---
title: 'Design Engineer (Semiconductor Machinery Hardware) at Freeform'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-semiconductor-machinery-hardware-freeform-los-angeles-gnfjtczzr0mg'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Design Engineer (Semiconductor Machinery Hardware) at Freeform

- **Company:** Freeform
- **Location:** Los Angeles, CA
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/freeformfuturecorp/jobs/7766591003

## Job description

## DESIGN ENGINEER (SEMICONDUCTOR MACHINERY HARDWARE)

Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits.

Freeform is hiring a Design Engineer focused on semiconductor hardware to sit at the intersection of advanced part design and additive manufacturing. This is a deeply technical engineering role responsible for rethinking how semiconductor machinery hardware is conceived, designed, and produced. Not just adapting existing parts for a new process, but fundamentally reimagining what's possible when legacy design constraints no longer apply. You will work hands-on with some of the most precise and demanding hardware in the industry, identifying where Freeform's platform unlocks performance regimes, architectures, and geometries that were previously impractical or impossible.

The ideal candidate is a strong mechanical engineer with a deep intuition for part design and an intimate understanding of semiconductor fabrication machinery and equipment. They understand semiconductor hardware at a component and systems level, can independently reason about manufacturability, materials, tolerances, and performance tradeoffs, and are excited by the creative challenge of designing parts from first principles. The core draw of this role is the engineering itself, though this person will also engage directly with some of the most sophisticated semiconductor engineering teams in the industry.

Responsibilities:

- Drive part design and redesign across a broad range of semiconductor fabrication applications, including:
- Wafer handling, robotic end-effectors, and vacuum-compatible armatures
- Thermal management hardware and high-precision cold plates
- Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chambers and internal components
- Gas delivery manifolds and high-purity fluid systems
- Lithography tool structural components and precision optics mounts
- Pedestals and showerhead assemblies for deposition tools
- Develop a deep understanding of component-level requirements, performance drivers, and system constraints within semiconductor fabrication equipment
- Rethink part design from first principles, identifying where additive manufacturing enables new geometries, consolidated assemblies, improved performance, or reduced cost and lead time
- Develop and evaluate design concepts with a strong command of materials, tolerances, thermal and structural behavior, and production considerations
- Independently answer advanced technical questions related to design tradeoffs, process capabilities, qualification pathways, and production scalability
- Work closely with internal engineering and operations teams to drive feasibility, refine concepts, and align on execution
- Engage directly with customer engineering teams to understand application requirements, present design solutions, and build technical credibility
- Identify and pursue new application spaces where Freeform's technology can deliver step-change improvements over conventional manufacturing
- Provide field-informed feedback to shape Freeform's product, process, and technology roadmap

Basic Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or closely related technical discipline
- 5+ years of experience in a hands-on engineering role within the semiconductor equipment or fabrication industry
- Strong intuition for part design, design-for-manufacturing, and how component geometry relates to performance and producibility
- Systems-level understanding of complex semiconductor fabrication hardware and how components function within larger assemblies

Nice to Have:

- Experience designing or analyzing wafer handling systems, vacuum hardware, thermal management components, fluid delivery systems, or precision structural assemblies
- Familiarity with metal manufacturing processes, including additive manufacturing, casting, forging, or advanced machining
- Experience carrying hardware through development, qualification, and production ramp
- Ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders
- Strong first-principles reasoning and comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving problem spaces
- Strategic thinker with an instinct for where technology can unlock the most value
- Team player, positive attitude, growth mindset, integrity, accountability, adaptability, entrepreneurial, driven, results-oriented and ethical

Location:

- Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA’s deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country.
- Our fast-paced, cross-functional environment is built on close collaboration, and as such, this role requires full-time onsite presence (five days a week), with very limited exceptions.

What We Offer:

- We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data-driven decisions.
- We offer a unique opportunity to be an early and integral member of a rapidly growing company that is scaling a world-changing technology.
- Benefits
- Significant stock option packages
- 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
- Life insurance
- Traditional and Roth 401(k)
- Relocation assistance provided
- Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
- Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
- Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
- Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events
- Compensation

-

- As a growing company, the salary range is intentionally wide as we determine the most appropriate package for each individual taking into consideration years of experience, educational background, and unique skills and abilities as demonstrated throughout the interview process. Our intent is to offer a salary that is commensurate for the company’s current stage of development and allows the employee to grow and develop within a role.
- In addition to the significant stock option package, the estimated salary range for this role is $120,000-$150,000, dependent on the candidate's academic level (Bachelors, Masters, or PhD) and demonstrated out of classroom experience.
- Freeform is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity; employment with Freeform is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

## About Freeform

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Freeform builds the world’s first AI-native manufacturing system – autonomous factories that use advanced sensing, compute, and machine learning to 3D-print industrial-grade metal parts at unprecedented speed and scale.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, raised $67M in Feb 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Hawthorne, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Erik Palitsch (CEO), Thomas J. Ronacher (President & Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Industrial Automation, Additive Manufacturing (Metal 3D Printing), Physical AI
- **Target customers**: B2B, primarily serving mission-critical industries: Aerospace & Defense, Aviation, Automotive, Advanced Energy, Consumer Electronics, Robotics, and Motor Sports.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “To radically change the way things are made” and “unlock advanced manufacturing for every industry” by treating manufacturing as a single, integrated AI-native system.

## Products & Services
For each major offering:
- **AI-Native Manufacturing System**: A fully integrated, software-defined network of autonomous factories. This system uses proprietary compute, sensors, controls, and ML to sense, learn, predict, and control metal formation in real-time. It unifies hardware and software to produce industrial-scale parts from prototype to full production, all under one roof.
- **Physical AI Stack**: The company built its own technology stack (compute, sensors, controls, software) to enable a new method of metal 3D printing that is faster, more predictable, and cost-effective than traditional methods.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue: $4.5M (LinkedIn estimate); Total Funding: $126M
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: NVIDIA (NVentures), AE Industrial Ventures (AE Ventures), Two Sigma Ventures, Founders Fund, Threshold Ventures, 8VC, Linse Capital, Valor.
- **Growth Signals**:
    - Raised $67M Series B in February 2026 to scale up laser AI manufacturing.
    - Named to Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026.”
    - 48 active job postings as of mid-2026, with year-over-year hiring growth of +81.5%.
    - Headcount growth of 9.4% year-over-year (approximately 50 employees).
    - Key hires from SpaceX, Tesla, Apple, Google, Velo3D.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-principles technology**: The company built all technology from scratch (compute, sensors, controls, ML stack) because the necessary tech didn't exist. This creates a deep technical moat.
- **AI-native, not AI-applied**: Their system is designed from the ground up to be autonomous, learning, and predictive, unlike traditional manufacturing methods that apply AI as an afterthought.
- **Proven leadership**: Founded and led by ex-SpaceX engineers (Erik Palitsch was Principal Architect of the Starship Vehicle and led the Merlin & Raptor engine programs) and a Chief Scientific Officer with deep experience in additive manufacturing (Tasso Lappas, former CTO at Velo3D).
- **Speed and scale**: Promises the ability to go from prototype to full-scale production faster than any competitor, enabling a "death of slow speeds and unpredictable systems."

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale up operations**: The primary focus of the $67M Series B is to scale the technology and expand production capacity.
- **Industry expansion**: Targeting a wide range of industries including aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, and consumer electronics.
- **Talent acquisition**: Aggressively hiring top-tier cross-disciplinary talent (MechE, Electrical, Software, ML/AI, Process, and Engineering leadership) to build out the team.
- **Product innovation**: Continuing to push the boundaries of speed, quality, and scale in metal additive manufacturing.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a team of "first-principles thinkers" with "low ego" and a "healthy sense of humor." The company emphasizes working on "hard problems" and is driven by a mission to fundamentally change manufacturing.
- **Working policy**: Fully on-site in Los Angeles, CA (Hawthorne). This is a shop-floor and lab-heavy environment, ideal for those who want to be hands-on with hardware.
- **Compensation & Equity**: Offers competitive compensation and pre-IPO shares, meaning all employees are shareholders in the company’s success.
- **Notable Perks & Engineering Culture**: Opportunity to work with some of the most advanced manufacturing technology in the world (lasers, robotics, ML). The environment is described as high-trust, high-impact, and cross-disciplinary. The company encourages applications even if there is no exact role listed, signaling a flexible and growth-oriented culture.
- **Talent density**: The team includes top talent from SpaceX, Apple, Google, Tesla, Velo3D, and other leading tech and manufacturing companies.

## Sources
1. [freeform.co](https://freeform.co/)
2. [Freeform Careers](https://freeform.co/careers)
3. [Freeform Company Page](https://freeform.co/company)
4. [Freeform Greenhouse Job Board](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/freeformfuturecorp)
5. [LinkedIn - Freeform](https://www.linkedin.com/company/freeformfuture)
6. [TechCrunch - $67M Series B](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/19/freeform-raises-67m-series-b-to-scale-up-laser-ai-manufacturing/)
7. [TechCrunch - $14M Venture Round](https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/22/ex-spacex-engineers-land-14m-to-scale-new-method-for-3d-printing-metal/)

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