Introduction

As an Automation Engineering graduate with hands on experience in designing, testing, and validating electromechanical systems, I am passionate about solving complex technical challenges. My portfolio highlights projects that demonstrate my expertise in automation, reliability engineering, data analysis, additive manufacturing, and system design. These experiences reflect my ability to develop innovative solutions while ensuring reliability and scalability. At the bottom of the page I provide some information on a number of projects that I am currently working on.

Capstone Project – Automated Cell Culturing System

Objective: To automate repetitive cell culturing tasks in biology labs to improve efficiency, reduce reliance on human labor, and enhance data quality.

Key Contributions:

• Competed all of the mechanical design, production and assembly for this project as well as the majority of the electrical design and troubleshooting
• Developed success criteria for the project and created testing protocols to gauge success
• Designed and built an XYZ motion system using a repurposed 3D printer.
• Developed a custom tool changer system with interchangeable micropipettes actuated by an integrated linear actuator.
• Built a multi-tiered rotary table system for petri dish storage and retrieval using an electromagnetic end effector.
• Wrote, tested and validated GCode sequences to control the system, ensuring reliable operation

Key Outcome: Demonstrated the ability to design reliable electromechanical systems with integrated hardware/software control.

Relevence: Showcases expertise in automation, motion control systems, and troubleshooting electromechanical systems.

For more detail, our final project presentation can be found here: 4TR3 Project Presentation

Friesen Gear – Small Business Owner

Objective: Designed and produced reliable accessories for cycling and backpacking using additive manufacturing.

Key Contributions:

• Created innovative solutions to improve reliability in outdoor gear (e.g., custom seatpost mounts for bike lights and sleeping pad inflation adapters).
• Applied design for manufacturing principles to scale production while maintaining product quality.
• Designed a custom PID-controlled heat treatment oven for composites manufacturing (e.g., aramid and carbon fiber).

Key Outcome: Developed products and successfully scaled production processes while ensuring product reliability.

Relevence: Demonstrates experience in additive manufacturing, product design, and scaling production processes.

You can view my products on the shop page of this website, as well as on my Etsy store.

Machine Health Vibration Analysis

Objective: Developed a condition-based monitoring system to evaluate CNC mill axis health.

Key Contributions:

• Selected accelerometer and microcontroller components; wrote code for data collection
• Designed and manufactured an enclosure and fixturing system compliant with ISO 5348
• Analyzed data in R using statistical methods in both time ad frequency domains such as FFT, standard deviation, RMS and peak-to-peak analysis

Key Outcome: Delivered actionable insights into machine health by analyzing vibration data

Relevance: Highlights skills in data collection, statistical analysis, and presenting technical findings

McMaster Nuclear Operations – Technical Services

Objective: Supported research operations at McMaster’s nuclear reactor by designing reliable systems for safety and efficiency

Key Contributions:

• Assisted in designing, fabricating, installing, testing, and commissioning a fail-safe safety interlock system for a deuterium-deuterium generator.
• Improved the facility’s additive manufacturing workflow by transitioning from outdated equipment
• Designed and CNC milled an aluminum adapter for proprietary nozzles on Airwolf Evo printers to improve print quality and enable compatibility with hardened steel nozzles for sinterable stainless steel materials
• Automated the calibration proccess of radiation monitoring equipment to improve accuracy and repeatability by building a linear axis controlled by an Arduino with stepper motors and lead screws

Key Outcome: Delivered robust solutions that enhanced safety protocols and operational efficiency.

Relevance: Demonstrates expertise in reliability engineering under strict regulatory environments.

Center for Integrated Transportation and Mobility – Network Maintance

Objective: Maintained the performance of 4G/5G networks while supporting client onboarding and troubleshooting network reliability issues.

Key Contributions:

• Interfaced with stakeholders including network users, contractors (e.g., Nokia), and internal teams to resolve network issues.
• Troubleshot performance issues in 4G/5G networks under various stressors.
• Worked with Nokia to bring 4G and 5G network back on line

Key Outcome: Improved network performance through effective collaboration with diverse stakeholders.

Relevance: Highlights ability to manage complex systems while collaborating across teams to achieve results.

Work In Progress

Silicone 3d printer

Objective: Develop a low-cost, high-precision silicone 3D printing system for producing soft robotic components, gaskets and other silicone parts by building off of the research paper “Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing“

Current Contributions:

• Designed and prototyped a peristaltic pump based extrusion system compatible with high-viscosity platinum cure silicones.
• Integrated custom stepper-driven dispensing hardware and early curing-management strategies.
• Adapted 3D-printer firmware and motion parameters to handle silicone materials.
• Explored print-path strategies for improving bead consistency and layer adhesion.

In Progress / Next Steps: Improving extrusion control, improving

Relevance: Demonstrates experience with unconventional materials, hardware modification, custom toolhead development, and process optimization.

The best tent stakes in the world?

Objective: Create the world’s best ultralight tent stakes throught the use of hollow 3D-printed titanium strucures with optimized geometry for holding power and durability.

Current Contributions:

• Researched limitations and opportunities of metal AM, especially with regard to thin walls. Worked with print bureau to optimize DFAM of parts
• Developed prototype stake geometries inspired by real world soil interaction and insertion force constraints.
• Tested various internal latice structures generated using nTop
• Tested FDM/SLA printed prototypes to validate geometry before committing to titanium manufacturing.
• Developed stake testing protocals to quantify the impact of design choices and validate designs

In Progress / Next Steps: Refining geometry for manufacturability and further field testing prototypes in various soil types.

Engineering Relevance: Highlights skills in mechanical design, engineering, materials, rapid prototyping, and performance testing.

Improving combustion effiency, wind resistance and heat spread of ultralight backpacking stoves

Objective: Increase fuel efficiency, wind resistance, and heat distribution in ultralight backpacking stoves through airflow redesign, burner optimization, and improved pot interface spacing.
Current Contributions:

• Conducted comparative testing of current stove designs to identify efficiency losses and common design elements.
• Modeled air/fuel flow paths using nTop and experimented with burner jet patterns.
• Validated CFD results using a DIY schlieren imaging setup.
• Built early prototype burner heads using metal and high-temp 3D-printed components for controlled characterization.

In Progress / Next Steps: Quantifying improvements using boil-time and fuel-consumption testing and using the resulting data to inform the next iteration of prototypes

Relevance: Demonstrates expertise in rapid prototyping and performance testing, as well as developed an understanding of CFD.