Prototype Machinist / Machine Builder – Packaging Machinery
Company: LENIS MACHINES INC.
Location: Abbotsford, BC
Employment: Full-Time
About the Position
LENIS MACHINES designs, customizes, manufactures, and develops packaging machinery for food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and other manufacturing industries.
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Prototype Machinist / Machine Builder with strong machining, fabrication, CNC, and Autodesk Inventor skills.
This is not a repetitive production position. The successful candidate will work directly on the design, reverse engineering, machining, fabrication, assembly, customization, and R&D of packaging machinery.
The position is expected to be approximately:
- 50% – Hands-on machining, drilling, tapping, welding, fabrication, and machine assembly
- 50% – Machine-part design, assembly design, and reverse engineering using Autodesk Inventor
50% – Machining, Welding, Fabrication & Machine Assembly
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Hands-on shop work is a core part of this position.
Responsibilities include:
- Operate manual milling machines to manufacture and modify custom machine parts.
- Perform manual drilling, tapping, reaming, boring, threading, cutting, grinding, and fitting.
- Operate manual lathes when required.
- Program, set up, and operate CNC vertical machining centers (VMCs).
- Manufacture precision prototype, one-off, and low-volume machine components.
- Program, set up, and operate CNC lathes.
- Select appropriate tooling, workholding, feeds, speeds, and machining processes.
- TIG and MIG weld stainless steel and carbon steel.
- Fabricate stainless-steel frames, brackets, guards, hoppers, chutes, supports, mounts, and other machine components.
- Perform sheet-metal fabrication, fitting, grinding, polishing, and finishing.
- Program and operate CNC press brakes where required.
- Assemble manufactured and purchased parts into complete mechanical assemblies.
- Perform packaging-machine mechanical assembly.
- Install and align shafts, bearings, linear guides, motors, gearboxes, belts, chains, sprockets, pulleys, couplings, and pneumatic components.
- Modify existing machines and components for customer-specific applications.
- Assist with machine testing, adjustment, troubleshooting, and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
50% – Autodesk Inventor Design & Reverse Engineering
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*** Working proficiency with Autodesk Inventor is mandatory.
A significant portion of the position will involve designing and reverse-engineering the actual components and assemblies that will later be manufactured and installed on our machines.
Responsibilities include:
- Design machine parts and mechanical assemblies using Autodesk Inventor.
- Reverse-engineer existing machine parts and assemblies.
- Measure physical components and accurately reproduce them in 3D CAD.
- Create assemblies and subassemblies for packaging machinery.
- Design shafts, brackets, mounts, guards, fixtures, tooling, change parts, and machine mechanisms.
- Design sheet-metal components and generate flat patterns.
- Prepare manufacturing and assembly drawings.
- Modify existing machine designs for new products and applications.
- Develop practical designs that can be efficiently machined, welded, fabricated, and assembled.
- Update CAD models following shop-floor modifications and testing.
- Participate in the mechanical design and development of new packaging machines.
The ideal candidate should be able to:
Measure / Conceptualize → Design in Inventor → Create Drawing → Machine/Fabricate → Assemble → Test → Improve → Update Design
CNC Machining
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Strong CNC vertical machining center experience is an important requirement.
The candidate should be capable of:
- Programming, setting up, and operating CNC VMCs.
- Creating and editing CNC programs.
- Using CAM software and/or G-code.
- Selecting cutting tools and workholding.
- Establishing work and tool offsets.
- Determining appropriate feeds, speeds, and machining sequences.
- Performing first-piece inspection.
- Troubleshooting machining and dimensional problems.
- Programming and operating CNC lathes.
Experience with CNC press-brake programming and operation is an asset.
Electrical & Automation Learning Opportunities
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The primary role is mechanical, but the successful candidate will have opportunities to expand into the technologies used in modern automated machinery.
This includes assisting with:
- Machine electrical wiring.
- Electrical-panel wiring.
- Sensors, switches, motors, and solenoid valves.
- Pneumatic systems.
- Machine controls and troubleshooting.
- PLC programming.
- HMI programming.
- Servo and stepper motion-control systems.
- VFDs and motor-control systems.
- Industrial automation and networking.
- Machine commissioning and testing.
Prior PLC or electrical experience is not mandatory. A strong interest in learning these technologies is highly valued.
R&D and New Machine Development
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The candidate will participate directly in the development of new LENIS packaging machinery and technologies, including:
- Building prototypes and proof-of-concept mechanisms.
- Designing and machining prototype components.
- Developing new machine mechanisms.
- Creating tooling, fixtures, and machine accessories.
- Testing new mechanical concepts.
- Modifying designs based on actual testing.
- Improving machine reliability and manufacturability.
- Converting successful prototypes into production-ready machines.
Required Qualifications
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- Minimum 5 years of hands-on machining and/or machine-building experience.
- Strong manual milling and general machining skills.
- Strong drilling, tapping, fitting, and fabrication skills.
- CNC vertical machining center programming, setup, and operating experience.
- CNC lathe experience.
- Working proficiency with Autodesk Inventor is mandatory.
- Ability to create parts, assemblies, and manufacturing drawings in Inventor.
- Ability to reverse-engineer mechanical parts and assemblies.
- Welding and stainless-steel fabrication experience.
- Mechanical assembly and machine-building experience.
- Ability to read mechanical and fabrication drawings.
- Understanding of tolerances, fits, tooling, workholding, and precision measurement.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and practical problem-solving ability.
- Willingness to work across machining, fabrication, design, assembly, and R&D.
Experience with CAM/G-code, CNC press brakes, TIG welding, packaging machinery, pneumatics, automation, electrical wiring, or PLC systems is an asset.
Learning & Career Development
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This position offers an opportunity to grow beyond traditional machining and develop broad experience in modern machine-building technologies, including:
- Mechanical and machine design
- Autodesk Inventor
- CNC machining and programming
- Prototype development and R&D
- Welding and fabrication
- Machine assembly and troubleshooting
- PLC programming
- Industrial automation
- Electrical controls and wiring
- Pneumatics
- Sensors and instrumentation
- Servo and motion-control systems
- HMI programming
- Modern packaging technologies
This position is ideal for someone who enjoys both building parts and machines with their hands and designing and improving those machines on the computer.
Pay: $30.00-$40.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
