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Additive Manufacturing Tech, FDM (3D Print)

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA

Level
Technician
Team
Manufacturing
Experience asked
4+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
21 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A technician-level manufacturing role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. You’ll review incoming CAD, understand what the engineer is trying to accomplish, identify printability issues, select materials and build strategies, prepare custom toolpaths, operate and calibrate equipment, troubleshoot failures, post-process parts, and.

They ask for
4+ years
Tools it names
Root cause, SolidWorks, CATIA / NX, EHS / safety

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Manufacturing Technician roles in California: typical posted base $56k–$78k.

Median of the low and high ends of 10 live postings that list pay, out of 118 manufacturing technician openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 85 other live manufacturing postings in California.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $84k–$121k, from 13 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Less than usual (4+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • Tooling 37%
  • Machining 35%
  • Team leadership 35%
  • CNC 35%
  • New product launch 23%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for SolidWorks, EHS / safety, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 4+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Lifts up to 50 lbs

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Anduril Industries

    We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

    Write to Kevin → (free)
  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
    • How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa

156 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Anduril Industries.

All 157 roles at Anduril Industries →
Full description from Anduril IndustriesAs posted on their careers site.Show

requirements

up front, execute the build, verify quality and quantity at the end, and make sure the engineer receives exactly what was needed.

requirements

review through file preparation, printing, post-processing, inspection, and delivery.

  • ✓Operate, calibrate, and maintain a fleet of industrial and development-grade FDM printers.
  • ✓Review incoming CAD for printability and identify issues with geometry, wall thickness, orientation, tolerances, mating features, supports, and clearances before machine time is committed.
  • ✓Partner directly with design engineers to understand lead time, end use, and required physical properties, then recommend the right material, orientation, process, and build strategy.
  • ✓Prepare and optimize builds using slicer/build-preparation software, including custom toolpath development when standard settings will not produce the required result.
  • ✓Balance approximately 10–20 active jobs, sequencing work across machines based on priority, machine availability, material, build time, and technical requirements.
  • ✓Troubleshoot failed prints, machine faults, calibration issues, and process drift; identify root causes and drive issues to resolution.
  • ✓Nest and batch work to reduce build time, material waste, and unnecessary machine changeovers.
  • ✓Post-process parts to deliver clean, functional hardware ready for engineering use.
  • ✓Verify completed work against the original request, ensuring the correct part, quantity, quality, and

requirements

are satisfied before closing the job.

  • ✓Keep job status, expected completion dates, and build risks current so engineers know where their hardware stands.
  • ✓Develop and maintain print profiles, process documentation, and work instructions that improve consistency and repeatability.
  • ✓Perform routine machine maintenance, cleaning, and shop upkeep and coordinate service support when needed.
  • ✓Support material and consumable inventory as needed.
  • ✓Work safely and maintain disciplined shop practices around equipment, materials, PPE, and applicable OSHA and internal safety requirements.
  • ✓Collaborate across the additive team when jobs span multiple printing technologies or require support outside FDM.

Required qualifications

  • ✓4+ years of hands-on additive manufacturing experience in a prototype lab, service bureau, development environment, or similar setting; or 2 years of experience, with demonstrated ownership of end-to-end processing
  • ✓Deep hands-on experience with FDM systems , including machine setup, calibration, build preparation, parameter optimization, and troubleshooting.
  • ✓Experience owning additive builds from CAD intake through finished part , including slicer/build-prep software, custom toolpaths, and post-processing.
  • ✓Ability to evaluate CAD for printability and make sound decisions around material, orientation, tolerance, strength, finish, lead time, and cost.
  • ✓Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot print failures, manage multiple active jobs, and communicate technical risks and tradeoffs directly with engineers.
  • ✓Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
  • ✓Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Preferred qualifications

  • ✓Experience with Stratasys industrial FDM systems and/or INSIGHT.
  • ✓Experience with additional additive technologies such as SLA, MJF, SLS, PolyJet, or metal additive.
  • ✓Experience in a high-mix, low-volume prototype environment supporting design engineers directly.
  • ✓Working knowledge of NX, SolidWorks, or similar CAD tools .
  • ✓Ex
Show full description ↓

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About the team

Anduril’s Additive Manufacturing team is a high-speed development lab supporting some of our highest-priority programs. We turn evolving designs into physical hardware that engineers can test, learn from, and iterate on immediately.

This is not a production print farm. We operate in a high-mix, low-volume prototype environment where quality, technical judgment, and speed matter more than pushing identical parts through a machine. Our technicians work directly with design engineers across Anduril, helping determine how a part should be built—not simply printing whatever lands in the queue.

We’re looking for an experienced FDM specialist to become the team’s go-to technical owner for our FDM capability.

About the job

You’ll own FDM prototype builds from initial request through finished hardware.

That means much more than starting a printer…

You’ll review incoming CAD, understand what the engineer is trying to accomplish, identify printability issues, select materials and build strategies, prepare custom toolpaths, operate and calibrate equipment, troubleshoot failures, post-process parts, and verify that the finished hardware meets the original need.

You’ll own a fleet of eight FDM systems, including four industrial machines, while managing a dynamic queue of roughly 10–20 active jobs. Priorities move quickly, designs are not always complete, and the first approach is not always the right one. You’ll be expected to ask the right questions early, make sound technical decisions, and communicate risks before they become rework or missed deadlines.

The best people in this role finish strong: they gather the right

What you’ll do

  • •Own FDM builds end to end, from CAD and

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