Mechanical Engineer / Product Designer Needed — Folding Chair Mechanism & CAD Development Anyone

Project Overview
We are developing a premium, lightweight, durable folding outdoor/camping chair where the frame, joints, hardware, fabric, and accessories are engineered for longevity and serviceability. The design should emphasize durability, repairability, comfort, clean operation, safety, and a refined/no-rattle feel rather than simply minimizing manufacturing cost or weight.
We are looking for an experienced mechanical engineer/product designer to take our existing concepts and sketches and turn them into a functional, manufacturable CAD design.
This is not simply a 3D modeling project. We need someone who understands mechanisms, structural loads, folding kinematics, aluminum construction, joints/hinges, tolerances, FEA, and design for manufacturing.
We have a fairly detailed vision for the product. The selected engineer will work with us to refine the mechanism, determine the best architecture, and develop the engineering CAD.
Basic Product Concept
The chair will be a compact, upright folding chair designed around:
• High-strength, lightweight construction
• Aluminum plate, bar, or similar structural components rather than conventional steel tubing
• A robust folding mechanism with carefully engineered pivot/hinge locations. Easy to open/easy to close.
• Replaceable bolts, pins, bushings, washers and other wear components
• Replaceable fabric seat and back
• Solid folding armrests
• Potential attachment system for accessories such as cup holder or a small side table.
• Potential optional removable rocking feet/rockers
• Compact folded dimensions, with a target of approximately 6" × 6" × 36–40"
• Premium/no-rattle feel rather than a low-cost disposable folding-chair design
The design should be engineered so that individual components can be replaced rather than requiring replacement of the entire chair.
Important Engineering Challenges
The primary challenge is developing a folding architecture that provides:
1. High structural strength when deployed
2. Stable geometry under load
3. Smooth and controlled folding
4. Minimal interference between components during folding
5. Compact folded dimensions
6. Durable pivot/hinge joints
7. Replaceable wear components
8. Efficient load transfer through the aluminum structure
9. Manufacturability at reasonable production volumes
10. A premium appearance, good comfort and user experience
We have explored several concepts that can be discussed.
We are open to the engineer substantially modifying concepts if a better mechanical solution can be developed.
What We Need From You
The ideal candidate should have demonstrated experience with:
• Mechanical engineering
• Folding mechanisms
• Linkages and kinematics
• Consumer product development
• Aluminum structures
• Hinges and pivot joints
• Bolted/pinned connections
• Structural analysis
• FEA
• SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Creo, or equivalent
• Design for manufacturing (DFM/DFA)
• CNC machining
• Laser/waterjet-cut sheet or plate components
• Extrusions and/or fabricated aluminum components
• Prototype development
• Manufacturing drawings and GD&T
Experience with folding furniture, outdoor equipment, sporting goods, camping products, automotive structures, aerospace structures, or other lightweight load-bearing products would be particularly valuable.
Initial Project — Engineering Study
We do NOT want to immediately spend money creating a detailed final CAD model.
The first phase will be a paid engineering study.
We would provide our existing concepts, sketches, dimensions, and design objectives.
The engineer would then evaluate the concepts and provide:
• Recommended folding architecture
• Kinematic/folding analysis
• Proposed pivot and hinge locations
• Preliminary structural layout
• Recommended aluminum materials/thicknesses
• Bolt/pin/bushing concepts
• Interference analysis
• Folded and deployed envelope
• Preliminary load paths
• Identification of major engineering risks
• 2–3 potential mechanism variations if appropriate
• Recommendation for the architecture to take into detailed CAD
We expect this initial phase to be approximately $500–$1,000, depending on the engineer's proposed scope.
Phase 2 — Detailed CAD Engineering
After selecting the mechanism, we would move into detailed engineering.
Expected deliverables include:
• Fully parametric 3D CAD assembly
• Native CAD files
• STEP files
• Individual component files
• Exploded assembly
• Complete BOM
• Fastener/hardware specifications
• Pivot/bushing specifications
• Manufacturing drawings
• Critical dimensions and tolerances
• GD&T where appropriate
• Material specifications
• Preliminary FEA/stress analysis
• Folding/motion study
• DFM review
• Prototype-ready design
We would like the final design to be suitable for sending to a prototype manufacturer.
Materials
We are currently considering high-quality aluminum components, potentially including:
• Aluminum plate
• Aluminum bar
• Aluminum extrusion/tube where appropriate
• CNC-machined aluminum hinge/joint components
We are open to engineering recommendations regarding alloy, thickness, geometry, machining, bending, extrusion, or other construction methods.
The goal is high strength-to-weight ratio, not simply minimum weight.
Durability Requirements
Durability is a major design objective.
Where practical, components subject to wear should be replaceable:
• Bolts
• Shoulder bolts
• Pins
• Bushings
• Washers/spacers
• Hinges/joints
• Fabric
• Other wear components
We want to avoid permanently riveted or inaccessible joints where a replaceable mechanical connection would be more appropriate.
The finished chair should have a solid, premium, low-rattle feel.
Intellectual Property
The chair is an original product concept under development.
We expect the engineer to:
• Sign an NDA before receiving detailed proprietary design information
• Treat all project information as confidential
• Assign project-specific CAD/design work to us upon payment
• Not reuse or distribute our proprietary concepts or files
We are interested in developing an independent mechanism, not copying an existing commercial chair.
What to Include With Your Proposal
Please provide:
1. A short description of your mechanical engineering experience
2. Examples of folding mechanisms or mechanical products you have designed
3. Examples involving aluminum structures
4. Examples of products where you performed FEA or structural analysis
5. CAD software you use
6. Experience taking a concept through prototype/manufacturing
7. Your hourly rate
8. Your estimated cost for the initial engineering study
9. Your estimated timeline for the initial study
10. Your availability over the next 4–8 weeks
Please include at least 2–3 examples of relevant mechanical products or mechanisms in your proposal.
Generic CAD/3D-rendering portfolios are not sufficient by themselves.
Preferred Candidate
We are looking for an engineer who thinks like a mechanical product developer, not simply a CAD modeler.
We want someone who will challenge the design, identify failure modes, improve the mechanism, and ultimately help us create a product that can realistically be manufactured and sold.
This could become a longer-term project involving prototype development, testing, design iterations, and preparation for manufacturing.
Please begin your proposal with the words:
"FOLDING CHAIR"
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