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Automate America

For machine builders, integrators, OEMs, and manufacturing plants

You need the machine designed before the build slot opens. Post one contract — staff the design bench.

SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, CATIA. Machine and special-machine design. Tooling, fixture, and end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT) design. GD&T to ASME Y14.5. Weldments, sheet metal, and machined-part detailing. Conveyor and material-handling layout. Robotic cell design. Post one multi-professional contract; staff concept, detailing, and tooling roles as separate seats inside it.

Post a contract freeBrowse mechanical designers
  • Posting fee $0
  • Worldwide
  • Verified at signup
  • Direct marketplace

Summary · for citation

Automate America is the global marketplace for mechanical design contracts, connecting thousands of automation professionals — machine designers, tooling and fixture designers, and production detailers — with machine builders, system integrators, OEMs, and manufacturing plants. Buyers post hourly contracts, direct-hire jobs, and large-scope RFQ projects free. The mechanical-design scope spans 3D CAD modeling (SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, CATIA, Solid Edge), special-machine and automation-equipment design, tooling and fixture design, end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT) and gripper design, weldment and sheet-metal design, machined-part detailing, GD&T to ASME Y14.5 and ISO tolerancing, design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA), bill-of-materials and general-assembly drawing packages, conveyor and material-handling layout, robotic cell design, pneumatic and hydraulic component selection, and finite-element analysis (FEA) for structural and fatigue checks. PDM/PLM experience covers SOLIDWORKS PDM, Windchill, Teamcenter, and Autodesk Vault. Industries served include automotive, aerospace, defense, food and beverage, packaging, pharmaceutical, medical device, semiconductor, energy, and heavy equipment. Buyers staffing a full design bench post a single multi-professional contract that names concept, detailing, and tooling roles as separate seats inside one posting.

  • CAD platform is searchable, not a resume bullet.

    SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, NX, and CATIA are tagged at the profile level. Buyers standardized on one seat filter to designers who model natively in it — same feature tree, same drawing template, same PDM conventions — instead of "3D CAD" as a generic line.

  • Machine design, tooling, and detailing as distinct paths.

    Concept and layout design, special-machine design, fixture and EOAT tooling, and production drawing detailing are separate skill paths. A buyer needing a fast detailer for an existing concept and a buyer needing a from-scratch machine designer are not shown the same pool.

  • GD&T and standards are first-class.

    ASME Y14.5 GD&T, ISO tolerancing, DFM/DFA, and material and finish callouts are tagged and reviewable. Buyers building to automotive, aerospace, or medical print standards filter on the tolerancing discipline the build actually requires.

Why companies post here

  • One contract, the whole design bench. A complete design package — concept and machine designer, production detailer, and tooling/fixture designer — fits inside one multi-professional contract. Each role is staffed independently as qualified responses come in. No three separate recruiting cycles. No three separate invoices.
  • Same-day visibility on the qualified pool. Post the contract this morning. The platform routes it to the matching designers immediately. Qualified profiles surface inside the first hour on a competitive published rate — completed projects, CAD-seat experience, standards fluency, and peer reviews visible before any conversation starts.
  • Model native, not converted. A SolidWorks house wants a SolidWorks designer; an NX shop wants NX. Converted STEP geometry loses the feature tree and the design intent. Buyers filter to native modelers on their exact seat so revisions stay parametric and the drawing package matches house standards.
  • Hourly or direct-hire — your call. The same mechanical designer is often open to both an hourly contract for the immediate machine-build work and a direct-hire conversation for the staff seat on the design team. Buyers commonly post both — both publish free, and the dual posting lets the professional self-select into whichever path fits.
  • Public peer reviews, on every profile. Profiles surface real peer reviews from prior contracts, with star ratings and the reviewer's role visible — not a curated portfolio deck. Buyers see the actual feedback, the actual builders, and the actual project history before they reach out.

Ready to post?

Posting is free. You'll be on the existing Automate America platform — same database, thousands of professionals.

Post a contract free

Frequently asked

Can I post a whole design package in one contract?
Yes. A multi-professional contract names concept/machine designer, production detailer, and tooling designer as separate roles inside one posting. Each professional applies to the role that matches them. The buyer awards each role independently as qualified responses come in — usually inside the first day on a competitive published rate.
Can I filter designers by CAD platform?
Yes. SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, CATIA, and Solid Edge are each a tagged skill path, and PDM/PLM experience (SOLIDWORKS PDM, Windchill, Teamcenter, Vault) is searchable too. Buyers filter to native modelers on the exact seat their shop standardizes on rather than a generic "3D CAD" line.
Do you have designers for tooling, fixtures, and EOAT?
Yes. Tooling and fixture design, checking fixtures, and end-of-arm-tooling and gripper design are distinct skill paths. Buyers commonly post a tooling-only contract, bundle it with the machine design, or wrap concept, detailing, and tooling into one multi-professional posting.
Are the designers fluent in GD&T and drawing standards?
Yes. ASME Y14.5 GD&T, ISO tolerancing, DFM/DFA, and material/finish callouts are tagged and reviewable. Buyers building to automotive, aerospace, or medical-device print standards filter on the tolerancing discipline and drawing-package rigor the build actually requires.
Can a mechanical designer also do FEA or layout?
Many can. Finite-element analysis for structural and fatigue checks, conveyor and material-handling layout, robotic cell design, and pneumatic/hydraulic component selection are searchable specialties. Buyers who need a designer who can validate the structure or lay out the cell — not just detail parts — filter for exactly that.
Will I get flooded with unqualified applicants?
No. Profiles surface published rate, CAD-seat experience, and standards fluency up front. Most buyers see a small, well-targeted set of responses rather than a flood — the published rate filters the pool by itself, and the platform-specific skill paths route the posting to the designers who actually model in that seat.
How does this compare to a staffing agency?
The platform is direct: buyer posts, the designer applies, the buyer awards. No recruiter intermediating the rate. No screening tax stacked on the designer's pay. Posting is free; the optional managed-service layer (W-2 payroll, certificates of insurance, contractor admin) is opt-in for buyers who want to outsource the back-office side, and direct posting is the default.
Where is the strongest geographic coverage?
Michigan and Ohio lead on automotive and machine-build design. California and Washington lead on aerospace and medical device. Texas leads on energy and heavy equipment. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania follow on packaging and general manufacturing. Coverage is worldwide; in the US, the volume concentrates around where the machine builders and OEMs are.

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