Lera A.
Mechanical Design Engineer | SolidWorks | Concept to Manufacturable Design
Seattle,
United States
Global rank:
15,783
/
133,457
Skill pts: 5
About
Mechanical design engineer with 3+ years of experience across a hard-tech startup and a product design consultancy. MS in Design Engineering (Brown/RISD), BS in Mechanical Engineering (Tufts).
I specialize in early-stage physical product development — taking concepts from rough sketches or ID intent through to engineered, manufacturable geometry. I'm comfortable working across the full development arc: ideation support, proof-of-concept, detailed part and assembly design, DFM, and manufacturing handoff. I put particular care into building CAD models that are clean, well-structured, and easy for others to edit and build on. Particularly drawn to consumer products, softgoods and soft/hard goods integration, and electromechanical systems.
I communicate clearly, stay organized, and work well with designers, founders, and cross-functional teams. I'm used to moving fast in resource-constrained environments and figuring things out as I go.
CAD: SolidWorks (primary), Onshape, Fusion 360, Creo, AutoCAD (2D & 3D), PDM/PLM
What I do well: Parametric and surfaced modeling, translating ID concepts into production-ready geometry, integrating engineering architecture into designed forms, electromechanical prototyping
Manufacturing: DFM across injection molding, sheet metal, CNC, and softgoods; rapid prototyping (FDM, SLA, laser cutting, OTS integration); softgoods construction and soft/hard goods integration; experience with CMs and overseas manufacturers
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I specialize in early-stage physical product development — taking concepts from rough sketches or ID intent through to engineered, manufacturable geometry. I'm comfortable working across the full development arc: ideation support, proof-of-concept, detailed part and assembly design, DFM, and manufacturing handoff. I put particular care into building CAD models that are clean, well-structured, and easy for others to edit and build on. Particularly drawn to consumer products, softgoods and soft/hard goods integration, and electromechanical systems.
I communicate clearly, stay organized, and work well with designers, founders, and cross-functional teams. I'm used to moving fast in resource-constrained environments and figuring things out as I go.
CAD: SolidWorks (primary), Onshape, Fusion 360, Creo, AutoCAD (2D & 3D), PDM/PLM
What I do well: Parametric and surfaced modeling, translating ID concepts into production-ready geometry, integrating engineering architecture into designed forms, electromechanical prototyping
Manufacturing: DFM across injection molding, sheet metal, CNC, and softgoods; rapid prototyping (FDM, SLA, laser cutting, OTS integration); softgoods construction and soft/hard goods integration; experience with CMs and overseas manufacturers
Experience
- Freelance Design Engineer Freelance · Part-time Mar 2026 – Present 2 mos Seattle, WA, United States Independent freelance mechanical design engineer. Work spans concept development, SolidWorks CAD, and early-stage product development support.
- Mechanical Design Engineer II Nova Design · Full-time Jun 2025 – Mar 2026 9 mos Providence, RI, United States Client-facing mechanical engineer at a product design consultancy across 5+ projects from concept through manufacturing support; led technical presentations and design reviews. Built Class A surface models, complex assemblies, and detailed part designs in SolidWorks from ID concepts; produced fully toleranced drawings for injection molding, CNC, sheet metal, and vacuum forming with DFM/DFA and GD&T callouts. Worked directly with CMs and international suppliers on DFM feedback and RFQs. Products spanned medical devices, wearables, consumer electronics, and manufacturing equipment.
- Mechanical Design Engineer II Transaera · Full-time Aug 2022 – Jul 2024 1 yrs 11 mos Somerville, MA, United States Third mechanical engineering hire at a hard-tech HVAC startup built around Nobel Prize-winning metal-organic framework (MOF) materials; promoted twice in two years. Led mechanical design of a rooftop system achieving 40% energy savings, including the field trial unit deployed at an Amazon facility that led to a multi-year commercial agreement. Built complex SolidWorks assemblies, part models, and fully detailed engineering drawings for electromechanical systems; did concept development and simple rendering to communicate design intent. Managed projects including timelines, BOMs, and cross-functional coordination. Built an accelerated lifetime testing device from scratch using laser-cut, 3D-printed, and OTS components — logged 500,000+ cycles. Designed test fixtures, integrated PCBAs, wire harnesses, and DAQ setups to drive data-backed design decisions.
Education
- Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design Masters, Design Engineering, null 2024 – 2025 Activities and Societies: TA in Machine Shop and RA in Environmental Impacts Lab
- Tufts University Bachelors, Mechanical Engineering, null 2018 – 2022 Activities and Societies: Varsity Sailing Team
Stats
0 followers, 0 following
Joined: May 22, 2026
Last seen: May 22, 2026
Area of Expertise
3D Printing Design
Wearables
Concept Design
Engineering Design
New Invention Development
Electronic Devices
Rapid Prototyping
3D Printing Services
Injection Molding Design
Reverse Engineering
Sheet Metal Design
CAD Conversion Services
Rapid Prototyping Services
Prototype Design Engineering
Metal Design and Fabrication
Electronic Prototyping and Design Services
3D Product Modeling
Mechanical Drawing Services
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
Electronic Enclosures Design
Languages
English Native or bilingual proficiency
Location
Seattle, WA, United States