CNC Machinist & Programmer

The Engineering Division works in partnership with all the other Laboratory technical divisions to design and build advanced technology systems of national importance. Projects include space and aircraft payloads and ground-based systems.The Division’s expertise includes mechanical, materials, aero, thermal, optical, control, and fabrication engineering plus energy and autonomous systems. Supporting the engineering efforts are a wide range of specialized laboratories, electronics and mechanical fabrication capabilities, plus integration and environmental test facilities.The division’s groups work collaboratively in cross-divisional teams supporting a wide range of projects. Special emphasis is placed on the integration of design and analysis capabilities to support the rapid prototyping of hardware systems.

Group 72, Fabrication Engineering, provides fabrication engineering and materials management for both mechanical and electronic projects using state-of-the-art technology. The group is involved from the initial design through manufacturing, assembly, integration, and test, and works with program teams to influence schedule and budget. The group continually investigates innovative fabrication technologies to assess their utility for Laboratory efforts. Facilities include a machine shop with a wide range of computer-aided machine tools, plus sheet metal, polymer facility, and mechanical inspection. In the electronics area, capabilities include circuit-board design, assembly, inspection and failure analysis. The group also supports the Laboratory's environmental test requirements with vibration shakers, thermal chambers, vacuum chambers, and clean rooms.