Mfg Technology Tooling Eng - Specialist

3M; Maplewood (MN); On-site; USD 146,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

3M Center in Maplewood, MN is seeking a Manufacturing Technology Precision Tooling Engineer to advance precision tooling capabilities for optical film and display technology. You will join a global team, lead precision structure-generation processes, and support new product commercialization while collaborating with R&D and manufacturing operations.

The role requires hands-on machining experience with CNC lathes, milling machines, and other precision equipment, plus a strong data-driven

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a Science or Engineering discipline completed before start.
• Six years of manufacturing, machining, tooling, process engineering, or equipment engineering experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead precision structure-generation processes with CNC machines.
• Support new product commercialization for optical films.
• Design, execute, and analyze precision machining experiments.
• Develop and document manufacturing processes for precision tooling.
• Lead improvement projects for process control and quality.

Skills

Bachelor’s degree

Six years experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Science or Engineering

Tools

CNC machining

Precision turning equipment

Milling machines

Diamond turning

Job description

Manufacturing Technology Precision Tooling Engineer

Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World

Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As a Manufacturing Technology Precision Tooling Engineer, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

The Manufacturing Technology Precision Tooling Engineer will join 3M’s Precision Tooling team, which develops and integrates highly precise process equipment into manufacturing. This role will focus on advanced cutting technologies, precision machining, and equipment design to enable the production of precision structured surfaces used in optical film and display technology applications.

The successful candidate will serve as a technical resource for process engineers, product engineers, R&D teams, and manufacturing operations. This position requires hands‑on experience with precision tooling processes, particularly CNC lathes, precision turning equipment, milling machines, or similar machining platforms. The role will support new product commercialization, improve manufacturing capability, and help advance 3M’s precision engineering technologies.

This position is well suited for an engineer with strong technical curiosity, practical machining knowledge, data‑driven problem‑solving skills, and a passion for process and product development.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and lead precision structure-generation processes using precision turning equipment, CNC lathes, milling machines, or similar advanced machining platforms.
• Support new product commercialization efforts for optical films and other precision structured surface technologies.
• Design, execute, and analyze experiments involving precision machining, tooling, and process equipment.
• Develop, optimize, and document manufacturing processes for precision tooling applications.
• Apply precision engineering principles to improve dimensional accuracy, surface quality, repeatability, and process capability.
• Troubleshoot tooling, machining, equipment, and process issues in support of manufacturing operations.
• Use data analysis, statistical methods, and process control tools to identify improvement opportunities and implement robust solutions.
• Lead projects that improve process control, equipment performance, productivity, and product quality.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including R&D, design, manufacturing, plant engineering, suppliers, consultants, and equipment builders.
• Work with internal and external resources to ensure technical, cost, and schedule requirements are met.
• Support equipment specification, supplier selection, purchase, assembly, checkout, installation, and commissioning.
• Identify equipment upgrades, tooling improvements, and capital investment needs for annual capital planning.
• Contribute to the advancement of 3M technology through process innovation, intellectual property development, and implementation of new capabilities into manufacturing.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a Science or Engineering discipline (completed and verified prior to start)
• Six (6) years of experience in a manufacturing, machining, tooling, process engineering, or equipment engineering environment.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Hands‑on experience with CNC machining, precision turning, lathes, milling machines, diamond turning, or other precision material‑removal processes.
• Experience developing or supporting precision tooling, structured surface generation, optical tooling, microreplication tooling, or high‑accuracy manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of precision engineering principles, including dimensional control, surface finish, tool wear, vibration, thermal effects, alignment, and process repeatability.
• Experience with machining process development, tooling design, fixturing, machine setup, process optimization, or equipment commissioning.
• Experience using experimental design, statistical analysis, process capability studies, Six Sigma tools, or other data‑driven problem‑solving methods.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex manufacturing processes and equipment issues in a hands‑on production environment.
• Strong communication, initiative, project management, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to work effectively with manufacturing teams, laboratory teams, suppliers, consultants, and equipment builders.

Work location:

• Work location: This role follows an on‑site working model, requiring the employee to work at least four days a week at the 3M Center in Maplewood, MN.

Travel: May include up to 35% domestic/international

Relocation: May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.

U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub‑contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export‑controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum.

To comply with these laws, 3M must help assess candidates' U.S. person status.

The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position.

3M offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Applicable to US Applicants Only: The expected compensation range for this position is $145,676 - $178,049, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3M.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.

Good Faith Posting Date Range 09/08/2026 To 10/08/2026 Or until filled

All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.

Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.

Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.

Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3M.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/

3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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