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Design optimization of mechanisms is a promising research area as it results in more energy-efficient machines without compromising performance. However, machine builders do not actually use the potential described in the literature, as these methods require too much theoretical analysis. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel industrial applicable approach that enables the design optimization of reciprocating mechanisms using CAD models.The 3D multi-body software is used to perform motion simulations, from which the objective value samples can be extracted. In this paper, the considered objective value is the required torque, for a specific combination of design parameters, to fulfil the movement. Dedicated software can execute multiple motion simulations sequentially and interchange data between the different simulations, which automates the process of retrieving objective value samples. Therefore, without in-depth analytical design analysis, a machine designer can evaluate multiple designs at a low cost. Moreover, an optimal design that meets the objective can be found by implementing an optimization algorithm. In a case study of an emergency ventilator mechanism which considers three link lengths as design parameters (DP's), 39 CAD motion simulations allowed a reduction of the RMS torque of the mechanism by 57.2%.