Mechanical/Product Engineer Needed to Design Custom Foosball Table (Folding Legs + Ball Return)

# Product Design Engineer, Injection Molded Plastic & Rubber Components (Foosball Equipment) ## Overview We are looking for an experienced Mechanical/Product Design Engineer to help develop a next-generation professional foosball table. This is not simply a CAD drafting project. We are looking for someone who understands product engineering from concept through manufacturing and can help us design durable, high-performance components that will ultimately be produced through injection molding. Our goal is to develop the best commercial foosball table in the world. We already have concepts and design objectives, and we need an engineer who can take ideas, improve them through engineering, create prototypes, and prepare them for manufacturing. ## Components to Design The initial project includes several injection molded and molded rubber components, including: • Foosball men • Bearings • Rubber bumpers • Handles • Foosballs • Scorekeepers • Additional plastic and rubber components as needed ## Responsibilities • Design production-ready plastic and rubber components. • Recommend appropriate engineering plastics, elastomers, and polymer blends for each application. • Optimize parts for durability, wear resistance, friction, impact strength, grip, and long-term performance. • Design components specifically for injection molding, including proper draft angles, wall thickness, ribbing, gate locations, shrinkage, and manufacturability. • Create high-quality 3D CAD models and engineering drawings. • Produce STL files for rapid prototyping and in-house 3D printing. • Iterate designs based on testing and performance feedback. • Perform tolerance stack-up analysis and ensure proper fit between mating components. • Work with our team to refine designs until they are ready for tooling and production. • Assist with DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and prepare files suitable for mold manufacturers. ## Required Qualifications • Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, Industrial Design, or related engineering background. • Extensive experience designing injection molded plastic products. • Experience designing molded rubber or elastomer components. • Strong understanding of engineering plastics, polymers, composites, and material selection. • Experience with consumer products, sporting goods, industrial products, or mechanical assemblies. • Proficiency with professional CAD software such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Creo, Siemens NX, or similar. • Experience creating models for both rapid prototyping and production tooling. • Understanding of dimensional tolerances, GD&T, and manufacturing best practices. • Ability to communicate engineering decisions and explain design tradeoffs. ## Preferred Experience • Injection mold tooling knowledge. • Experience working directly with mold manufacturers. • Knowledge of overmolding or multi-material components. • Experience with bearings, rotating assemblies, grip ergonomics, or sporting equipment. • Experience selecting materials based on wear, friction, UV resistance, impact strength, and longevity. • FEA or structural simulation experience is a plus. ## Deliverables Successful candidates should be able to provide: • Production-ready CAD models • STEP files • Native CAD files • STL files for prototyping • Manufacturing drawings • Material recommendations • Design revision history • Documentation required for mold fabrication ## What We're Looking For We're looking for someone who enjoys solving engineering challenges, not just drawing parts. We want someone who can recommend better solutions, improve existing concepts, and collaborate with us throughout the product development process. The ideal candidate understands that successful products require balancing performance, manufacturability, cost, durability, and aesthetics. This has the potential to become a long-term relationship as we continue developing additional products and accessories. ## When Applying Please include: • Examples of injection molded products you've designed. • Examples of rubber or elastomer components you've developed. • The CAD software you use. • Your experience preparing parts for injection molding. • Any experience with sporting goods, consumer products, mechanical assemblies, or similar products. • A brief description of your design process from concept through manufacturing.