Mechanical Design Engineer Molex is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to design, develop, build, and improve custom manufacturing equipment, tooling, and automation systems. This role will lead projects from concept through commissioning, including mechanical design, fabrication oversight, assembly support, troubleshooting, validation, and continuous improvement of existing equipment. The ideal candidate has strong machine-building experience and is comfortable working in a manufacturing environment where practical problem-solving, equipment reliability, safety, and innovation are critical. This engineer will collaborate closely with Controls Engineers, Process Engineers, Maintenance, Production, Quality, and external vendors to deliver reliable and cost-effective equipment solutions. Molex leverages technology and innovation to provide advanced electronic solutions across the globe. With operations in over 40 countries, we serve a variety of industries including automotive, medical, data communications, and consumer electronics. Design custom manufacturing equipment, fixtures, tooling, guarding, and automation systems using 3D CAD software. Develop machine concepts, layouts, assemblies, detailed drawings, and bills of materials. Perform engineering calculations related to machine structures, mechanisms, motion systems, pneumatics, and power transmission. Evaluate design alternatives based on safety, performance, reliability, manufacturability, maintainability, cost, and schedule. Lead equipment projects from concept through fabrication, assembly, debugging, qualification, and production release. Work directly with internal resources, fabrication shops, machine builders, and suppliers to ensure equipment is built according to design requirements. Provide hands-on support during machine assembly, installation, setup, troubleshooting, and startup. Create and maintain equipment documentation, including drawings, bills of materials, spare-parts lists, risk assessments, and recommended maintenance information. Partner with Controls Engineers to integrate PLCs, HMIs, sensors, safety circuits, servos, robotics, and vision systems into new and existing equipment. Ensure mechanical designs support controls architecture, electrical requirements, machine safety, accessibility, and future scalability. Participate in commissioning and debugging to resolve mechanical, controls-interface, and process-performance issues. Support continuous-improvement, cost-reduction, and obsolescence-mitigation initiatives. Manage multiple engineering projects while maintaining scope, schedule, budget, technical documentation, and stakeholder communication. Coordinate design reviews, build activities, acceptance testing, training, and handoff to Operations and Maintenance. Communicate project risks, progress, decisions, and resource needs clearly to cross-functional teams and leadership. Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline. Five or more years of experience designing and building manufacturing equipment, automation machinery, or custom industrial systems. Proficiency with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable 3D CAD software. Working knowledge of machine design, pneumatics, bearings, linear motion, servo-driven mechanisms, gearboxes, and mechanical power transmission. Experience producing detailed manufacturing drawings, tolerance parts, assemblies, and bills of materials. Knowledge of GD&T, design-for-manufacturing, machine guarding, and mechanical design best practices. Strong hands-on troubleshooting, equipment installation, and machine startup capability. Ability to work effectively in office, shop, and production-floor environments. Experience designing automated assembly, inspection, material-handling, or process equipment. Experience with robotics, machine vision, motion control, and industrial automation. Familiarity with PLCs, HMIs, industrial sensors, and controls-system integration. Knowledge of machining, sheet-metal fabrication, welding, plastics, and machine assembly processes. Experience with DFMEA, equipment risk assessments, validation, and project management. Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment or with custom machine builders. Familiarity with SAP or manufacturing systems. Lean Six Sigma certification or experience driving CI projects.
