Custom machine design and mechanical engineering

A drawing that cannot be made is a drawing that comes back. Every model here is checked against how the part will actually be cut, bent, welded and assembled, and against the tolerance the process can really hold — before anyone quotes it.

ENQUIPA designs machines, fixtures, frames and tooling for manufacturers in Spartanburg, Greenville, Greer, Duncan and across Upstate South Carolina, and works on-site nationwide. One engineer owns the design from the scoping call to the released package.

SolidWorks machine and component design

Full 3D machine design: mechanism layout, actuation sizing, pneumatic and hydraulic circuits, motion studies to prove reach and interference before metal is cut, and assemblies structured so a maintenance team can order a single component later without reverse engineering the whole machine.

The motion studies are also how design reviews happen. Seeing a cycle run in CAD, with your part in the fixture, catches more problems than a stack of printed views.

GD&T, tolerance stack-up, DFM and DFA

Datums chosen to match how the part is actually located and held, geometric tolerances applied where function needs them and left off where they only add cost, and stack-ups run so the assembly closes at both extremes rather than only nominally. Design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly review is part of the work, not an extra service: fewer parts, fewer fasteners, fewer ways to assemble it wrong.

Custom machine framing: extrusion, tubing and weldments

Machine frames, benches, carts, guarding and enclosures in aluminium extrusion, steel tubing and welded structures — designed for the load, the operator's reach and the floor it has to roll across. Deliverables include cut lists, hardware and bracket callouts, so the frame can be ordered and assembled without interpretation. Extrusion frames make sense when the layout may change; welded steel makes sense when rigidity and cost matter more than adjustability, and part of the design work is saying which one your application needs.

Sheet metal, guarding and enclosures

Sheet metal parts modelled as flat patterns with real bend allowances, guarding and light-curtain mounting designed with the safety layout rather than added afterwards, and control enclosures placed where a technician can actually open them.

Released drawing packages

The output is a package a shop can quote from without phoning for clarification: assembly and detail drawings, bill of materials with sourced components, material, finish and tolerance callouts, and native plus neutral CAD files (SolidWorks, STEP, IGES, Parasolid, DXF, PDF). It is your documentation, and it stays with you.

What you get

• Concept layout and design review with motion study
• Detailed 3D models and assemblies in SolidWorks
• GD&T, tolerance stack-up, DFM and DFA review
• Machine framing design in extrusion, tubing or weldment
• Released drawing package, BOM and neutral CAD files
• Fabrication and machining managed through partner shops, if you want the parts as well as the drawings

Typical lead times

From real projects: 1 to 4 weeks for a part or a simple fixture design, 2 to 4 weeks for a gage, 6 to 12 weeks for a complete station including build. Your range is confirmed in a fixed-price quote after a scoping call. No hourly billing.

Questions we get

Can you work from a sketch instead of a specification?

Yes. Most projects start with a part, a photo of the current process and a conversation about cycle time. The specification comes out of the scoping call.

Do you provide drawings we can send to our own shop?

Yes, and that is a normal way to work. The released package is yours to keep and requote later.

What CAD do you use?

SolidWorks for 3D, AutoCAD for 2D layouts. Native and neutral files both provided.

Do you build what you design?

Yes, through established machining and fabrication partners, with ENQUIPA accountable for the result. Design-only work is equally normal.