Prototyping
I am at my best when I can make my ideas tangible. I prefer small-scale manufacturing with digital production.
- 3D printing. I currently have 2 heavily modified Ender 3D-printers and one Anycubic Photon S at home, as well as a DIY CNC mill. This allows me to make a great variety of prototypes.
- Crafting. Most of my tasks are on a computer. It can be a good change of scenery to pick up some good old handtools and make something tangible.
- Electronics. I know the basic I/O stuff to get to my goals in prototypes. Lately the Raspberry Pi caught my eye and therefore I'm doing my first babysteps in Python now.
- Programming. I've used several languages (C++, Visual Basic, HTML and a bit of JS).
- Mouldmaking. There's something magical about making negative shapes and casting the positive ones out of it. Making the hydrogen cars got me into mouldmaking and currently I'm exploring mouldmaking/low series casting in relation to 3D printers.
Product development
The whole product development process needs creativity. From a conceptual level to defining production details.
- Idea generation. Most of the impact of a product (Savings, reliability, functionality...) can be made in the first stage of a development process. I enjoy researching into a topic and finding a optimum between many design multiple parameters.
- Product drawings. A drawing says more than words. No-one enjoys reading thick and dreadfull reports. Images are better.
- From concept to production. During my studies I learned to research and design. In my 5 years of working experience, I learned to take those designs into reality until there is a working, bug-free, first out-of-the mold product.
- Design for manufacturing; Up till now, I have most experience in working with plastics, so I usually design for injection moulding.
- Design for sustainability I'm fully aware of the responsibility I have as a product developer. I keep the 'waste hierarchy piramid' in mind when when I'm thinking about the product life-cycle.
3D Modeling
Currently I feel most comfortable drawing in SolidWorks, Rhino-Grasshopper and Siemens NX. I've used Autodesk Fusion and Inventor as well.
- Parametric solid and surface modeling in multiple 3D CAD programs
- Generative design; Low-key, node-based visual programming of geometry and data.
- 3D scanning and reverse engineering. I enjoy manipulating mesh data, creating algorithms for handling meshes and deriving meaningfull, clean geometry of scan data.
- Top-down or bottom-up modeling. I prefer top-down modeling with skeletal models as most of the products I usually work have to fit neatly or share complex shapes.
*Skills Wishlist*
There are only 24 hours in a day. If there would be more, i'd like to figure out;
- Blender 3D
- Python and Node-RED
- Klipper 3D printer firmware
- Benchtop injection moulding