Solution
Custom Machinery Design & Build
Cerebrus designs and builds custom machinery for manufacturers who cannot buy their equipment off the shelf. When a process is proprietary, a part is difficult to handle, or throughput targets exceed what standard equipment can deliver, we engineer a machine around the exact requirement — mechanical structure, motion, controls, and safety together as one system.
What custom machinery covers
Our custom machines span inline process equipment, automated assembly stations, machine tools, test and inspection systems, and material-handling and part-feeding equipment. Each is developed for a specific production task rather than adapted from a catalog, so the machine footprint, cycle time, and tooling match your product and your factory floor.
Because our mechanical, electrical, embedded, and controls teams work under one roof, we treat the machine as a single integrated system. Structural design, actuation, sensing, and the control program are developed together, which removes the interface gaps that typically appear when a build is split across multiple vendors.
Our engineering process
Every project begins with a requirements and concept phase: we define throughput, tolerances, part presentation, safety scope, and validation criteria, then evaluate concepts before committing to a design. Detailed mechanical design is carried out in 3D CAD, with tolerance stack-ups and, where loading warrants it, structural analysis of critical members.
In parallel, the controls team designs the electrical system and the machine program — motion profiles, sensor logic, interlocks, and the operator interface. We fabricate, assemble, wire, and commission the machine in-house, then run acceptance testing against the criteria agreed at the start before the equipment ships and is installed on your floor.
Tools & methods
- 3D mechanical design in parametric CAD (SolidWorks-class tools)
- Tolerance stack-up analysis and structural checks on critical members
- Servo and stepper motion sizing and profiling
- PLC and industrial PC control platforms (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff-class)
- UL 508A listed control panel design and build
- Machine safety design to applicable standards (guarding, interlocks, risk assessment)
What you receive
- Requirements specification and concept design
- Complete 3D CAD models and manufacturing drawings
- Electrical schematics and a UL 508A control panel
- Machine control software and operator interface (HMI)
- Fabricated, assembled, and commissioned machine
- Acceptance test results, operating manual, and spare-parts list
A typical engagement
A typical custom machinery engagement runs from a scoped concept and quotation, through detailed design review, into fabrication and factory acceptance testing, and ends with installation and operator training at your site. We can take full turnkey responsibility or integrate with your internal engineering team at whatever stage suits your program.
FAQ
Custom Machinery: frequently asked questions
How is custom machinery different from buying standard equipment?
Standard equipment is designed for a general task and you adapt your process to fit it. Custom machinery is engineered around your specific part, tolerance, throughput, and floor constraints, so the machine does exactly what your process needs — often at a lower total cost when standard options would require heavy modification or compromise.
Can you build a machine from just a concept or a problem statement?
Yes. Many projects start with a production problem rather than a design. We run a requirements and concept phase to turn that problem into a defined specification, evaluate feasible approaches, and give you a design and quotation to review before any build commitment is made.
Do you handle the controls and software as well as the mechanical build?
We do. Mechanical design, electrical panel design, PLC and motion programming, and the operator interface are all developed in-house as one integrated system, which avoids the handoff gaps common when a build is divided among separate mechanical, electrical, and software vendors.
Is the machine tested before it ships?
Every machine goes through factory acceptance testing against the criteria defined at the start of the project — throughput, tolerances, and functional checks — before it leaves our shop. We then install and commission it at your site and verify performance in your production environment.
Are your machines built to safety and electrical standards?
Yes. We design machine guarding, interlocks, and safety circuits to applicable standards and build control panels in our UL 508A listed panel shop, so the electrical system is properly rated and labeled for use in the United States.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you're trying to build or automate. We'll help you scope it and recommend the right approach.