Software Engineer – 3D Printer behaviour

Do you watch CNC Kitchen to fall asleep? Is your self-built Voron, RatRig, or completely custom CoreXY printer your absolute pride and joy? Are annoyed by printers calibrating for ages for a 10 minutes printjob?

Then keep reading.

At Zellerfeld, we are building the next generation of 3D printing systems. We aren't looking for a corporate code monkey; we want a true 3D printing nerd who loves bridging the gap between high-level software and hardware. You will play a critical role in shaping the architecture and behaviour of our 3D Printers, pushing Klipper to its absolute limits, and leading the Zellerfeld techstack into the future.

What We Are Currently Working On (Your Future Playground)

We are tired of macros wasting time, unclear failures and 3D printers which are sensor-heavy but insight-poor. We are building the most capable 3D printers on the market and are currently focusing on the following areas:

• Next-Level Z-Leveling: Perfecting dynamic calibration, not just for standard filament extruders, but for a variety of specialized tools managed by our custom toolchanging system.

• Closed-Loop Error Recovery: Moving away from dumb failures. We are implementing real-time monitoring to detect lost steps, improper tool engagements, or component defects. We want machines that react and recover autonomously.

• Advanced Tool Management: Creating bulletproof state machines for complex tool changing where micrometer precision is everything.

• Firmware & Control: Design, develop, and maintain control software for our in-house 3D printers.

• Architectural Ownership: Understand and improve the architecture of the current printer control implementation, making critical decisions which scale.

• Interface Specialist: Implement robust communication interfaces between microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, and networked systems.

• Deep Debugging: Hunt down system-level issues across software and hardware boundaries using a structured, data-driven approach.

• Fleet Management: Help build scalable systems that support remote diagnostics, monitoring, and fleet management for our printing farms.

• Cross-Disciplinary Teamwork: Work closely with operations, hardware and electrical engineering teams to ensure seamless end-to-end integration.

First things first: You love low-level printer control, hate unreliable prints, and want to build a robust, production-grade system that runs like clockwork.

• The Nerd Factor: You have built or deeply modified your own 3D printer. Terms like Input Shaping, Pressure Advance, CAN-bus, Sensorless Homing, and macros are a natural part of your vocabulary.

• Software Background: You are a seasoned Software Engineer with a strong focus on performance, precision, and scalability across the software stack.

• Mechatronics Mindset: You have experience with mechatronic systems. You understand the physics behind the motion and how stepper motors, servos, and sensors interact in detail.

• Analytical Thinker: When a print fails, you don't just re-level the bed. You log in, analyze the data, and find the actual root cause.

Because here, you can turn your passion into your profession. This isn't about pushing abstract code for some generic cloud database; our code will directly move hardware right in front of your eyes, bringing physical innovations to life. 

As a company specializing in both hardware and software, we value close collaboration within our team. Therefore, we are seeking candidates who can join us at our office in Hamburg. Flexibility to travel regularly to our Austin farm in the US is also required.