CAD Designer

CAD Designer / Mechanical Designer

Ballistic Fabrication
Tucson, Arizona
Full-Time

About Ballistic Fabrication

Ballistic Fabrication designs and manufactures high-quality suspension, steering, chassis, and fabricated components for the automotive and off-road industry. Our products are designed with manufacturing in mind and produced using CNC machining, laser cutting, CNC press brakes, welding, and other in-house fabrication processes.

We are looking for a CAD Designer / Mechanical Designer who understands how to turn an idea, measurement, or existing part into a production-ready design.

Position Overview

The CAD Designer will work directly with our production, fabrication, machining, and management teams to design new products and improve existing components.

This is not strictly a desk job. We want someone who is comfortable going onto the shop floor, measuring vehicles and components, working with fabricators and machinists, building prototypes, and making design changes based on real-world feedback.

Responsibilities

• Design automotive, suspension, steering, chassis, and fabricated components.
• Create accurate 3D CAD models and assemblies.
• Produce manufacturing-ready 2D drawings.
• Design sheet-metal components for laser cutting and CNC press-brake forming.
• Develop machined components for CNC production.
• Create weldments, brackets, tabs, gussets, mounts, control arms, and other fabricated assemblies.
• Create flat patterns and DXF files for laser-cut components.
• Develop accurate dimensions, tolerances, hole locations, bend locations, and material specifications.
• Create and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Measure vehicles, existing components, and prototypes for reverse engineering and new-product development.
• Work directly with welders, machinists, laser operators, and press-brake operators.
• Review designs for manufacturability before releasing them to production.
• Prototype and test new designs and make revisions as necessary.
• Improve existing products to reduce manufacturing time, material use, or production complexity.
• Maintain organized CAD files, revisions, drawings, and production documentation.
• Assist with troubleshooting production or fitment issues.
• Take projects from initial concept through a production-ready design.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with SolidWorks or similar 3D CAD software.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design and manufacturing.
• Experience designing sheet-metal and fabricated components.
• Ability to create professional manufacturing drawings.
• Understanding of tolerances, material thicknesses, bend allowances, hardware, and fabrication processes.
• Ability to accurately measure and reverse engineer physical parts.
• Understanding of CNC machining, laser cutting, press-brake forming, and welding.
• Ability to communicate directly with production employees and make practical design changes.
• Strong attention to detail and organization.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at the same time.

Preferred Experience

Experience in any of the following is highly preferred:

• Automotive aftermarket
• Off-road vehicles
• Suspension systems
• Steering components
• Control arms
• Chassis fabrication
• Trucks, Jeeps, UTVs, or other performance vehicles
• Weldment design
• CNC-machined components
• Sheet-metal fabrication
• Laser cutting
• CNC press-brake operations
• Reverse engineering
• Product development and prototyping

What We're Looking For

We want someone who understands that a good CAD design has to work in the real world and on the shop floor.

The ideal candidate can look at a problem, measure it, design a solution, make the production files, work with the person building it, and continue making improvements until the product is ready to sell.

We value practical manufacturing knowledge just as much as CAD ability.

Schedule

Full-Time

Compensation

Competitive pay based on experience and capabilities.

Work Location

On-site – Tucson, Arizona

Ballistic Fabrication is an equal opportunity employer.

Pay: From $18.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20.0 – 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person