Discipline 01
Engineering — layout, process, machine and fixture design
Everything that decides whether a production system works is settled here: the flow, the takt, the station content, the machine concept and the fixture datums. We freeze it on paper, review it with your team, and only then cut steel.
At a glance
- Covers
- Layout, process, line balancing, machine and fixture design
- Design tools
- 3D CAD for machines and fixtures, AutoCAD for layouts and schematics
- Typical output
- Concept layout, GA drawings, 3D models, BOM, calculations
- Review points
- Concept review, design review, design freeze
- Applies to
- New lines, new machines, brownfield modification
What it covers
Layout, process, machine and fixture design
Most project failures are engineering failures that surfaced late. A layout that ignores material entry, a station that cannot hold takt, a fixture that locates on a surface the customer never controls — each of these is cheap to fix in CAD and expensive to fix on the shop floor.
Our engineering stage exists to move those decisions forward. We work from your part drawing, your volume and your building, produce the options, put numbers against them, and take the design to a freeze you sign. What gets built after that is what was reviewed.
Capabilities
The seven capabilities inside engineering
Each one is a scope you can buy on its own, or combine into a turnkey contract.
Mechanical Design
Load paths, deflection, bearing and guide selection, actuator sizing, material and hardening choices, and GD&T on the surfaces that matter. Designed so that wear parts can be replaced without dismantling the machine.
You receive3D model, GA and detail drawings, BOM, wear-parts list
3D CAD
Full assemblies with your part in place, so clashes, access, guarding gaps and operator reach are checked on screen. Models are reviewed with your engineering team and shared in neutral formats (STEP/IGES) for your own checks.
You receive3D assembly, STEP/IGES exports, clash and reach review
Plant Layout
Receiving to despatch: process sequence, equipment footprints, aisles and gangways, WIP and buffer positions, operator paths, utility routing, and future expansion space held deliberately rather than by accident.
You receiveLayout drawings (options compared), equipment schedule, utility points
Process Engineering
Operation sequence, process parameters, tooling and datum strategy, in-process checks, scrap and rework paths, and the error-proofing that stops a bad part moving to the next station.
You receiveProcess flow, process sheets, control points, poka-yoke plan
Line Balancing
Time study of the current or target method, work content split across stations, manpower and cycle-time modelling, bottleneck identification, and the buffer sizing that keeps a line running when one station stumbles.
You receiveTakt and cycle-time model, yamazumi chart, manpower plan
Fixture Design
3-2-1 location from the datums your customer inspects to, clamping sequence that does not distort the part, part-presence and poka-yoke sensing, quick-change nests for variants, and hardened, replaceable locators.
You receiveFixture GA and detail drawings, datum scheme, locator and clamp list
Machine Design
Concept selection against cycle time and budget, actuation choice (pneumatic, hydro-pneumatic, hydraulic or servo), force and stroke calculation, station layout, safety concept, and the sensing needed to prove the operation happened correctly.
You receiveMachine concept, GA, cycle-time estimate, safety concept, budget
Deliverables
What you receive
- Concept layout or machine concept with options and an indicative budget
- 3D models and GA drawings reviewed with your engineering team
- Detail drawings, BOM and bought-out list against your approved makes
- Cycle-time and capacity calculations behind the concept
- Datum and control-point scheme for fixtures and gauges
- Electrical and pneumatic schematics with I/O list
- Machine safety risk assessment on ISO 12100 principles
- A signed design freeze before fabrication starts
Other disciplines
The rest of the scope
Any one discipline can be bought alone. Combined, they become a single contract with one party accountable for the output.
Where it applies
Solutions that use engineering
Plant Layout & Process Optimisation
Measured layout, line-balancing and lean studies — implemented on your floor, with before/after results.
Learn moreSpecial Purpose Machines
Application-specific SPMs for pressing, riveting, drilling, screwing, marking and dispensing — proven at FAT.
Learn moreWelding Fixtures & Jigs
Manual, pneumatic and robotic welding fixtures, BIW fixtures and checking gauges designed from your datums.
Learn moreAssembly Lines
Takt-balanced manual, semi-automatic and automated lines with conveyors, error-proofing and traceability.
Learn moreFAQ
Engineering: common questions
Can you engineer only, without building?
Yes. Layout studies, line-balancing studies, machine concepts and fixture designs are taken as standalone engineering assignments, and the drawing pack is yours to build wherever you choose.
Whose CAD format do you work in?
We model in standard 3D CAD and hand over neutral STEP/IGES along with native files where your team can use them. Layouts and schematics are supplied in DWG and PDF.
How long does the engineering stage take?
For a single machine or fixture, typically two to four weeks from part drawing to design freeze. For a line or plant layout it depends on how much time study is needed — we scope that before quoting, not after.
What do you need from us to start?
The part drawing or sample, current and target output, working shifts, the building or area available, and your approved-makes list if you have one. If a drawing does not exist we start from the sample and your quality requirement.
Start a project
Hand over your production challenge.
Tell us what the line has to produce, where, and by when. We will come back with a scoped approach, a realistic timeline and the questions that matter — usually after a site visit or a drawing review.
- +91 85959 55435 · Mon–Sat, 09:00–18:00
- WhatsApp an engineer
- info@mecwerx.com
- Detailed RFQ with drawings (PDF, DWG, STEP)