Location: Brantford, ON
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience: 3–5 Years
Industry: 3D Printing / Medical Devices / Prosthetics & Orthotics

Salary: $75,000 – $90,000 per year (based on experience)
Start Date: As soon as possible
Work Arrangement: On-site in Brantford
Reports To: Jesse Cornell, President

About Black Octopus

Black Octopus manufactures custom orthotic and prosthetic devices in Brantford, Ontario, for orthotists, prosthetists, and clinical practices. Our facility runs industrial selective laser sintering, so we can take a device from patient scan to finished part with short turnaround and consistent quality.

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented 3D CAD Designer to join our team and contribute to the design and development of custom prosthetics, orthotic braces, and other patient-specific medical devices manufactured through 3D printing.

This role combines advanced CAD design, freeform modeling, additive manufacturing, and problem-solving to develop functional, comfortable, and manufacturable products based on patient scans, clinical requirements, and design specifications.

The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys working with complex organic geometries and can take a concept or 3D scan and turn it into a production-ready design.

Key Responsibilities

- Design and develop custom prosthetics, orthotic braces, supports, and medical devices for additive manufacturing.
- Develop new standard products for our catalog, from concept and prototyping through to release.
- Design braces and devices with an appearance that appeals to the people who wear them, and to the parents of children who wear them, so patients are more willing to wear them.
- Integrate hardware such as straps, hinges, liners, and fasteners into printed designs.
- Design within production cost targets so products fit our wholesale pricing.
- Use feedback from orthotists, prosthetists, patients, and families to improve existing products.
- Create and modify complex 3D CAD models using Fusion 360 software.
- Develop designs from 3D scans and patient-specific anatomical data.
- Clean up, repair, and convert 3D scan meshes into usable CAD geometry.
- Perform freeform and organic surface modeling to create comfortable and functional patient interfaces.
- Apply design-for-additive-manufacturing (DfAM) principles to optimize components for 3D printing, strength, weight, fit, and manufacturability.
- Develop parametric and editable CAD models that can be efficiently modified for different patients and applications.
- Build parametric templates and scripts that adapt base designs, such as ankle-foot orthoses, to each patient's scan and measurements.
- Collaborate with clinicians, engineers, technicians, and other members of the design/manufacturing team.
- Prepare models for additive manufacturing, including consideration of orientation, wall thickness,



clearances, support requirements, nesting, and print constraints.
- Design for our production process: industrial SLS printing and in-house finishing. This includes minimum feature sizes, powder removal, and how finishing affects fit and surface detail.
- Review prototypes and printed components and incorporate feedback into subsequent design iterations.
- Review, repair, and validate CAD files submitted by outside practitioners before they go to print.
- Troubleshoot design and manufacturing issues and develop practical solutions.
- Maintain accurate design documentation, files, revisions, and specifications.
- Follow our quality and traceability procedures, and handle patient scans and records in line with Ontario's health privacy law (PHIPA).
- Contribute to the development and improvement of standardized design workflows, templates, and modeling processes.

Qualifications

- 3–5 years of professional CAD design experience.
- Solid experience with Fusion 360.
- Strong parametric modeling skills in Fusion 360, including fully constrained sketches, user parameters, and a clean, editable design history.
- Demonstrated experience with freeform, organic, or surface modeling — experience working with complex anatomical geometry is considered a strong asset.
- Strong understanding of 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
- Experience designing parts for manufacturing, with an understanding of tolerances, clearances, wall thicknesses, and material behavior.
- Strong 3D visualization and spatial reasoning skills.
- Ability to interpret technical drawings, 3D scans, measurements, and design requirements.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to produce highly accurate designs.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Assets / Preferred Experience

The following experience would be considered a significant asset:

- Experience with prosthetics, orthotics, braces, medical devices, or wearable products.
- Experience working with 3D-scanned anatomy or patient-specific geometry.
- Experience with Fusion 360 Form or other organic modeling tools.
- Experience with SolidWorks surfacing or similar advanced surface-modeling workflows.
- Experience with SLS, MJF, FDM, SLA, or other additive manufacturing technologies.
- Experience with Netfabb or other additive manufacturing software.
- Knowledge of DfAM principles and polymer 3D printing.




- Experience developing parametric design systems or reusable CAD templates.
- Experience working within a medical, prosthetics/orthotics, engineering, or product-development environment.
- Experience in product or industrial design, including taking a product from concept to launch.
- Experience cleaning up and repairing 3D scan data in tools such as Geomagic, Materialise Magics, or Blender.
- Experience with O&P; CAD software such as Rodin4D or Canfit.
- Experience automating CAD work with the Fusion 360 API (Python) or similar scripting.
- Familiarity with medical-device quality systems such as ISO 13485.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is more than just a CAD operator. The successful candidate will have a strong design mindset, excellent spatial reasoning, and the ability to solve complex problems in 3D.

You should be comfortable taking something as unconventional as a 3D scan of a patient's anatomy and determining how it should be modeled, how it should function, and how it can ultimately be manufactured.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of CAD design, 3D scanning, additive manufacturing, and medical technology.

Your designs will directly contribute to the development of patient-specific products that improve mobility, comfort, and quality of life.

You will have the opportunity to work with advanced CAD and additive manufacturing technologies while developing solutions to unique and challenging design problems that cannot be solved through conventional manufacturing alone.

We offer a Health Spending Account (HSA).

How to Apply

Send your resume and a portfolio to [email protected] with "3D CAD Designer" in the subject line by October 28, 2026. We review applications as they arrive and may fill the role before then. Your portfolio should include organic or freeform work, and scan-based or anatomical models if you have them.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short design exercise using a sample scan.

This posting is for an existing vacancy. We will tell every interviewed applicant the outcome within 45 days of their last interview.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodation

Black Octopus is an equal opportunity employer. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in any stage of the hiring process. If you need one, contact [email protected].

Pay: $75,000.00-$90,000.00 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Brantford, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Application question(s):

- Do you have professional experience designing in Fusion 360?
- Please share a link to your design portfolio, including organic or freeform work if you have it.

Experience:

- professional CAD design: 3 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person

📌 3D CAD Designer – Orthotics & Prosthetics (Brantford)
🏢 Black Octopus
📍 Brantford