator turnover

Required Experience

- 4+ years CNC programming, including 2+ years on 5-axis

- Strong Mastercam, Fusion 360, or HSMWorks fluency

- Haas control native (or comparable Fanuc/Siemens)

- GD&T fluency, comfortable reading drawings to spec

- Documented track record of taking specific part families from high cycle time to low

Nice-to-have

- Trunnion-mount 5-axis programming

- Pallet-pool / lights-out experience (Fastems or similar)

- Mill-turn programming on DS-30Y class machines

- Semiconductor, aerospace, or medical-device part background

- Mastercam Multi-Axis or HSMWorks Adaptive Clearing certification

Working at fab2

We’re an early-stage hardware startup with solid funding, world-class advisors, and labs/offices in Austin, TX, Lockhart, TX, and San Francisco, CA.