Automation Process Engineer – Precision Automation & Cable Assembly
ClearPath Medical | Tustin, CA
No relocation assistance | U.S. work authorization required
Who We Are
ClearPath Medical is an engineer-owned contract manufacturer that designs, builds, and ships custom medical cable assemblies 100 % in-house at our Tustin, CA facility. No layers of management. No offshore delays. Just a lean team turning intricate interconnect designs into FDA-compliant, life-critical products.
We’re scaling rapidly and redefining medical device automation—with in-house robotic cells, vision-guided precision, and fixtures that enable sub-millimeter placement repeatability at volume. If you get a rush watching a robot nail a 0.2 mm crimp on the first cycle, you’ll thrive here.
The Role
You’ll design, build, and optimize automated machines and processes for electro-mechanical medical cable assemblies: robotic label placement, automated stripping, crimping, soldering, and epoxy dispensing. This is 80% shop floor, 20% desk—SolidWorks at 8 AM, machining a fixture or debugging a cobot by 10 AM.
Day-to-Day Impact
Design, fabricate, and deploy custom automation cells, tooling, and fixtures that deliver repeatable precision.
Build and assemble machines—mechanical framing, pneumatics, wiring, sensors, and safety systems—from concept through runoff.
Program and commission PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, cobots, dispensers, soldering robots, and crimpers.
Fabricate prototype components using mills, lathes, drill presses, and 3D printers; modify off-the-shelf parts when needed.
Lead automation projects from concept to FAT/SAT—you are the integrator, builder, and troubleshooter.
Create DFM fixtures, poka-yoke tooling, and changeover systems that cut setup from 30 min to < 3 min.
Write bulletproof SOPs, work instructions, and PLC logic that operators execute flawlessly on day one.
Balance lines, run time studies, and achieve > 95 % OEE on high-mix, low-volume runs.
Partner with Quality to lock in zero-defect crimps, solder joints, and epoxy cures.
You Bring
7+ years automating precise placement & joining processes (medical, aerospace, or electronics contract manufacturing).
Proven track record building machines or automation cells end-to-end—mechanical design, fabrication, wiring, integration.
Experience with:
o Vision-guided label application (± 0.2 mm or tighter)
o Automated crimping with force/distance monitoring
o Robotic soldering (laser or iron)
o Precision epoxy dispensing (time-pressure or auger)
Fluent in SolidWorks/Inventor for fixtures & DFM; GD&T and tolerance stacks second nature.
Hands-on with Studio 5000, URScript, Keyence IV, Epson RC+, Nordson valves, and other automation platforms—you debug on the floor.
Comfortable using machine shop equipment (manual mill, lathe, bandsaw, drill press, grinders, and welding when needed).
Lean toolkit—SMED, line balancing, quick-change fixtures.
Project leadership—scoped, budgeted, and launched cells on time, under budget.
Builder’s grit—you’ve 3D-printed nozzles, machined brackets, wired e-stops, and tuned PID loops after hours to hit spec.
We Offer
Direct bottom-line impact.
Medical/dental/vision, and PTO.
Zero red tape—pitch Monday, prototype Tuesday, qualify next week.
Shop-floor vibe: jeans, safety glasses, shipping product that ends up in an OR.
How to Apply
Send your resume plus a 2-minute note or video on one automation cell or machine you built—specs, challenges, and results.
Local Orange County only. Interviews start this week. No sponsorship.
Curious? Tour the floor, watch a human operator crimp a 30 AWG lead, and tell us how you’d semi-automate or fully automate the process. See if you want to own the future of medical cable automation: ClearPath Medical—small team, massive precision.