Engineer-for-hire · Castle Rock, Colorado
Mechanical design meets intelligent automation.
MechaNexus designs, builds, and automates the systems small manufacturers and hardware teams don't have an in-house engineer for — from a single custom bracket to the workflow that quotes it automatically.
What I build
SHEET 01 / SERVICESDesign & Rapid Prototyping
Custom mechanical parts, brackets, fixtures, and mechanisms — modeled in CAD, refined for real-world manufacturing, and coordinated through 3D-printed or CNC prototypes so you get a physical part in hand.
PLC & Automation Retrofits
Troubleshooting and upgrading the mechatronics on your line — ladder logic, motor/sensor integration, and mechanism design for equipment that needs to run itself more reliably.
AI Integration & Business Automation
Workflow automations that remove manual busywork — auto-generated quotes, inquiry routing, order syncing, and simple AI-powered tools built on Zapier, Make, n8n, and the Claude/ChatGPT APIs.
Who's building it
SHEET 02 / PRINCIPALPrincipal Engineer
David Pettingill
Education
B.S., Mechanical Engineering Technology
ECPI University — ABET-accredited · 2025
M.S., Engineering Technology in progress
Mechanical Engineering concentration — ECPI University · starts Oct. 2026
- U.S. Navy — Hospital Corpsman, Dive & EOD-trained
- Precision troubleshooting & schematic analysis background
- CAD, mechatronics, PLC/automation
MechaNexus is built on a straightforward premise: most small manufacturers and hardware teams don't need a full-time engineer — they need one for the problem in front of them. A bracket that doesn't exist yet. A line that stalls without warning. A quoting process that still runs on spreadsheets and memory.
That's the work — mechanical design and fabrication-minded engineering, grounded in a Navy EOD background where precision and safety weren't optional. It's also the reason the business is built to grow toward the second half of its name: as automation and AI integration become part of nearly every shop floor, MechaNexus is the connective layer between the mechanical work you already trust and the automated systems you're only starting to adopt.
Based in Castle Rock, Colorado, and working with clients across the Front Range and remotely.
Ongoing project
SHEET 03 / ACTIVE WORKAutomatic Mower Access Door
How a project runs
SHEET 04 / PROCESSScope call
A free 15-minute call to hear the actual problem — no obligation, no pitch deck.
Concept & quote
A concept sketch or CAD model within days, with a fixed-fee or hourly quote before any commitment.
Design & build
Full CAD, DFM review, and — if needed — a coordinated 3D-printed or CNC prototype.
Delivery
Documented files you fully own, plus an honest read on where automation could save you time next.
Start a project
SHEET 05 / CONTACT- Email david.pettingill@mechanexus.com
- Location Castle Rock, CO
Response within one business day. If it's not a fit, you'll hear that too.
Good first questions to send
- What's the part or process, in plain terms?
- Do you need a concept only, or a physical prototype in hand?
- Roughly what's it costing you today — time, scrap, downtime?
- Any deadline this needs to hit?