ENGINEERING MANAGER, DAC INTERNATIONAL 2012 – 2021
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FT-3 (3 tool post, fast tool)
I designed the FT-3 to enable manufacturing of fully formed edge radii on non-rotational symmetric lens peripheries while preserving tooling area for additional tooling.
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ALM3 Precision Lathe
Ultra-Precision lathe for contact and intraocular lens (IOL) manufacturing. The engineering department developed the ALMe to address the ergonomic needs of our customers while improving functionality and accuracy.
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Height Measurement Gauge
Working with software and application engineers, I developed a physical gauging device to ‘soft-locate‘ the tool. This enables lab technicians to precisely and consistently calibrate height of any diamond tool without the need for awkward and space consuming external measuring devices.
Managed and collaborated with a team of electrical, software, and mechanical engineers in all aspects of producing air bearing, nanometer precision diamond turning lathes. Designed product that accounted for ≈20% of company profits. Deployed Google Workspace to drive information away from emails to a shared, tracked information silo. Performed infrastructure upgrades. Managed technical writer to create 300+ page operator manual.
Leverage flexures, additive manufacturing, and precision machine design principals to improve repeatability, accuracy, and manufacturability of equipment. Created, installed, and maintained company-wide DokuWiki containing engineering, IT, and critical company information to drive the elimination of “tribal knowledge” which was leveraged to create formal documentation and define work standards and procedures.
Identified CE and UL regulatory requirements and successfully met requirements for compliance. Interfaced with critical component suppliers to ensure prompt delivery, quality, and performance of components. This resulted in a ≈ 40% decrease in RMAs for a single product and elimination of issues with others.
Collaborated with international sales team to design and engineer products to drive new machine sales while also coordinating and developing machine upgrade process. Worked with service and applications department to resolve worldwide service issues. Fostered collaboration with production department to open lines of communication to eliminate waste, resolve manufacturing issues and increase overall productivity.
Supported in-house machine shop to improve manufacturability and reduce complexity of parts. Defined key guiding principles for engineering department that changed direction and focus of work towards a more collaborative, transparent, and productive work environment. Reduced cost of products through additive manufacturing, alternative material use, and part consolidation. Performed CE risk assessments, managed the electrical and mechanical changes, and successfully met requirements for labeling/compliance.