Portfolio MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & DESIGN NATHANIEL THOMPSON CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Portfolio MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & DESIGN NATHANIEL THOMPSON | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | [email protected] X-VBR IANeuro – Int...
Author: Elmer Sullivan
4 downloads 1 Views 2MB Size




Portfolio

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & DESIGN

NATHANIEL THOMPSON | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | [email protected]





X-VBR IANeuro – Internship Problem: Cervical vertebral body replacement devices are expensive, extend only in one direction, and require post processing to rough surface for proper bone adsorption. My role was to fully design and rapidly prototype the device. Additionally, I was tasked with initial static and fatigue analysis.

Solution:





Design for manufacture by Direct Metal Laser Sintering, allowing for complex geometries and naturally rough surfaces.



Bi-directional and side-independent extension – up to 180% - allows for finer adjustment control.



Modular endcaps permit customizable slopes and surface geometries to better fit patient.









Inventio n Identifi er Acass-Systems - Internship Problem: During a concert tour, performers are often travelling hundreds of miles day to day to reach venues. In order to assemble the stage on time for each performance, roadies work long, grueling hours on little sleep. As such, mistakes such as underpowered drives or I/O plugged into the wrong mechanism are common. My role was to design and rapidly prototype the system for proof of concept.

Solution: •

Plug & play invention identification device using a raspberry pi, power over Ethernet, and the Modbus TCP architecture allowing for an "idiot proofed" stage assembly process as motor drives adapt to connected stage gag on plug.



Standardized 14-pin plug protocol for transmission of 5, 24, 48, and 120 voltage bus lines to remote I/O.



Separate touch screen device with app for real time monitoring of I/O values and updating unique invention identifier on the fly.



Weatherproofed enclosure with gasket fittings to prevent rain damage at outdoor performances.









Dri nk S tabli zer Design II – Academic Project Problem: Nearly 11 million United States citizens suffer from a tremor inducing disease making menial tasks like drinking difficult, stigmatizing, and time-consuming. Currently, there does not exist a reliable stabilizing drinkware product forcing afflicted patients to come up with DIY solutions including sippy cups and straws, both of which can be a source of embarrassment in a public setting. There is a need for a low profile and robust active stabilization drinkware for hand tremors, that will further destigmatize the disease and provide further independence to the end user.

Solution: •

Utilize a PID controller with feedback from a 9-axis inertial measurement unit to adjust two servo motors in reaction to tremors.



Control cup in yaw and pitch axes, while locking roll to allow for tremor reduction as well as the ability to drink on demand without use of second hand.



My contributions included modeling the final consumer product, machining various parts, and adjusting the open source controller software.



Product won Best Design at end of year competition







Sm ar t Amp Special Topics – Academic Project Problem: In the summer of 2014 I built two speakers from scratch. In order to drive the speakers, I bought a cheap amp off of Amazon. This amp was ugly and also required a direct auxiliary input into the device. For an end of year design in a special topics course I decided to redesign this product to better match my speakers and provide a better aesthetic value.

Solution: •

Amplifier features a walnut enclosure with oak inlays and an aluminum side paneling.



Amplifier “smarts” are provided by an enclosed raspberry pi running PiMusicBox software and is capable of serving a static url on the local network interfacing the amplifier with Spotify, Pandora, Airplay, Bluetooth, and locally stored music.



Music is played locally on the Raspberry Pi reducing the fidelity losses of Bluetooth and removing need for auxiliary input.



Machining was done using a bandsaw, jig saw, 3axis mill, and lasercutter along with other expected tools.



Product won “Best Fabrication and Design” at end of year competition along with 5 other students.





Sm ar t Po ur Special Topics – Academic Project





Problem: For an end of year project in a course dedicated to Design for Manufacture, Assembly, and Environment we were allotted one week to come up with a product for a shark tank style presentation. In this one week we were required to develop a rough prototype, design the final product, and develop packaging and branding for a presentation to potential investors. A partner and I developed the Smart Pour, a modular bottle spout which can be set to a desired quantity of liquid, and automatically shut off flow once the amount has been poured. This device was developed with cooking in mind and is meant to interface with a “Recipe Book” phone app. My role was to develop the electronics of the prototype and design branding and packaging.

Solution: •

Utilize an Arduino, 5V relay, turbine flow meter, and solenoid to create a rough prototype of the open loop control system regulating flow.



Set variable volume amounts on prototype using input from a 10K potentiometer which outputs to an LCD digital read out for both volumes desired and poured.



Develop packaging for mass appeal, easy assembly, and stack-ability during transit



Develop clean logo for brand recognition.







Me ch a ni c al G ri pp e r Mechanical Design – Academic Project

Problem: Team given four weeks [two weeks per round] to design and optimize for mass a gripper capable of grabbing a 1.45kg replica of Thor’s Hammer, and holding onto the object, without slipping, through a dynamic swinging motion. My role in the team was lead designer & solid modeler.

Solution: •

Exploit laser-cutter and additive fabrication for manufacture and rapid prototyping.



Utilize acrylic [1st round] and balsa wood [2nd round] due to their ease of manufacturing and high strength to weight ratios.



Join parts via finger joints to avoid high weight contribution from fasteners and adhesives.



Design placed in 2nd in both rounds with weights of 186g [acrylic] and 86g [balsa] respectively.





Pr os t he ti c F o ot Biomedical Design – Academic Project

Problem: Most low-cost prosthetics only offer one axis of motion. More specifically, the axis of rotation addressed by current solutions only mimics the movement of the true ankle joint. As such, current solutions lack the range of motion and shock absorption inherent to the true biological system. This results in a decreased longevity of the product, as the increased stress concentrations from stepping on uneven surfaces will ultimately cause failure at the connection between shin and ankle. Currently solutions at best have lifespans from 1 to 5 years. My role in this project – in a team of 4 - was modeling designs and running dynamic loading simulations.

Solution: •

Explore geometries and mechanisms capable of mimicking the range of motion of the subtalar joint.



By increasing range of motion, developed stress concentrations from stepping on uneven surfaces are reduced mitigating fatigue and maximizing lifespan.



Design for manufacture by injection molding with a polypropylene copolymer with properties matching calculations.



Final geometry and selected material designed to closely matched required performance of both true ankle and subtalar joints.







S ou p Ch il l e r Thermal Fluids – Academic Project

Problem: Team of 5 given six weeks to design a system utilizing a refrigeration cycle capable of lowering the temperature of 20L of soup within the time limits set by the FDA to avoid bacterial growth. Design constraints included minimizing cost and energy expenditure. During the project I acted as team leader, as well completing solid body designs and thermal analysis on fins.

Solution: •

Modular rack system for holding 12 2L finned soup containers that can be conveniently placed into most conventional convection refrigerators.



Soup containers designed to be punch drawn aluminum with the outer fins welded on in a manufacturing process similarly used for finned tubes.



Developed ANSYS thermal model to validate soup chilled from 200 F to 42 F within 6hrs.



Integrated closed loop control system for monitoring internal temperature of soup and adjusting refrigerant mass flow rate as needed.





As t r on a ut Co a t R a ck Mechanical Design – Academic Project

Problem: Required to design and optimize for mass an acrylic bracket capable of holding a 40lb weight attached to a two pin clip simulating the load of an astronaut’s suit in space.

Solution: •

Develop a 3 force member by having the line of action of each arm extend through the applied load.



Optimized arm angle using a MATLAB script to minimize volume required in each arm to avoid failure with a factor of safety of 2.



Finite element analysis was done to help design pin holes and attachment geometry against contact stresses.



Final Design was in top 5% of class with final mass of 5.13g







BB-08 Optimization Mechanical Design – Group Project

Problem: Tasked with modeling the dynamic motion of the BB-08 droid from Star Wars and choosing a motor/gearbox combination that would optimize performance of the spherical droid in a rolling task. Additionally, we were tasked with designing a custom wheel – based on simulation results – to be produced at high volume with low cost and sufficient quality. My role was to model system and run all MATLAB analysis.

Solution: •

Utilize ODE functions to solve relevant differential equations; flow chart for equations of motion pictured below.



Minimize cost function provided by client related to time of roll, energy expenditure, and cost of hardware.



Design for mass manufacture a contact wheel – pictured below – by die casted magnesium.



N av i- Ca p IANeuro – Internship

Problem: Current positional reference adapters for intracranial surgery require multiple screw holes in addition to the large port for tools. Reference adapters allow for calibration and 3D localization of the tools used in the intracranial surgery. My role in the team was to model designs, rapidly prototype product, and carry out clinical tests on cadavers.

Solution: •

Remove fasteners by utilizing snap clips to fasten adapter to inner cranium just above dura mater.



Allow tool 3 degrees of freedom by creating a ball joint in the inner cavity of device.



Change port geometry from a cylinder through hole to a conical shape to allow for better press fit.



Thread inner diameter of part to allow for an accessory to lock ball joint in place once undesirable brain mass is located for removal.

Bl i nk IANeuro – Internship

Problem: Accurate concussion detection devices are large and require 20-30mins for results. Additionally, field tests for concussions have low reliability and often misdiagnose players. There is a need for an accurate and portable concussion diagnosis device. My role on this project was automating the data manipulation process.

Solution: •

Measure the differential latency between right and left blinks using a high speed camera to diagnose the delayed neural response symptomatic of concussions.



Stimulate blinks using controlled puffs of air at random intervals and sides.



Develop conversion tool for transforming raw data files into usable statistics leading to faster analysis and diagnosis.











N ak e d Na te W eb -De s i g n www.nakednate.net – Start-up

Problem: An undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering is real heavy in math and theory and real light in making things pretty. Additionally, I have a real passion for the expensive hobby of world travel. There was a need for a creative outlet that also pays well.

Solution: •



Teach myself JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP and other web development languages to gain the ability to create dynamic and beautiful sites from scratch. Establish a medium in which to sell websites to small companies and students looking to create an online portfolio.





Purchase an Ubuntu web-server and teach myself Linux and server side development to allow for a cheap and secure hosting platform. Travel to Budapest, Hungary; Seville, Spain; Montreal, Canada; and Paris, France on income acquired from selling sites.





For Fun Projects

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & DESIGN



Jük Bo x For my final project in an introductory course in programming, I developed a website for collaborative YouTube playlists utilizing web sockets and the python based web-framework, Flask, to sync music, chat, and other features between browsers. The course itself was my first foray into programming, and was taught entirely in python. Since most of web-development is not Python, over the course of the six week project I taught myself JavaScript, HTML, and CSS in order to finalize my product. Jükbox was selected as an honorable mention - top 5% - during the end of year competition for final projects

Tee-Clip For a group project in an additive manufacturing course, myself and a partner designed a polymer clip that can be fastened to the brim of a hat to hold three golf tees. The clip features an embossed design on the top that can be customized to use the buyer’s logo. Similar hat clips designed to hold golf ball markers using small magnets have become very popular in the past half-decade, as an aesthetically appealing solution to avoiding cluttered pockets on the course. As the engineer, my role in the project was both the design and modeling of the final product, while my partner did market analysis and branding

Stamp-Mouse For the final project in an applied fabrication class, a team of four including myself designed a method for fabricating a personalized ergonomic mouse device for patients suffering from arthritis. Using a 3D printer, a ball of clay, and a Kinect we were able to construct this comfortable, cheap, and customizable product. The manufacturing of the final prototype was realized for ~10% of the cost of leading products on the market. My role was to model all components in SOLIDWORKS









Geometri Cup Holder For a project in a DIY mechanical design course, I designed an ergonomic cup holder for hot beverages. The project required the piece be laser-cut and utilize no fasteners. As such, finger-joints with stress relief were used to create a 3D cup holder from a planar sheet of acrylic. Some of the product features include a 100mm by 100mm build profile, a drip plate, modular parts, and press fit anchors for the bottom of the cup. Overall, the Geometri Cup keeps your hands cool and your pants clean with a sleek minimalist design.

Six-Pack Case For a project in a DIY mechanical design course, I designed a six pack holder for beer that was designed to minimize material used in manufacturing. This six-pack case also doubles as a game for collecting bottle caps, as the recycling process for these caps is cumbersome. The case is made from a single sheet of laser cut chipboard, and is capable of holding all six bottles comfortably. Finally, the case is easily assembled, only requiring 30s to be folded by hand.

iPhone Charging Station For a project in a DIY mechanical design course, I designed a charging station for an iPhone out of laser cut plywood. The design is completely modular and features no fasteners, instead relying on press fit finger joints to hold the piece together. Additionally, the piece features a living hinge design which allows a normally rigid piece of plywood to display the curve seen in the final product. The charging station is fully adjustable, allowing for different configurations and angles.



Silicone Mold For a project in a DIY mechanical design course, I manufactured a mold out of silicone for a rubber duck. The process for manufacturing the mold included enclosure design for the mold, clay forming around the product, vacuum pressure for air release, and ingenuity to hold risers in place. The entire process of the mold making can be found on my website at www.nthompso.me under the DIY Gallery section.

Clay Mold For a project in a DIY mechanical design course, I manufactured a clay mold for a set of phone speakers that resemble avocados. To the right you can see the end product. The entire process of the mold making can be found on my website at www.nthompso.me under the DIY Gallery section.



Suggest Documents