A Wordbook of Mechanical Design Memo Blog (Archived 2026)

This is the place.A word about how I felt while doing mechanical design.　We are putting this together.　No particular purpose. Just notes.

A word of caution

「一品モノの特注」から「標準化・パッケージ化」へのシフトとその先

人材不足により、工場ごとにゼロから設計するフルカスタマイズのFA装置を作る余裕が今後はなくなってきます。

そのため、「パッケージ化されたFA」が今よりも増えていくんだと思いますが、そういった断絶された場所にロボットが有効で、今まさにフィジカルAIがそこをカバーしていくんだと思います。

とはいえ、それもコストです。　機械と機械を繋ぐということは、位置決めAから位置決めBを繋ぐという事になるので、自在という機能を持つ必要があって、それが結果的にで自在可動の人型フィジカルAIだったりするわけで、「位置決めAから自在で運んで位置決めBに入れる」という機能をもう少し考えてみると、Aから自在はラフな移動、自在からBまでは高精度である必要があります。

つまりそれが分かっていれば、わざわざコストを掛ける必要もないです。　高精度な機械を間に挟むなんて勿体ない。　今後はパッケージ化した機械をどうつないでいくかが中小や私たちフリーランスFA設計者の注力ポイントであり、腕の見せ所、据え付け技術の技術の見せ所だと思います。（2026-03-10）

ロボット万能説の勘違い

「ロボットを入れれば何でも自動化できる」という「ロボット万能説」の勘違いが、一定の層に広がりつつあります。

しかし、物理法則が働く現実世界では、ロボット（多関節機構）は想像するよりも剛性が低く、ミクロン単位の位置決めや、数百キロの推力での圧入などには構造上向きません。そこを補うためには、ガイドやボールねじ、カム機構などを用いた「専用のメカニズム（治具や専用機）」が絶対に必要です。

この「ロボットの限界を知り、足りない要素をメカニカルな構造で補う設計力」こそが、日本が誇る高品質の源泉です。

そして、「かつての人材が持っていた技術や知識を参照できる環境」こそが、まさにAIやデータベース技術が目指すべき最終形態です。

人が減っても、過去の優れた設計思想（データ）をAIが引き出し、今の若手技術者をサポートする「AIアシスタント化」が、技術消失を防ぐ唯一の現実的な手段だと私は考えます。（2026-03-09）

泥臭く結果を出していくことの価値

AI（ChatGPTなど）が進化して、一般的な知識や公式は誰でも簡単に検索できるようになっています。 しかし、製造業はデジタルの世界だけで完結するものではなく、物理的な素材や制約を伴う現実世界（ハードウェア）の産業です。  AIが絶対に生み出せないもの、「現場の泥臭い一次情報と失敗経験」です。

例えば、「SS400の引張強度は？」という質問にはAIは一瞬で答えます。しかし、「カタログ上のスペックはこうだが、実際の現場でこの形状に加工するとこういう熱歪みが出やすい」「机上の計算では安全率を満たしているが、この使い方は現場の作業者が怪我をしやすい」といった、物理的な実務経験に基づいた暗黙知は、AIには書けません。

というか、その歪みの除去方法などのテクニックは私たち設計者すら知らない事が多いです。

私たちが学んでいる「物理法則に基づいた正しい設計方法」や「現場での工夫」は、AIが学習するための正解データそのものであり、AI時代において最も希少価値が高まる「一次情報」です。　　ですので、私たちはこれまでと同様に、失敗を恐れず現実と向き合っていくことが大切で、AIが普及すればするほど、私たちのような「プロの一次情報」の価値は相対的に上がっていきます。

視点を変えると、AIで調べられない（調べるのには時間のかかる）情報は、人間にとって面倒な事です。　私たちが発信する一次情報の価値が認められた時、AIに対しても信頼される情報源として新しい価値が生まれると思います。（2026-03-06）

サービスに依存しない思考も大切

先日、「エアシリンダで同期する2軸の機構設計｜実践ガイド」という記事を書いたときに、ラック＆ピニオンの話も書きました。その中で書き忘れていた事を追記したのですが、同軸に2個以上の歯車を使う場合は「歯とキー溝を合わせてほしい」という内容を伝えないと角度がズレてたものが納品されてきます。

例えばミスミでいう「SS3-19J25（KHK）」を2個買って合わせてもキー溝と歯の位置は合いません。（型式の選択で合わせを選べません）つまり、今私たちが日々利用しているサービスには落とし穴もまだまだ存在します。　「型式が選択できないから無いのか、じゃぁ大丈夫か」という発想ではなく「メーカーサイトに行ったらありそうだな」とか、本質をとらえると「この型式何か足りない」などの気づきが出てくるかもしれません。

面白いのが、過去にはこれの逆もあって、メーカーに無いものでもミスミさんに取り扱っている　場合がありました。

本当は、選定で何も考えたくないので一つのサービスが良ければそれだけでよいんですが、依存しない思考というのも大切なのかなと思います。　（2026-03-03）

考える数を減らすことの技術。

設計業務で大切なポイントは「考えることを減らす」というのがとても大切だと思っています。　逆の立場でいうと、仕事を依頼する側も考えることが減った方（心配事が減った方）が良いです。

例えば、断捨離や部屋の掃除をしてきれいにすることで「視界に入る見なくても良いもの」を見ないだけで脳の負担が減るように、考えることも減れば作業効率が上がります。

設計の仕事において、役割分担というのはとても大切で、一連の流れで「誰が何を担当するか」を明確に分けておくことでリスク（その工程で起こりえるミス）も予測できます。

極端に言えば「今日は早く上がりたい」という人には手離れの良い作業と進捗が瞬間的に分かるCAD運用などもノウハウとなります。

アイデアを出す工程なら「四角と丸で良い、購入品なんて架空のものがある前提で進める」など、探すことの意識がなくなるだけで負担が減ります。

ですので、設計の運営においては設計者自体の役割分担も必要になってきます。つまり人が足りないから人を入れるだけでは設計者の負担が減らないという事です。　負担が減るのは雇う側。ただし、設計者同士で上手く回してくれる場合に限る。　です。（2026-03-02）

大切なノウハウは守らないといけません。

私はこんなブログをやっているので　私の直接のお客様（エンドユーザではなく元請け様）に対して多少安心感のある設計者だと思います。（設計ミスもしますが・・・）

実際に見積を作る段階からメンバーに入れてくださるお客様が多くあり、整ったFA装置もあれば古い機械の改造、建屋の改造、機械の移設など活動範囲は様々。

初見の段階で、想定される様々な懸念点を説明したり、解決策を提示したり、総合的に見て良い仕事に繋がっていると思います。

最近思っていることなんですが、汎用技術はブログでも公開して、私の設計技術（CADの実務的な使い方や設計手法・グループ設計ノウハウ）は「元請け様だけに限定公開」みたいな形で、隠すところは隠すことで元請け様を守り、自分を守る形にしていかなければと思っています。　（2026-02-23）

This is a mission.

Currently, the digitalization of manufacturing and the introduction of AI is underway worldwide, but the fundamentals of manufacturing involve physical change, and international research has indicated that good machine design is not possible without an understanding of basic physics and mechanics.

Also overseas (for example, in the U.S. and India), the demand for automation and FA engineers is rapidly increasing, while there is a skills gap (a mismatch of skills) where "engineers with practical skills that can be immediately effective in the field" are in short supply.　For this reason, our practical know-how, which comes from our experience in the field, is likely to become a "living textbook" for engineers all over the world, regardless of national borders.

While many technical bloggers are falling behind, I am on a mission to keep this memo blog going until I retire.　　Today I added a high-end plugin for multilingualization.　I made it available in English, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese for trial.

Of course, if the standards are different, technical terms in machine design (e.g., "zaguri," "choko-stop," "yield rate," etc.) are a weak point in automatic translation, and there may be various problems, but we will try to take on the challenge as the next step. (2026-02-23)

why don't you stop doing business?

I basically do not stop the new business even if I care.

・ To increase the volume by each category
・To accumulate know-how more precisely
- To drive voluntarily and level up

On the contrary, we do not always sell to customers who have paid a project once.

・ it's up to the customer to decide.

It is.

If you are a new business owner, "Is it vacant to be in business?"I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

Thanks to you, I have been careful in various ways, but I think that I will continue to attack.（2026-02-20）

Points of compromise and the importance of awareness

In the manufacturing industry, "compromise" is a very important process in terms of "deciding where to drop the ball.　As a designer, I do not believe that compromises should be made during the design process.

That is not a gymnastic mentality, but means that "necessary functions" should be installed without compromise when viewed objectively from the perspective of what the equipment should be (ideal) as it is being designed now.

Many designers, including myself, proceed with their work based on "assumptions," but within those "assumptions" there is a strong tendency for the trauma of past "well-meaning" efforts to be incorporated into the design, such as "excessive design" or "high design costs," or other such negativity, so there is a pattern of "compromising before being told what to do even though we have not been told yet" in the middle of the design process. Therefore, I think there are many cases where people compromise what they want to do before they are told what they want to do even though they are not told yet.

There must be many compromises, such as "I want to make it with cans, but the specifications say aluminum frames, so I did that.

What is important is that the "specifications are everything," but that we don't just do the job and say, "Wait a minute," or "Concerns based on the specifications," but that we think about it together, and that we don't compromise.

Well, I think it is important to change your mind "yes gladly" when they finally ask you to change it, and compromise is good at the end of the day. (2026-02-18)

Everyone involved in manufacturing should be happy.

I have learned so much in the "field" since last year. I always work on the premise that everyone should be happy, so I do whatever I can do, and everyone in the field is doing their best to "do what they can somehow" where we, the designers, are invisible.

Unfortunately, however, it is not a world where aspiration alone is enough to make it work.

What you need to know is that you can't calibrate a machine with the wrong design concept.

Not to put it in extreme terms, if you are born a cat, you cannot become a dog.　That is how different things are.

An easy-to-understand component is the "machine frame.　There are many designers who think, "I'll just use an aluminum frame this time," or "I don't really know what I'm doing, so I'll just use a rigid aluminum frame.

But how many designers are aware of the risk that this easy choice will hurt the field and eventually postpone the delivery date?

This past weekend, I thought, "At least here, we can somehow standardize the design concept," regarding the basic idea of this machine trestle.Full article　to the

If the foundation is solid, it is possible to change the specifications from the ground up.

If you cannot clearly explain the difference between "aluminum frame racks and canning racks" and how to use them, please read on.

If the machine you design is supported by the correct foundation, you will feel good about the assembly, which will be accurate and crisp, you will feel good about the fact that no accuracy changes will occur after the transfer, and the end user will have the best machine possible.　Everyone involved will be happy.　Let's work hard together. (2026-02-16)

Optimization in terms of size and machine power in on-site assembly

Designers are concerned with machine power and the number of monitors, but in the field they need data that is easy to see, easy to assemble, and not too heavy.

I try to create data that can be opened on a PC of this size, even if I am working on a relatively large production line.　Even if the capacity is reduced because a viewer is used on site, there will be waste if the designers cannot see the details on site.　　I think it is very important to have a design that can be used onsite. A good design is one that takes into account as much as possible the way design data is created for realistic situations and the arrangements for actual assembly.

It is difficult to explain, but for example, each unit is assembled in a modular way, all of which are connected but not dependent on the state of the other unit.　The field is really important because you can learn this kind of know-how.

I am also surprised at the site because I have this environment at home (I have my desk, PC, and chair from home), but I think that designing can be done without using a high-spec PC, and that designing in such a way that it can be done is effective in the later stages of the process. (2026-02-10)

Machine assembly: Adapting to the working posture

When assembling machines, we are reminded that there are many hidden dangers.　These are injuries caused by component parts and injuries caused by poor working posture and environment.

In the working posture, work is often done on one's knees, so the presence or absence of knee protection makes a big difference in workability.

In this issue.emlogift　for threemechanic mat　I received a　Thank you.　This is very good and you should all use it. (2026-02-07)

Efficiency through semi-automatic updating

The larger the equipment in a machine design, the more designers will be involved.　In order to design multiple units, the designers must be divided into units and assigned to different tasks, but there is also the theme of how to incorporate the finished units into the overall design.

I don't know about other CAD systems, but SolidWorks has a feature that "when you open a whole assembly, it is updated to the latest of the referenced data," so for a designer like me who works here and there, CAD is easy to use because it almost eliminates the need to "replace data.

When you are doing equipment things, you tend to focus on "lightness," but it is great to work efficiently using SolidWorks' functions.　Of course, there are some know-how such as how to configure assemblies that are not introduced in books, but being able to do what you want is a great motivation for designing. (2026-02-04)

special wooden board for a special purpose (e.g. for shrine building, temple, grave)

Last year, in FY2025, I was also able to help with the machine assembly work, and I was able to help with the "board wood".

The equivalent of the board tree we were borrowing at the time.emlogift　The product was made exclusively for us by Mr.

Like myself, I think there are many designers who draw the drawings but leave the actual sequence of assembly processes and safety assurance to the site.

I actually experienced several situations in that short period of time where I thought, "This is dangerous," "I can't fix it while lifting," "I can't work if I crush my fingers," and so on.

Normally, it is necessary to take this kind of thing into consideration in the design to prevent such things from happening, but we should not forget to thank the people at the site, who give shape to our "in a sense selfish design," by knowing that they use these items to safely assemble the building.　　(2026-01-28)

The point is to divide the designer's specialty

When a mechanical designer goes out on his own, he starts out and works alone.　However, since one person does everything from 0 to 100, there can be a trough in sales between jobs.

To compensate for this, it would be good to fill in some of the gaps by having a wide range of connections, or to continue to ride the high waves of the busy season by scattering the categories of work you undertake.　If we wanted to, in addition to that, have clients who would sign a fixed price contract with us, it would be a stable operation.

In my case, in addition to this, I assign work in a way that takes advantage of the design members' strengths, so we have a system in place that allows them to take on new work and unfamiliar areas.

It is really full of operational know-how now that we are here, but we can easily overcome the CAD barrier, which was clearly a barrier in the past, so we can take on even more work.　This is likely to be the starting point for how the design group scales. (2026-01-24)

No meaningless links will be posted.

Many of the people who visit this memo are here to pinpoint information and relevance to others.　For me, this is basically a memo for my forgetfulness, so I don't care about SEO (search engine optimization) or whatever it is commonly called.　　So I don't hesitate to rewrite it and delete links that are no longer needed at that time.

In such a situation, there are many people who propose reciprocal links as "effective for SEO," and we listen to their explanations, but in the end, the reciprocal links are meaningless.

By meaningless, I don't mean SEO-effective, but I don't want to put meaningless links to users who are going to read the text.

Therefore, I will make it clear that from now on I will only do reciprocal links (and not respond) to places that match the content of this blog.　(2026-01-21)

I can tell you now. If you need help, please contact us.

I had low grades in junior high school, went to an agricultural high school, and then to a liberal arts school in college. I learned about design when I entered the workforce, so I honestly had no foundation at all and learned on the job anyway.　Even now, my assumption that I am not good enough has not changed, and when I see highly educated engineers I meet in the field, I honestly think, "Wow!

However, as a result of my efforts to summarize what I don't understand in my spare time and to face the essentials, I feel that I now have the ability to make judgments that allow me to get the gist of things just by looking at specifications, and I am able to think in a way that takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturers who give me work. I am also able to think in a way that takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturers who work for me.

Even now, I am not really good at teaching others, but I am glad that I have worked so hard, because I am able to answer the questions I am asked in a certain way, and I am able to gain a certain amount of experience.

In 2026, we will do our best to contribute to the development of our current customers and to provide optimal results for new customers we meet.　　If you have any mechanical design problems, please contact us.　(2026-01-21)

Knowing the Default Mode Network (DMN)

The default mode network is a neural network in the brain that is active in a resting state when you are not doing anything in particular, such as when you are spaced out or relaxed, but you can simply create a "do nothing time".

In mechanical design, we encounter "situations where we have to think about things that cannot be answered (or are difficult to answer)," but because the brain has DMN, those who take advantage of this are "not staying in the moment" to the point where it can be said that they are forced to do so.

I am aware of the 3B's as a way to take advantage of this, but some people set aside micro-breaks to create time to do nothing.

The 3Bs I am incorporating are not the 3Bs of marketing, but Bus,Bsthroom,Bed.　Just as many people experience ideas coming to them when they are not at work, I believe that how we designers create this environment is important in creating our environment.

Our work, unfortunately, is not a world where you get results because you work hard, but rather a world where it is a matter of finding answers that capture the essence of what we do.　That is why this objective approach is so important. (2026-01-20)

Separation of adjustment-less and adjustment mechanism

It is essential to distinguish between "areas guaranteed by machining accuracy (internal)" and "errors that should be absorbed in the field" for design separation.

[1] Adjustment-less (internal completion)
Adjustmentless is applied to individual devices and unit internals.　　Design and machining accuracy and geometric tolerances are completely constrained by knock pins, etc., to eliminate variation during assembly.　The highest priority here is "the same performance no matter who assembles it.

[2] Adjustment mechanism (connection/environmental support)
The adjustment mechanism is applied to the connection between devices (workpiece delivery) and to the mounting feet.　Floor irregularities, installation errors of heavy equipment, and accumulated tolerances are physically unavoidable.　It is essential to intentionally provide an adjustment allowance (shims, jacks, etc.) here and "design to absorb" to achieve the final accuracy by on-site adjustment. (2026-01-16)

A system that is making things possible that would otherwise be impossible.

When I once tweeted on social media that I was going to create a freelance design group when I started my own business, I was told, "You can't do that. I'm still rooted in the idea of being told "you won't achieve it" (laughs), and indeed, I have experienced the difficulty of achieving that in many different situations.

However, it takes about 200-250h for one individual to turn it around, but now we are able to consistently turn around about 700 hours of work per month.

Not all designers have the same CAD skills, nor do they all have strengths and weaknesses.

There is no particular know-how as to how we are doing it. We are gradually taking shape simply by carefully removing each wall one by one.

Now I think I can fly all over the world to design if the opportunity arises.

We may have a serious shortage of human resources, but we will continue to meet good customers, make good machines, and have fun together. (2026-01-12)

New Options

Machines designed by others contain mechanisms, material selection, and control logic that you would never employ yourself.

For example, if I witness a situation in a certain conveying process where my only option is an "electric slider" and others are solving the problem inexpensively with a "link mechanism or chain", a new solution is entered into my internal database.

Of course, the converse of this is also true: sometimes I have an answer that is superior to the answer of another company.　　In addition, sometimes new ideas are born from conversations with the engineers there.　In other words, the more you go into the field, the stronger you become as a designer. (2026-01-08)

Policy for Activities in FY2026

It is 2026, and I will continue to pursue the right design philosophy and work toward becoming a designer with a muddled execution.

Although the design concept may change from time to time, we will proceed with our work while clarifying the basic "design intent," "values," and "why we do what we do.　　Then, we would like to strengthen our ability to complete the work, clearing all the constraints on the site and bringing it to a stable "operational state" as soon as possible. (2026-01-03)