Steve is available for hire
Hire SteveSteve Hammond
Verified Expert in Engineering
Mechanical Product Development Engineer and Developer
Leeds, United Kingdom
Toptal member since September 3, 2026
Bio
Steve is a mechanical product development engineer with 20+ years of experience turning complex hardware concepts into buildable, testable products. He has delivered EV thermal systems, autonomous racing vehicles, rotary engines, aerospace hardware, and manufacturing automation. Working across CAD, FEA/CFD, DFM, suppliers, testing, and configuration control, Steve turns prototypes into reliable, manufacturable products and resolves mechanical, electrical, and production interfaces.
Portfolio
Mercor
Mechanical Engineering
Peec
SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, MATLAB, Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMA)...
Advanced Innovative Engineering
SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Heat Inserts...
Experience
- Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) - 20 years
- SOLIDWORKS - 20 years
- Mechanical Engineering - 20 years
- Thermal Analysis - 18 years
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - 18 years
- ANSYS - 15 years
- 3D Printing - 15 years
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA) - 15 years
Work Experience
Independent Contractor
2025 - PRESENT
Mercor
- Provided expertise in industrial design and mechanical engineering to improve models for a top AI lab.
- Managed team members, helping onboard those new to the project.
- Promoted to reviewer, overseeing other contributors' work.
Technologies: Mechanical Engineering
Thermal Systems Architect and Advisor
2025 - 2025
Peec
- Developed the battery cooling architecture for a new EV platform designed for Dubai temperatures and UNECE Regulation 100 requirements.
- Turned an early thermal concept into a lightweight, manufacturable architecture covering pack layout, structural integration, sealing, and service access.
- Collaborated with suppliers to prepare the system for prototyping and regulatory testing.
Technologies: SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, MATLAB, Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMA), Thermal Analysis, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Functional Dimensioning
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
2023 - 2024
Advanced Innovative Engineering
- Developed the air-cooled 225CS SPARCS rotary engine concept to prototype stage.
- Delivered the foundation for an innovative air-cooled rotary engine program.
- Optimized thermal performance and packaging with respect to the customer's airframe, passing the PDR and CDR review stages.
Technologies: SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Heat Inserts, Functional Dimensioning, IP-rated Design
Principal Thermal Systems Engineer
2021 - 2024
Charge Cars
- Turned prototype cooling and air-conditioning hardware into production-ready systems for a planned run of 499 vehicles, despite tight packaging and low-volume manufacturing constraints.
- Delivered thermal and AC systems using SolidWorks/NX and Ansys, cutting costs and ensuring compliance.
- Designed battery trays and bonding processes that passed safety testing.
- Delivered a production-ready system that scaled into low-volume manufacturing.
Technologies: SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS, Siemens NX, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Overmolding, Heat Inserts, Functional Dimensioning, IP-rated Design
Chief Technology Officer
2018 - 2021
ActiveCell Technologies Limited
- Designed and commissioned a 22-machine 3D print farm with environmental control, remote monitoring, and automated production management.
- Spearheaded the development of a web quoting and job management system connecting customer orders to scheduling, material choice, and inspection.
- Scaled pandemic production to more than 15,000 face-shield frames in one month, then moved the product to injection molding.
- Developed an Innovate UK-funded custom-fit mask system using phone-based face scanning and on-demand manufacture. The PPE product achieved CE certification for medical use.
Technologies: 3D Printing, SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS API, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Heat Inserts, Functional Dimensioning
Senior Project Engineer
2016 - 2018
Arrival
- Helped deliver DevBot, an autonomous racing test vehicle, in four months by integrating batteries, drivetrain, high-voltage wiring, sensors, and computing hardware into a Ginetta LMP3 platform.
- Managed full-vehicle CAD integration across outsourced teams and resolved clashes, routing problems, and assembly risks.
- Built a SQL-based web PDM system for CAD approvals, version control, and BOM management across remote teams.
- Developed a rotary engine range-extender concept for Arrival.
Technologies: ANSYS, SOLIDWORKS, Product Data Management (PDM), CATIA, Siemens NX, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Overmolding, TPU, Heat Inserts, Functional Dimensioning, IP-rated Design
Senior Project Engineer
2014 - 2015
O&H Vehicle Technology
- Secured £150,000 grant funding for the project to develop a lightweight ambulance.
- Directed the design and development of novel technologies, reducing vehicle weight and passing crash testing.
- Completed prototype trials, accelerating market entry.
Technologies: 3D Printing, SOLIDWORKS, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Overmolding, TPU, Functional Dimensioning, IP-rated Design
Project History
DevBot Autonomous Racing Test Vehicle
https://www.youtube.com/roboraceI integrated batteries, drivetrain, high-voltage wiring, sensors, and computing hardware into a Ginetta LMP3 chassis. The working vehicle reached the test team in four months and became the development platform for Robocar.
Automated PPE Manufacturing System
I designed and commissioned a 22-machine 3D print farm and developed the web-based quoting, scheduling, and production management software that connects customer orders to material selection, automated job allocation, and inspection. Production scaled to more than 15,000 face-shield frames in one month before the product moved to injection molding. I also developed an Innovate UK-funded custom-fit mask system using phone-based face scanning and on-demand manufacture.
Florence Custom-fit Mask Platform
I developed a phone-based face-scanning app for Project Florence, an Innovate UK-funded custom-fit mask system. I connected the digital scan and fitting workflow to on-demand manufacture, combining software, product configuration, and physical production. The resulting PPE product achieved CE certification for medical use.
Education
1997 - 2001
Bachelor's Degree (Honors) in Integrated Engineering with Automotive Studies
Sheffield Hallam University - Sheffield, United Kingdom
Skills
Libraries/APIs
SOLIDWORKS API
Tools
SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, Slack, MATLAB, PTC Mathcad, Solid Edge, Jira, CATIA, Figma
Paradigms
Mechanical Design, Automation
Languages
Python, HTML, JavaScript
Other
Mechanical Engineering, Product Development, Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Thermal Analysis, Product Data Management (PDM), Electric Vehicles, Tolerance Stack, Injection Molding, Overmolding, TPU, Heat Inserts, Functional Dimensioning, IP-rated Design, Onshape, Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T), ANSYS, 3D Printing, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Software Development, Production, Web App UX, Mobile UX, App UX, 3D Scanning, Digital Manufacturing
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