I want to design a machine. What level does this machine need to reach before I can apply for a patent?

You can establish a protection idea according to the following ideas.

A machine must be made for a certain purpose, such as saving parts on the existing machine, improving work efficiency, reducing noise, saving energy, or being different from the realization principle of the existing technology, and so on. This purpose is actually called the technical problem to be solved.

Then closely follow this goal and describe how to achieve this goal, which needs to be described emphatically, and advocate protection based on this content.

Finally, analyze why this technology can achieve the previous purpose and what advantages it has (the patent is called beneficial effect).

Simply put, that's the idea.

If you entrust a special intellectual property agency or patent agency, you should also provide the above information to let them know about your technology so that they can write appropriate claims for this technology.