Automated Display Assembly for General Atomics-ASI
Senior capstone: led the design and manufacture of an automated mechanical display assembly for a General Atomics-ASI factory, delivered to an external customer on a fixed academic deadline.
Problem
General Atomics-ASI wanted a factory display that showed their components actually working, which meant a mechanical assembly designed around parts chosen by someone else and delivered on a date that could not move.
Outcome
The team delivered a working automated display assembly to General Atomics-ASI on deadline, designed and prototyped from scratch around the customer's own components.
Evidence
- Led the design and research work required to integrate the customer's components into the display assembly.
- Oversaw the Solidworks designs and finite element analysis calculations used for prototyping.
- Coordinated a team of mechanical and electrical engineers to align tasks against the project's goals and deadlines.
The assembly had to show off the company's own components and demonstrate their function, which made it a product with an audience rather than a coursework exercise — a real customer had to be willing to put it on their floor. I led the design and research work to integrate the required components into the assembly, and oversaw the Solidworks models and finite element analysis used to prototype it. Most of the difficulty was coordination rather than mechanics: aligning a team of mechanical and electrical engineers so that tasks fit together and the deadline held.