Mechanical Design Engineer Needed — Retractable Cat Toy (Concept to Manufacturable Spec)

Posted 3 days ago

Worldwide

Summary

I have a product concept for a retractable cat wand toy) and need help turning it into a manufacturable spec sheet and basic CAD drawings that I can send to factories for quotes. The concept: A handheld device with a retractable cord (up to 10ft), similar to a retractable dog leash or tape measure mechanism, with three functions: free-extend (play), lock (stop), and spring-return (rewind). Housing is ergonomic, hand-held, with interchangeable clip attachments on the end of the cord. What I need: 1. Feedback on feasibility of the mechanism as shown 2. Recommendation on whether to design the reel mechanism from scratch or source an existing retractable-reel mechanism (like those used in retractable leashes) and build a custom housing around it 3. Basic CAD / manufacturable drawings (STEP files) with dimensions, spring/spool specs, and materials 4. A PDF spec sheet I can send to manufacturers for quotes, with dimensions, materials, and tolerances called out I’m a solo founder, early-stage, so budget is limited — looking for someone who can scope this efficiently. Open to starting with a feasibility review before full CAD if that makes sense for you. Please include in your proposal: relevant experience with consumer products, toys, or retractable mechanisms, your estimated timeline, and whether you’d want a call first.

  • $500.00

    Fixed-price
  • Intermediate
    Experience Level
  • Remote Job
  • Ongoing project
    Project Type

Contract-to-hire opportunity

This lets talent know that this job could become full time.
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Skills and Expertise
Mandatory skills
CAD
Mechanical Design
Product Design
Activity on this job
  • Proposals:10 to 15
  • Last viewed by client:3 days ago
  • Interviewing:
    0
  • Invites sent:
    0
  • Unanswered invites:
    0
About the client
Member since Jul 3, 2026
  • United States
    9:13 AM

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