Equipment Maintenance Engineer

ipgjobs; Marlborough (MA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

IPG Photonics is seeking an Equipment Maintenance Engineer to support reliability and uptime for precision optical fabrication equipment. The role involves troubleshooting, maintenance, installations, and improvements under guidance from senior engineers.

You will contribute to PM programs, manage instrumented systems, and participate in root-cause investigations to reduce downtime. The ideal candidate has a mechanical/electrical/mechatronics background with hands-on experience in manufacturing

Qualifications

• Ability to troubleshoot automated equipment involving mechanical, electrical, controls, vacuum and thermal systems.
• Ability to read, interpret and update electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, pneumatic diagrams, P&IDs and technical procedures.
• Experience with CMMS, preventive maintenance, root-cause analysis and equipment upgrades.
• Knowledge of vacuum systems, pumps, valves, cooling systems and automated manufacturing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Support troubleshooting and maintenance activities for optical fabrication and thin-film coating equipment.
• Maintain and troubleshoot vacuum chambers, pumps, valves, seals, gauges, leak-detection systems, power supplies, and related subsystems.
• Diagnose failures across mechanical, electrical, vacuum, and control systems using established methods.
• Assist in developing preventive and predictive maintenance activities and participate in root-cause analyses for downtime and quality issues.
• Collaborate with technicians and suppliers to ensure safe, reliable equipment operation and continuous improvement.

Skills

Troubleshooting automated equipment

Schematics and P&IDs reading

CMMS and preventive maintenance

Analytical and problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering

Tools

CMMS

PLC-controlled machines

Job description

IPG Photonicsis revolutionizing the laser industry as the pioneering developer and leading producer of fiber lasers and amplifiers. Headquartered in Marlborough, MA, IPG has over 4,800 employees in more than 30 locations around the world. We aspire to work together with our employees and customers to apply light in ways that improve life.

Our mission is to develop innovative laser solutions to make the world a better place. To accomplish this mission, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent and an engaged and thriving workforce that drives a sustainable future for our company and society.

Working at IPG Photonics you can expect challenging projects, a motivating and friendly environment, and workinghand-in-hand with skilled teams of software and hardware engineers.

The Equipment Maintenance Engineer supports the reliability, performance, and lifecycle needs of equipment used in precision optical fabrication, cleaning, metrology, and thin-film coating. This hands-on engineering role supports troubleshooting equipment issues, assists with maintenance improvements, supports installations and upgrades, and participates in root-cause investigations.

The Equipment Engineer is an early- to mid-career engineering position focused on developing technical expertise in equipment reliability, troubleshooting, maintenance, and continuous improvement. Working under the guidance of senior engineers and maintenance leadership, this role supports manufacturing operations by improving equipment performance, uptime, and maintainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Support troubleshooting and maintenance activities for optical fabrication and thin-film coating equipment under the guidance of senior engineers and maintenance leadership.
• Support CNC optical generators, grinders, mills, lapping and polishing machines, centering and edging equipment, MRF systems, precision cleaning systems, slurry and filtration systems, robotics, automation, andmetrology-supportequipment.
• Support e-beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, sputtering, ion-assisted deposition, plasma, and other vacuum-deposition systems.
• Maintain and troubleshoot vacuum chambers, pumps, valves, seals, feedthroughs, gauges, leak-detection systems, power supplies, electron guns, ion sources, substrate heaters, motion systems, mass-flow controllers, process-gas systems, thickness monitors, chillers, and cooling-water systems.
• Diagnose mechanical, electrical, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, vacuum, thermal, PLC, servo, VFD, high-voltage, and motion-control failures using established troubleshooting methods.
• Support equipment recovery, vacuum leak diagnosis, contamination response, chamber maintenance, repairs, shutdown activities, andrecurring-failureinvestigations.
• Assist in developing and improving preventive and predictive maintenance activities using equipment criticality, OEM recommendations, failure history, condition data, and process risk.
• Participate in root-cause analysis for downtime, repeat failures, maintenance-related defects, contamination events, vacuum instability, and equipment-related quality issues.
• Assist with equipment modifications and improvement projects to enhance reliability, maintainability, safety, and operational performance.
• Support equipment installations, upgrades, and commissioning activities as assigned.
• Monitor equipment performance and assist in identifying opportunities to improve uptime and reduce recurring issues.
• Support the creation and maintenance of CMMS asset records, preventive-maintenance plans, equipment history, failure codes, bills of materials, spare-parts requirements, and technical procedures.
• Maintainaccurateelectrical schematics, mechanical drawings, P&IDs, software and parameter backups, equipment manuals, and service records.
• Support equipmentreturnto production following repairs or modifications, including cleaning, leak checks, functional testing, calibration coordination, and production verification.
• Collaborate with maintenance technicians and operators to support equipment troubleshooting and knowledge sharing.
• Coordinate with OEM service providers, contractors, and repair vendors, and support spare-parts planning.
• Follow requirements for lockout/tagout, electrical and high-voltage safety, machine guarding,stored-energycontrol,compressed-gassafety, chemical handling, and cleanroom operations.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, ora relatedtechnical field. Equivalent technical education and relevant equipment experience may be considered.
• 2-5 years of equipment engineering, maintenance engineering, manufacturing engineering, or hands‑on equipment support experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot automated equipment involving mechanical, electrical, controls, vacuum, and thermal systems.
• Familiarity with vacuum systems, pumps, valves, cooling systems, and automated manufacturing equipment. Experience supporting high‑vacuum systems is a plus.
• Ability to read, interpret, and update electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, pneumatic diagrams, P&IDs, and technical procedures.
• Experience with CMMS systems, preventive maintenance, root‑cause analysis, equipment upgrades, and assigned project work.
• Strong analytical, documentation, communication, coordination, and structured problem‑solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to precision manufacturing, photonics, semiconductor, medical device, aerospace, or similar manufacturing environments preferred.
• Familiarity with vacuum systems, automated manufacturing equipment, PLC-controlled machines, or industrial maintenance practices preferred.
• Experience with optical grinding, polishing, centering, MRF, CNC glass machining, precision cleaning, or metrology equipment.
• Experience with e‑beam evaporation, sputtering, ion‑assisted deposition, process‑gas control, cryogenic systems, or vacuum leak detection.
• Familiarity with PLCs, robotics, machine vision, industrial networks, chillers, cleanroom HVAC, compressed air, anddeionized-watersystems.
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing, TPM, FMEA, CAPA, reliability‑centered maintenance, ISO 9001, AS9100, or ISO 13485.

Success Measures

Equipment availability and reliability; preventive‑maintenance effectiveness; reduced downtime and repeat failures; equipment-related quality performance;timelycompletion of assigned projects and improvements; process capability support; safety compliance; documentation accuracy; maintenance-cost awareness; and effective technical knowledge sharing.

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