This is a Beta-release of my portfolio. It is, by no means, complete and will be upgraded and modified moving forward. But I am “putting it out there” to hopefully get some attention for my job search… comments and additions welcomed.
As you can imagine, these are snapshots of projects I’ve done, and are by no means a comprehensive sweep of my career*. Rather, they’re projects I’ve done where I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to cobble together enough to put out a “SPAR Sheet” or write an essay about it.
Also note: There is no confidential or proprietary information here. All these products are either on the market, have been “sanitized” to the best of my “good faith” ability to eliminate confidential information, or were never implemented. Most CAD model pictures are mock-ups , i.e., concepts to show the desired information, and nothing more.
* Note: I spent six years at Cabot Corporation; being bound by a stringent NDA, there is very little I can say about my experiences there as virtually everything I did there is proprietary. A pity – I’ve got some good stuff from there.
US PATENTS
6059483: Sealed joint for a multi-component injection molded automotive lamp assembly.
6395201: Method and manufacturing an automotive reflector.
Not patented yet in the US, but published: A Method For Producing Carbon Black Using An Extender Fluid. Note this has been patented already in multiple foreign countries.
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
- Decreased chemical process variation and nozzle replacement frequency by launching new spray nozzles with improved hardening treatment.
- Designed new composite part to eliminate ergonomic issue in manual process; improved quality, reduced cost.
- Eliminated quality and ergonomic issues by redimensioning components to reduce tolerance stack-up
- Designed and analyzed plastic mechanism for caskets to eliminate steel components from design.
- Designed custom injection-molded plastic housing and mounting features for Lego truck sound device.
- Redesigned line of failing plastic filter housings; new design exceeded fatigue life specifications by over 100%.
- Redesigned rotationally-molded coolant tank; reduced cost by 15% and eliminated four separate pieces.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY
- Led Design for Assembly effort to reduce labor costs in new generation of electro-mechanical capital equipment, saving over $5 million in L&OH within three years of launch and reducing assembly floor area needed over 50%.
- Solved O-ring roll out problem in manual assembly operation through proper chamfer design. (Also discussed in the second part of this essay.)
- Recommended widening glue track to increase process window over 150% without compromising joint strength.
- Eliminated product’s 50% rework rate in brazing operation by redimensioning joint for proper process window.
VALUE ANALYSIS / VALUE ENGINEERING & COST REDUCTION
- Conceived, researched, and prototyped integrating heat shield functionality into plastic housing to eliminate separate-piece heat shield. Projected corporate-wide total cost savings of approximately $750K annually.
- Saved over $250K annually by replacing molded virgin rubber with superior material based on recycled tires.
- Examined molded-in reflectivity to eliminate process steps in automotive taillight manufacturing. Process had functional potential but cost savings did not pan out. (Presented to highlight creativity.)
PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING
- Co-invented “Integrated Molding and Assembly” technology. First application in modular cell; plant-wide labor savings potential over $500K. Technology was patented in 2000.
- Prevented machine damage by using laser scanning and data analysis to detect pattern in radiator fin heights.
- Saved over $150K in scrap/throughput costs by examining leak location. Supplier part was blamed for leak test failures; data indicated part was fine 90%+ of the time, and poor seating during assembly was creating the leaks. (Discussed as one example in this essay.)
- Identified root cause of water entrainment in headlights appearing at customers’ assembly plants, invented containment action, and verified permanent solution. (Discussed in this essay.)
- Discovered failure mode of high-end plasma torch returns from the field; analysis by the team dropped field returns by over 90%. (Discussed in the first half of this essay.)
- Identified shipping & handling as source of puncture failures in disposable sterile syringe blister-packs. Proposed tool and / or material change with pros / cons for each. (Discussed in this essay.)
- Enabled material change saving over $200K annually by proposing surface treatment to improve adhesion. (Discussed in this essay.)
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS SKILLS
- Developed and managed project plan for Lego toy truck and launched on schedule. Lego liaison called plan the “most comprehensive” he’d seen.
- Created process development prioritization list through QFD analysis.
- Prevented low ROI mold purchase by analyzing NPV of projected savings as a function of two key variables.
ENGINEERING-RELATED ESSAYS ON MY BLOG
Engineering Change Orders – Thoughts on the ECO process and capturing more information in it.
The Value of Analysis (Part I) – Case study of value analysis sessions to reduce costs.
The Value of Analysis (Part II) – Case study of value analysis and the importance of competitive benchmarking.
Fix the Problem I: Eliminate Variability, or Adapt to It – Case study of identifying where variation in a process comes from, and how to handle it.
Fix the Problem II: Medical Blister-Pack Punctures – Case study of finding the location of where a customer-found problem originated, and some proposed solutions.
Fix the Problem III: Ink Adhesion to Plastics – Case study about adhesion to plastics, and how it was solved.
Fix the Problem IV: Water Ingestion into a Headlight – Case study examining a problem at an OEM customer.
Fix the Problem V: Cultural Awareness is Critical – Case study of how an understanding of Japanese culture avoided costing people face.
Case Study: Choosing Plastics for a LEGO Toy Truck – Case study about how to select plastics for an application from my career.
Design for Assembly: A Child Sippy-Cup Cap – Case study of a DFA problem showing how partial symmetry can be a problem.
Fix the Problem VI -The Role of Material Microstructure in an Overmolding Application
Choosing Plastics – Why it’s important to think of the end goal – minimized part cost – and not obsess over price per pound of resin pellets.
Visiting Suppliers – Three examples of why visiting suppliers, whether prospective, established, or best-in-class, is a very good idea.
Fix the Problem VII: Product Launch Crisis – Case study about a product launch going particularly badly, and how we worked to identify the critical areas to focus attention.
Fix the Problem VIII: The Problem Toggle – Two examples of solving a problem by truly understanding the root cause… and how I found those root causes.
Fix the Problem IX: Three High-Scrap Issues on a Product Family – Tracing the root causes and eliminating the scrap on three different automotive radiators.
Fix the Problem X: Learning from Interview Problems – Three short case studies of problems I was presented with in interviews, as a part of seeing how I approach problems.
Fix the Problem XI: The Measles Chart – A very simple graphic, used as a first-pass data collection scheme in production trouble-shooting, can reveal tremendous amounts of useful information.
Lean Manufacturing: Weighing Theory vs. the POF – Lean Manufacturing in Theory and Practice, with a case-history overview.
Fix the Problem XII: When Chemicals Attack – Three short examples, with lessons-learned, about when chemicals attacked products and/or equipment.
Pegging Out the Nerd-O-Meter: My Morning Commute – A statistical analysis of my morning commute time.
Fix the Problem XIII: What’s Different, What Changed? – One of the key parts of production problem-solving is understanding what might have changed from good to bad, and how good parts differ from bad parts.
CAD MODELING WRITE-UPS FOR STUDENTS AT UMASS/Lowell AND MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE (Solidworks)
Homework: A “Toe clamp”.
Homework: A measuring cup.
Homework: Lofts and Sweeps (and capturing Design Intent)
David Hunt, PE... Mechanical Engineer on the loose! 