Mechanical engineering services / Custom machinery
Purpose-built machines engineered around your product, process and production targets.
From concept development to detailed 3D CAD, manufacturing drawings and BOMs, we help manufacturers and machine builders turn complex requirements into a clear engineering package.
Our work covers individual workstations, special-purpose machines, robotic cells and complete production systems. Whether you are automating a repetitive manual task, improving an existing process or developing a new machine for your customer, our mechanical engineering team can extend your internal design capacity and help move the project from an initial idea to a coordinated engineering package.
Off-the-shelf equipment is valuable when the process is standard. But many production problems involve unique parts, variable products, limited floor space, demanding cycle times, special handling conditions or interfaces with existing equipment. In those cases, the machine must be designed around the real application—not the other way around.
Our custom machine design approach begins with the part, process and operating environment. We consider how materials enter the machine, how they are located and controlled, what actions must be completed, how quality is checked, how products leave the station and how operators and maintenance teams will interact with the equipment.
The result is a machine concept developed to balance performance, manufacturability, safety, serviceability, project cost and future flexibility.
Deliverables are tailored to the project stage. GMD Services can support a complete machine development package or a defined portion of the design, such as concept engineering, detailed CAD, mechanism development, drawing production or design improvement.
Our pillar service brings together six connected engineering disciplines. Each can be delivered as a stand-alone design service or combined into a larger automated system.
Packaging equipment must handle products consistently while protecting product quality, meeting the required throughput and integrating with upstream and downstream processes. We design custom packaging machines and subsystems around the product format, packaging material, loading method, sealing or closing process, inspection requirements and end-of-line workflow.
Typical applications include product infeed and orientation, pouch or carton handling, case packing, palletizing interfaces, labeling stations, wrapping systems, indexing conveyors, reject mechanisms and changeover tooling. Designs can include guides, clamps, pushers, lifts, rotary devices, servo-driven axes, pneumatic mechanisms and guarding.
Explore Packaging Machine Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/packaging-machine-design-services/
Assembly machines bring multiple parts together in a controlled sequence. The engineering challenge is not only joining components, but also feeding, orienting, locating, verifying and transferring them without damaging the product or creating unstable process variation.
We design manual-assisted, semi-automatic and fully automatic assembly equipment for pressing, inserting, fastening, welding, bonding, clipping, crimping and multi-stage component assembly. The machine concept can include nests, fixtures, feeders, indexing tables, linear transfer systems, servo presses, pneumatic tools, sensors, vision inspection and traceability interfaces.
Explore Assembly Machine Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/assembly-machine-design-services/
Custom automation machine design is suitable when a repetitive, hazardous, inconsistent or labor-intensive process needs a purpose-built solution. We convert the required sequence into a mechanical architecture that coordinates motion, tooling, product flow, sensing and operator interaction.
Projects may include loading and unloading stations, inspection systems, processing machines, leak-test fixtures, transfer equipment, sorting systems, trimming units, marking stations and special-purpose production equipment. The design is developed with practical interfaces for PLC control, sensors, actuators, safety devices and factory utilities.
Automation Machine Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/automation-machine-design-services/
A successful robotic cell requires more than selecting a robot. The entire work envelope, product presentation, reach, payload, cycle, end-of-arm tooling, safety concept and material flow must function as one coordinated system.
We develop robotic cell layouts for material handling, machine tending, palletizing, depalletizing, packaging, assembly and other industrial processes. Scope can include robot positioning, reach studies, EOAT concepts, fixtures, guarding, conveyors, pallet stations, access doors, maintenance clearances and interfaces with surrounding equipment. Robot simulation or motion validation can be added when the application requires it.
Explore Robotic Cell Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/robotic-cell-design-services/
Pick-and-place systems must repeatedly identify, grip, move and release products within the required cycle time. We design systems using Cartesian axes, gantries, delta robots, SCARA robots, articulated robots or dedicated mechanical transfer mechanisms, depending on the payload, speed, accuracy and working envelope. Design considerations include part presentation, gripping method, vacuum or mechanical tooling, acceleration, product stability, collision avoidance, placement accuracy, reject handling and changeover. The system can be integrated with conveyors, trays, vision cameras, indexing tables, machines or packaging equipment.
Pick and Place System Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/pick-and-place-system-design-services/
When multiple machines and processes must work together, production line design becomes a system-level engineering task. We plan the overall product flow, station sequence, buffers, transfers, operator access, maintenance access and interfaces between equipment.
Our production line design services can cover line concepts, 2D and 3D factory layouts, conveyor routing, station integration, cycle-time balancing support, safety zoning and detailed mechanical design of custom stations. We can work with new lines or redesign existing layouts to improve capacity, ergonomics, material flow or future expandability.
Machine development is rarely a single drawing task. Decisions made during the concept stage affect component selection, fabrication cost, assembly time, programming complexity, safety and long-term maintenance. Our design workflow keeps those dependencies visible from the beginning.
| Project stage | How GMD Services can support |
| Feasibility | Review the process, identify key risks, develop preliminary layouts and compare concepts. |
| Concept design | Define machine architecture, operating sequence, principal mechanisms, product flow and preliminary components. |
| Detailed design | Complete 3D CAD, mechanisms, frames, tooling, guarding, purchased-component integration and interfaces. |
| Documentation | Prepare part drawings, assembly drawings, BOMs, pneumatic information and technical documentation. |
| Build support | Answer fabrication questions, review deviations and revise the design when field realities require changes. |
| Optimization | Improve cycle, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, cost or modularity for the next version. |
A structured process reduces technical uncertainty and helps every stakeholder review the same design intent. The exact stages depend on project size, but a typical engagement follows these steps:
A clear engineering package helps your fabricators, purchasing team, controls engineers and assembly technicians work from consistent information. Depending on scope, deliverables may include:
File formats, naming conventions, drawing templates, languages and revision procedures can be aligned with your engineering standards before the project starts.
A machine can look complete in CAD and still be difficult to build or maintain. Our reviews consider the realities of fabrication and operation: weld access, machining setups, tolerance chains, fastener access, cable and hose routing, installation sequence, lifting points, inspection access, lubrication, wear-part replacement and changeover.
We also identify where modular construction, standardized components or adjustable tooling may reduce manufacturing effort and support multiple products. Where a client or fabricator has preferred suppliers, standards or workshop capabilities, we can design within those constraints.
The mechanical design must provide clear interfaces for controls and electrical integration. We coordinate the physical locations and mechanical provisions for sensors, valves, motors, servo systems, cameras, safety devices, electrical cabinets, junction boxes and cable management.
When electrical design, PLC programming or robot programming is provided by your team or another partner, we can collaborate around the I/O concept, operating sequence, safety functions and device requirements. This helps reduce late-stage changes caused by missing mounting space, inaccessible sensors or unclear interfaces.
Machine safety must be addressed from the earliest concept stages and completed under the responsibility of the party placing the final machine into service. Our mechanical design can support risk-reduction measures such as fixed and movable guarding, interlocked access, safe maintenance space, load retention, mechanical stops, controlled access and separation of people from hazardous motion.
Applicable directives, regulations, customer standards and risk assessment responsibilities should be defined at project kickoff. Compliance, certification and final validation are included only when expressly stated in the agreed scope.
GMD Services works with established mechanical engineering platforms to support efficient collaboration and reliable file exchange.
Custom machinery can be developed for many industrial environments. Typical applications include:
Every application has different hygiene, material, precision, environmental and regulatory needs. Those requirements are confirmed before the design basis is finalized.
Our custom machine design services are suitable for:
You do not need a perfect specification to begin. A preliminary discussion can help identify missing information. When available, the following inputs improve the accuracy of the proposal and concept:
Custom machine design is the engineering of machinery around a specific product, process, production target and operating environment. Unlike a standard machine selected from a catalog, the layout, mechanisms, tooling, controls interfaces and documentation are developed for the application.
Yes. A project can begin with a process description, sample product, sketch, video or preliminary layout. We then clarify requirements, develop the concept and proceed through detailed design and manufacturing documentation according to the agreed scope.
GMD Services primarily provides engineering and machine design services. We can create the build-ready design package and coordinate with your selected fabricator, system integrator or manufacturing partner. Any fabrication, assembly, installation or commissioning responsibility must be separately defined in the project scope.
Yes. We can review an existing design, identify mechanical issues and develop modifications for capacity, reliability, safety, maintainability, changeover or manufacturing cost. Existing CAD files, drawings, photos, measurements and operating feedback are useful inputs.
Our primary platform is Autodesk Inventor. We also work with SolidWorks and AutoCAD and can deliver neutral formats such as STEP, DXF, DWG and PDF. The required software version and file structure should be agreed before work begins.
Yes. We can follow supplied drawing templates, naming conventions, material standards, approved-component lists and preferred suppliers. These requirements should be provided at kickoff so they can be applied consistently.
The schedule depends on machine complexity, the completeness of requirements, the number of review cycles and the required documentation. A concept or subsystem may take weeks, while a complex machine or production line can require several months. We provide a project-specific schedule after reviewing the scope and inputs.
Yes. We can review and sign an appropriate non-disclosure agreement before receiving confidential project information.
Yes. GMD Services is structured for international remote engineering collaboration. Reviews can be conducted by video meeting, and CAD files, drawings, BOMs and technical decisions can be exchanged through agreed project channels.
Yes. Support can be limited to concept development, a mechanism or fixture, 3D CAD, detailed drawings, calculations, FEA, drawing conversion, BOM preparation or engineering revisions. The boundaries and interfaces are defined before starting.
If your process cannot be solved effectively with standard equipment, a purpose-built machine may be the right next step. Share your product, process, target output, available space and current challenges with GMD Services. We will review the application, identify the key engineering questions and propose a practical scope for the next design stage.
Send us your drawings, product files, photos, videos or preliminary specification. Confidential project information can be covered by an NDA before detailed review.
See how we designed a production cell connecting multi-level sheet storage,
vacuum loading, comb-rake unloading and two alternating operator tables.