Mechanical Design Engineer (CAD + FEA) for Australian Product Range: Canopies, Trailers, Portable Toilets, Fencing

I need to take our existing steel ute canopy and trim the unit cost while keeping strength, durability and a full one-year warranty intact. You will open the current assembly in Fusion 360 (my house software) and work through every opportunity to remove material, simplify joints, and cut processing time without inviting cracks, distortion or fit-up issues.

What you’ll actually do
• Re-model or simplify parts for sheet-metal nesting, laser cutting and press-brake folding.
• Run detailed FEA on all critical panels, weldments and fastener zones, then iterate until stresses stay well below yield even with the leaner design.
• Apply sound DFM/DFA thinking—fewer welds, shared bend lines, common hardware—so the canopy is faster and cheaper to build.
• Deliver updated Fusion 360 files, flat patterns (DXF/DWG), an FEA report that proves compliance, and a concise BOM highlighting material savings.

Nice extras
Knowledge of ADR and AS/NZS, galvanising or powder-coat specs, and previous work on laser-cut flat-pack kits will put you ahead of the pack.

Application instructions
Send two or three portfolio links that show real products where you handled FEA or flat-pack optimisation, note the CAD/FEA tools you used, and give me a quick outline of how you’d go about shaving dollars off a canopy like this. I’ll shortlist and issue a paid micro-task as the final step.

This role starts at roughly AUD 5/hr but scales quickly for clear, proven impact, and I have a pipeline of related products ready for the right engineer.