Research and development of 3d scanners and accessory hardware.  Worked with customer, production, and vendors to create a stand-alone kiosk dual 3d foot scanner used to create custom foot orthotics from our partner business.  While keeping up with development and production of the kiosk, I led efforts to bring manufacturing in-house.  In conjunction with the software team, I designed and built an automated calibration station that would allow the calibration and verification of a scanner engine in one location.   A modified Stewart-Gough platform was designed and 3d printed to allow for robust calibration along with a linear rail for the engine to move through the different steps involved.

Responsibilities:

• Mechanical Research and Development
• Hands-on Prototyping of concepts
• Mechanical Designs (Onshape / Solidworks)
• DFM / DFA to keep part costs down
• Creating Drawings and Maintaining Revision Control
• Sourcing new parts w/ previous and new vendors
• Worked daily with Production team to troubleshoot and improve scanner production

Accomplishments:

• Successfully adapted the previously designed single foot scanner to allow for two feet simultaneously
• Developed the kiosk hardware to allow a person to easily and safely step up onto the scanner and interact with the touch screen computer.
• Supported legacy hardware
• Worked to streamline calibration of scanner sub-assemblies
• Initially implemented Solidworks PDM (Included in license package) then switched entirely to Onshape browser based cad and document management system.
• Took first step to bringing part manufacturing in-house by researching and purchasing a cnc router table to handle reworking inventory.

Technical Lead

Jan, 2016 – Jun, 2016

Brought the car seat from engineering prototype to pre-production.  Contributed and managed the continued development of the Self-Installing Infant Car Seat. This involved continuing to collaborate daily with Industrial Design, Marketing, Supply Chain Engineering, and Quality departments.  Lead the team to assure modifications were made to improve the quality of the mechanisms while in development.  Communicated with the manufacturer about said modifications and if they were possible and cost effective.  Participated in trips to contract manufacturer in China to solve issues with the production process and manufacturing. Organized multiple trips to crash testing facilities for multi-day testing, as well as heading each trip to ensure success.

Mechanical Engineer

Aug, 2012 – Jan, 2016

Participated in New Product Development for Self-Installing Infant Car Seat team.  Helped develop new mechanisms to achieve a carseat that could install itself. Began with a small override mechanism and ended with full ownership of the project when promoted to Technical Lead.  This position included wholly owning a subsystem and iterating it until it was ready for production.  The team followed an agile approach to hardware including daily stand-ups and weekly meetings to communicate where each team member was with their focus area.

Responsibilities:

• Conceptualizing new mechanisms/solutions
• Designing the mechanism in CAD (Solidworks)
• Defining test methods for said design
• 3d-Printing and testing the new design
• Identifying problems/interferences/issues
• Iterating design based on identified issues
• Releasing finalized designs for manufacture
• Refining designs once in manufacture based on testing
• Handing over project to supply chain once production starts

Accomplishments:

• Acquired copious of hands on prototyping experience building in-house prototypes
• Worked continously with contract manufacturers
• Travelled to testing facility on multiple trips
• Travelled to Contract Manufacturer in Asia multiple times
• Was able to see and help build engineering prototypes at CM
• Promoted from owning a small sub-assembly to owning the base assembly to eventually becoming the technical lead of the project
• Prepared the team and project to enter into pre-production
• Product was sucessfully launched after my departure and was eventually discontinued after a few years

WVU Lunabotics – NASA RMC 

2012

WVU Lunabotics Facebook

The NASA Robotic Mining Competition (formerly Lunabotics) is a competition where university level students design and build a mining robot that can traverse an simulated off-planet environment and mine a basaltic regolith simulant. 

The team consisted of 12 masters and bachelors level students.  Work began in September of that year to overall the previous design and brainstorm ideas for new digging mechanisms.  Immediately after designs were outlined, planning began.  Purchasing and fabricating components then quickly followed.  Along with this, testing was conducted up until the date of competition.  The competition was held at the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center.  The team placed 10th overall.

Features:

• Articulated Digging Bucket
• Chevron Wheels
• Conveyor Collection/Dumping Mechanism
• Dug 100 kg  in 15 min
• Finished 3rd Overall, 10th in Digging

WVU Lunabotics – NASA RMC 

2011

WVU Lunabotics Facebook

The NASA Robotic Mining Competition (formerly Lunabotics) is a competition where university level students design and build a mining robot that can traverse a simulated off-planet environment and mine a basaltic regolith simulant from a remote location.   

2011 marked the formation of the WVU team.  It consisted of 12 masters and bachelors level students.  Work began in September of that year to research previous designs and brainstorm ideas for digging mechanisms and locomotion.  Immediately after designs were outlined and planning began.  Purchasing and fabricating components then quickly followed.  Along with this, testing was conducted up until the date of competition.  The competition was held at the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center.  The team placed 3rd in digging.

Features:

• Bucket Chain Digging Mechanism
• Chevron Wheels
• Rotating Carbon Fiber Dumping Mechanism
• Dug 105 kg in 15 min
• Finished 3rd in Digging

2009 SENIOR PROJECT 

For our senior project we decided to take on the task of converting a used gasoline motorcycle to electric for the minimum cost using commercial off the shelf components.  The team consisted of four engineers from the mechanical engineering department.  The bike was completely researched and designed in the first semester.  Then the components were bought and the bike was built the second semester, finishing during finals week.

Project Statement:

The purpose of this project is to convert small vehicles that are used frequently, such as motorcycles, over to electric to reduce reliance on petroleum fuels and slow global climate change.

This project was focused on the final goal of converting a gasoline motorcycle that will be used for local commuting with a range that covers the average commute, which is around 20 miles. This will also be based on the assumption that this will not be the primary vehicle for the end user. It will be a vehicle for daily commuting or short trips.

Features:

• Concept to Driving in 2 semesters.
• Total cost of $2100
• Range of 25 miles
• 19 hp peak
• 48v x 50Ah SLA Batteries
• Charge time 8hrs with built in charger
• 4 Person Team

WVU TECH BAJA SAE TEAM

2007 

Project Lead / Engineer

The SAE team at WVU Tech had competed in this design competition in previous years but due to the rules, either a new vehicle must be built or a previous vehicle must be heavily modified.  Our team decided to go the scratch route.  This consisted of designing, fundraising, obtaining the required materials, getting the proper tools, and then actually building it.  We accomplished this task in under a year.   During this process I organized meetings, recruitment, email, website updates, and participated in fabrication.

Baja SAE consists of competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Engineering students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain.

The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the design, planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities.

• Designed Fall 2007
• Built Spring 2008
• 10 HP Briggs and Stratton Engine
• Hand-built Chrome-Moly Frame
• Competed in May 2008 in Montreal, Canada