Erkul Kurulay-Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
Check rate
Experience
Freelance Design Engineer & Workspace Architecture Consultant
Freelance
- Designed custom low-volume plastic products optimized for FDM additive manufacturing (3D printing)
- Designed, built and commercialized a Notion-based personal planning system as an independent digital product.
- Developed tailored Notion-based workflow and planning systems for individual and corporate clients, covering task management, project tracking and knowledge organization
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Hexagon Studio
Continued responsibilities from previous role, with the following additions:
- Led a team of 7 mechanical designers; with full responsibility for workload planning, task delegation, training, and performance evaluation
- Served as technical lead across multiple concurrent automotive and micro-mobility projects
- Supported mechanical design work within the team
- Coordinated cross-functional communication between engineering teams and senior management
- Conducted engineering design reviews and ensured compliance with technical standards
- Performed cost estimation and resource planning for new project proposals
- Independently initiated and implemented team workflow systems using ClickUp and Notion, improving task tracking and engineering knowledge management
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
Hexagon Studio
Continued responsibilities from previous role, with the following additions:
- Took technical leadership of automotive and micro-mobility projects
- Supported and reviewed design work across the team, providing technical guidance and ensuring output quality
Mechanical Design Engineer
Hexagon Studio
- Developed conceptual and detailed designs for mechanical and electromechanical systems, including a tube-launched fixed-wing UAV wing and tail deployment mechanism, rocket loader system, bus trunk lid and service closures, automatic cash transfer conveyor for minibuses, and cyclic loading test fixtures
- Built complete 3D CAD models and 2D manufacturing drawings using Siemens NX
- Performed kinematic and dynamic CAE simulations using Siemens NX Motion and engineering calculations for design validation
- Conducted DFMEA studies to identify failure modes, assess risk and drive design improvements
- Prepared and managed a full suite of technical documentation including DFMEA, DVP, BOM, SOR, assembly instructions, test procedures, user manuals and maintenance manuals
- Managed PLM data for assigned projects using Siemens Teamcenter
- Verified received parts and components against technical requirements and project specifications
Design & Verification Engineer
Aritas Pressure Vessels Inc
- Designed cryogenic and non-cryogenic pressure vessels and performed FEA verification using ANSYS Workbench
- Ensured full compliance with ASME Section VIII Division 1, EN 13445, EN 13458, EN 13530, and ADR standards
- Optimized vessel designs through iterative FEA to reduce material usage and manufacturing cost without compromising structural integrity
- Prepared technical documentation packages for third-party certification bodies including TÜV, Lloyd's and TI
Research & Development Engineer
CMAK Cranes Inc
In this project-based position:
- Designed an 80-ton capacity custom crane system covering full structural design, FEA verification and manufacturing documentation
- Performed structural calculations using MathCAD, Excel spreadsheets and conventional hand calculations alongside SolidWorks FEA
- Built detailed parametric 3D CAD models and 2D manufacturing drawings using SolidWorks
- Prepared BOMs and ERP records for manufacturing
Research & Development Engineer
CMAK Cranes Inc
- Designed and validated single girder, double girder and jib crane systems to FEM and ISO standards
- Designed mechanical components for the HoistSense smart crane control system, enabling its integration across standard hoist models
- Performed structural FEA simulations and analytical calculations for design verification
- Built detailed parametric 3D CAD models and 2D manufacturing drawings using SolidWorks
- Prepared technical documentation, BOMs and ERP records for assigned projects
CAD Design Engineer
Yilgenci Inc
In this part-time role:
- Produced 3D models and 2D manufacturing drawings using CAD software
- Revised and updated designs based on engineering feedback
Industry experience
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Experienced in Manufacturing, Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Transportation, and Professional Services.
Business area experience
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Experienced in Product Development, Quality Assurance, Research and Development, Project Management, Operations, and Information Technology.
Summary
I am a multi-award-winning mechanical design engineer with over 10 years of experience across defense, automotive, energy, micro-mobility and industrial machinery. Mechanism and machine design are my core specialties. I design systems in motion and the structures that support them across a wide range of applications including wing deployment mechanism of a tube-launched fixed-wing UAV, service closures for buses, cranes, cycle test fixtures, scissor lift platforms with soft-opening and auto-locking ramps, telescopic cash conveyors for minibuses, among others.
I have experience working with a range of standards across multiple regulated industries, such as ASME BPVC and EN 13445/EN 13458 for pressure vessels, MIL-STD 810 for testing of military equipment, ECE R 107 for buses, FEM & ISO standards for crane design and others.
I take full ownership of the whole engineering process, from conceptual design through CAD, FEA and MBD simulations, DFM and DFMEA studies, sizing and selection calculations, production drawings, and various documentation procedures.
I have led engineering teams across multiple projects in automotive and micro-mobility, taking responsibility for both the technical direction and the day-to-day running of the team, and I am equally comfortable contributing as a team member or working independently.
I profoundly care about the quality of the work I output, and strive to continuously produce outstanding results. I am able to quickly pick things up on my own and I am always working to close the gap between the engineer and the person I am today and the one I aspire to be.
Skills
Siemens Nx — Advanced (Cad, Motion/Mbd Simulation)
Solidworks — Advanced (Cad, Fea Simulation)
Ansys Workbench — Intermediate (Static Structural, Thermal Analysis)
Md Adams — Intermediate (Multibody Dynamics Simulation)
Siemens Teamcenter — Basic (Plm, Revision Control, Eco/Ecr/Ecn And Cad Data Management)
Mathcad — Intermediate (Engineering Calculations)
Notion — Advanced (Workflow Systems, Knowledge Management)
Mechanism Design And Kinematic System Development
Structural Frame And Platform Design
Fea And Mbd Simulation For Design Validation
Design For Manufacturability (Dfm)
Design Failure Mode And Effects Analysis (Dfmea)
Engineering Calculations, Sizing And Component Selection
Technical Documentation (Dvp, Bom, Sor, Assembly Instructions, Manuals)
Plm And Revision Control
Languages
Education
University of Sakarya
Bachelor's Degree · Mechanical Engineering · Turkey · 2,92/4
Certifications & licenses
Team Leadership and Coaching
Hexagon Studio
DFMEA – Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Hexagon Studio
Design Thinking and Ideation
Hexagon Studio
Siemens NX
Hexagon Studio
ANSYS Workbench – Introduction to ANSYS Mechanical and DesignModeler
Figes Inc.
ANSYS Workbench – Static Structural Analysis
Figes Inc.
ANSYS Workbench – Thermal Analysis
Figes Inc
Pressure Vessel Design and Manufacturing
Chamber of Mech. Engineers
Statistics
Experience
Global experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
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Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 22 Aug 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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