Senior Mechanical Engineer, Design and Automation

Ricoh's Boulder R&D group designs and builds automation and robotics systems for industrial print and manufacturing applications. This is a hands-on mechanical design position within a multidisciplinary development team that includes software, controls, machine vision, and AI/ML engineers. Mechanical and electromechanical design is the focus of this role, and the hardware developed here frequently forms the basis for the software, machine vision, and AI/ML work that builds on it.

Current programs include:

• A growing robotics and factory automation practice deploying collaborative robot cells, pick-and-place systems, and material handling for external customers
• Continuous-feed inkjet inspection platforms and their expansion across the automation product roadmap
• A renewable energy program supporting next-generation solar cell manufacturing

The role spans the full design cycle: defining requirements, concept development, prototyping, build, debug, and production hardware. Projects frequently begin with a problem description rather than a written specification. This is a senior individual contributor position, and the successful candidate is expected to contribute technically from the outset.

• Develop mechanical and electromechanical designs from concept through production hardware
• Design end-of-arm tooling, grippers, base frames, guarding, and pneumatic systems for robotic and automated cells
• Design sheet metal, machined, and fabricated components, including DFM and direct coordination with fabrication and machine shops
• Scope and deliver bespoke, single-purpose automation builds, including defining the requirements and carrying the design through to working hardware
• Specify and integrate motion systems, actuators, sensors, and pneumatics, including component sizing and cycle time analysis
• Design industrial control cabinets and panel layouts, cable routing, and harnessing
• Design optical and imaging fixtures, including lighting, motion, and alignment, for inline inspection systems
• Produce manufacturing-ready documentation: 3D CAD, electrical schematics, BOMs, assembly and work instructions, and test protocols
• Coordinate with software and controls engineers on system integration, including motion and vision triggers, sensor interfaces, and PLC and robot controller communication
• Build, wire, and debug prototypes in-house, and support installation and commissioning
• Support safety and certification activities, including risk assessment, Performance Level analysis, CE marking, EMC/LVD/RoHS, and US NRTL paths
• Visit customer sites as required to define requirements and support deployments

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and hands-on technical work
• Demonstrated record of delivering multiple complex machines or electromechanical products from concept through working hardware as a principal contributor
• Direct, hands-on experience fabricating, assembling, wiring, and debugging mechanical and electromechanical assemblies, with working proficiency in a shop environment
• Sound judgment in selecting manufacturing and joining methods appropriate to one-off and low-volume builds: machining, sheet metal, weldments, extruded aluminum framing, fastening, and additive
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (NX, Solid Works, Inventor, Creo, or equivalent) and detailed 2D drawings with GD&T
• Sheet metal and machined part design, including DFM for bending, machining, and assembly, with direct fabrication shop experience
• Hands-on experience with end-of-arm tooling and gripper design, pneumatics, motion systems, and sensors
• Design practice that accounts for assembly, service access, and long-term maintainability
• Strong systems-level thinking, with the ability to manage concurrent projects in a fast-moving R&D environment

• Industrial electrical experience: control cabinet layout and build, panel wiring, schematic interpretation, and sensor and actuator wiring
• Bespoke or single-unit automation experience, including integrator-style builds and purpose-built machines for a single customer or process
• Background in precision equipment or converting industries: inkjet, semiconductor, thin film, web handling, roll-to-roll, packaging, or label finishing
• Robotics integration experience with collaborative robots (Universal Robots, Fanuc, or comparable),…