ABOUT

The engineer behind Neutral Axis.

A working history built across aerospace, high-speed electric motors and concentrated solar thermal hardware, taking each project from early concept to something that actually works.

Portrait of James Bush, founder of Neutral Axis

One engineer, taking full ownership.

My career has been built in small teams, doing the kind of engineering where one person has to take a problem from a rough idea through to something that actually works, rather than handing it off once the CAD is done. That's meant owning projects end to end: concept development, detailed design, analysis, prototyping and testing, usually all at once.

That range is what Neutral Axis is built around. I can get up to speed on a technical problem quickly and take ownership of getting it solved, whether that's a mechanism that won't behave, a prototype that needs to survive real-world testing, or a product that just needs an engineer to push it forward. When you bring me in, you're working with the person doing the engineering, not managing a handoff.

James BushMechanical Design Engineer, Founder of Neutral Axis
Based inEdinburgh, relocating to Brisbane

Where that experience comes from.

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Orchid Solar

March – September 2026

First engineering hire at an early-stage concentrated solar thermal startup, on a six-month fixed-term contract. Took a 2kW collector demonstrator from zero assembly to a fully installed, field-tested prototype in four months, building a 4.6m² mirror array and a ~300kg structure around a dual-axis tracking system targeting 1° accuracy. Ran the de-risking test programme that melted aluminium at the focal point and went on to deliver hot air from the receiver.

FOCUS
  • Structural & reflector design
  • Solar tracking & controls
  • Prototype commissioning
Mechanical Engineer

Leonardo

December 2024 – March 2026

Delivered mechanical design and subsystem development for DragonFire, a high-energy laser defence system, engineering precision optomechanical mounts to isolate sensitive photodiodes and optical windows. Separately, provided production support on another product line, diagnosing and resolving a systemic sub-assembly defect that cut the defect rate from 42% to 16%.

FOCUS
  • Optomechanical design
  • Root cause investigation
  • Production support
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Technelec Ltd

June 2021 – March 2022
January 2023 – December 2024

Two stints leading mechanical engineering for advanced electric motor systems across e-turbo, EV propulsion and fuel cell applications, covering stator and rotor architecture, prototype builds and low-volume manufacture. Developed a residual-stress analysis tool for interference-fit rotors exceeding 170,000 rpm, and cut tooling investment by roughly £80k through a novel two-part stator design.

FOCUS
  • High-speed rotor design
  • Interference-fit analysis
  • DFM & DFA

What I bring to a project.

The practical toolkit behind that experience: design, analysis, systems integration and manufacture.

Mechanical Design & CAD

  • SOLIDWORKS (CSWP)
  • Creo Parametric
  • GD&T (ASME Y14.5)
  • Tolerance stack analysis
  • Mechanism design
  • DFM / DFA

Engineering Analysis

  • Structural analysis
  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Interference fit analysis
  • Design verification

Mechatronics & Systems Integration

  • Electromechanical systems
  • Motion control
  • PCB packaging
  • Control systems integration
  • Soldering
  • Prototype commissioning

Manufacturing & Industrialisation

  • 3D Printing
  • Additive manufacturing (FDM/MSLA)
  • Die-casting design
  • Supplier technical collaboration
  • Prototype & low-volume builds

Testing & Development

  • Prototype testing
  • System validation
  • Root cause investigation
  • Fault diagnosis
  • Performance optimisation

Have a mechanical problem to solve?
Let's talk.

Whether it's a defined project, flexible hourly support, or ongoing engineering capacity: tell me what you're building.