DENNIS B. CALDWELL
OBJECTIVES: To obtain a mechanical engineering position supporting the design, and development of challenging projects, and working at creating solutions as part of a problem solving design team.
EDUCATION:
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mechanical Engineering Design Skills : Strong background in problem solving designing, engineering materials, metal fabricating and manufacturing. Established a variety of effective static and dynamic designs in various fields of engineering as follows: RF/ Microwave devices,(CLICK HERE), Micro-precision /Opto-electronic Laser positioning equipment. Aircraft engineering - Flight controls "fly-by- wire"(CLICK HERE) mechanism. Aircraft structure retrofitting. Special FX., DC brushless motors, Aerospace Fasteners, Aircraft interiors, Sheet metal(CLICK HERE). Mechanical animated Props, Medical automated Pick /Place equipment. Rotating Welding devices, Technical writing of manufacturing procedures, assembly travelers and qualification specs
Electromechanical Design Skills Rack and Panel Packaging (electronics/ avionics), Circuit PCB Design / Schematic Interpretation, and Power Supply Packaging
WORK EXPERIENCE
Mechanical Engineer · Responsible designer of satellite RF microwave (CLICK HERE) components for commercial and military programs meeting payload weights and cost requirements · Initially engineered mechanical packages for various RF mobile and shipboard power divider/ combiners maintaining envelope and weight restrictions. · Maintained development and tracking of more than 30 ongoing concurrent projects. · Resolved prototyping and troubleshooting issues with reduced cost impact and timely results · Assisted in Critical Product Design reviews explaining mechanical parameters of customer products · Provided effective decisions for MRB and discrepancy action issues. · Responsible mechanical point of contact engineer for satellite customers as SSL Loral, Lockheed, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman in assisting with Power divider/ combiners (CLICK HERE) product lines and all ferrite devices (CLICK HERE · Provided cost cutting direction to production planners in alternate machining, material selection, and specific parameters for metal plating, finishing, and dip brazing, · Designed an invar Directional Command Filters for Orbital Science meeting principal vibration, weight, and stress/ load requirements · Modeled complex 3D assemblies for thermal and finite stress analysis. · Engineering team member acknowledged by the NRO/ Defense Department and awarded recognition for providing on time missile guidance components on a national security mission days before the Afghanistan onset.
Primary Mechanical Design Engineer · Assigned to re-engineer details for (22 ft) 2900 LB suspended laser image special FX for Disney Quest- Chicago which produced a cost-effective mechanical redesign · Determined manufacturing and design parameters and effectively packaged details meeting strict budget and schedule timeframes. · Designed architectural signage, and large build support steel structures involving cost studies of alternate materials to build within suitable cost guidelines.
Design Engineer · Supported the mechanical ride project team redesigning vehicle frames chassis and track boogies for Disneyland's high speed Rocket Car attraction resulting in reopening ride under safer conditions · produced an extensive 3D solid model of assemblies and parts to assist Ride Engineering in detailed envelope constraints.
Electromechanical Design Engineer · Responsible for providing various mechanical designs of advanced military space flight actuators, and multi-axial pointing mechanisms supporting communications and navigation development · Repackaged motors, bearings, incremental encoders, and wire/ cabling twist caps on existing flight mechanisms, and remachined designs of mechanical components to reflect weight lightening and strengthening for revised payload requirements · Created mechanical 3D motion animation resulting in procurement of foreign and government satellite contracts
Design Engineer· Provided engineering support in designing a Leopard 2 Battle Tank simulator involving aluminum/ fiberglass structural fabrication details and equipment packaging. resulting in a highly-efficient computerized training module for gunner, commander, and tank crew training on a three-axis motion system
Applications Design Engineer· Developed special custom spring loaded and fixturing devices used for pre-loading assemblies, and accurate device positioning that simplified repetitive alignment, assembly and tooling time. · Calculated and determined spring parameters for manufacturing customer load requirements. · Supported customer decisions in selecting proper materials and application needs.
Electromechanical Design Engineer · Responsible for designing detailed mechanical assemblies, electromechanical interconnect equipment, Racks and console panels, and PC. Boards for a elaborate prototype Automated Relay Testing Station, utilizing cutting cost by multiple Relay testing.
Design Engineer · Assisted in creating an automated assembly line system for placing sterile caps on medical IV products at a rate of 110 assembled units/ min. · Designs involved entry /exit chute assemblies, pick and place stations, and optical rejection line sensors that effectively reduced assembly time and cost.
Electromechanical Design Engineerr · Created motion design studies to determined method of mechanical animation in floating a 100-lb door in space installed at Disney's Tower of Terror attraction- Florida · Detailed designs resulted in a motorized sweeping Rectilinear driven stage of mounted motors, and rotating bellcranks, suspending on aircraft wire a door and other various effects as a Disney Attraction.
Aerospace Design Engineer- Aircraft· Supported Structures Design group to retrofitting 757 airframe stringers, formers and bulkheads for specialized installation of 30 "dia reconnaissance optical equipment.
Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer - Grade 7 · Redesigned the P-3 throttle quadrant, resulting in a controlled Fly-By-Wire and Autothrottle system. · Adjusted pilot flight control levers, cam follower paths, bellcranks, torque tubes, and 3-4 bar kinematic linkage resulting in a foreshortening of throttle lever travel to accommodate resized cockpit dimensions. · Designed and implemented structural extrusion members for avionics rack and tactical stations designed to be "inverted" with common fastener patterns utilizing universal frame structures for multiple capabilities on port and starboard designs, which provided multi- million dollar, cost savings in tooling and manufacturing.
Designer Engineer - Aircraft · Contracted to redesign mechanical parts for the flaps control system mechanisms resulting in implementing 15-degree flaps control position for maintenance on Boeing 727 · Reengineered power plant installations, and reverse thruster controls creating a noise reduction "Hush Kit" for Valsan / Rohr aircraft.
Optical Hardware Product Desige Engineer · Developed a motor driven ring gear micropositioner for rotating 5 in precision optics that solved the need of a rotational translating stage for large mounted optics in the designs of Laser systems and Optical equipment.
Electro-Mechanical Designer · Redesigned the Tow II missile power supply enclosure resulting in correcting and revising mechanical fabrication errors, that provided major cost savings. · Repackaged electrical PCB components utilizing original triple stack board dimensions without increasing envelope package size and cost. · Checked Schematic /circuitry retracing locating polarity errors of zener diodes on completed boards for assembly preventing extensive equipment failure resulting in saving project budget, schedule time and cost. · Designed Electro-mechanical packages of stators, rotors, enclosures and electronic PCB's and hall effect sensors for brushless DC motors creating RFQ's that generated over $2.5 Million in new projects.
Electro-Mechanical Designer · Provided engineering support in packaging mechanical details and assemblies to produce photo duplicator and transport equipment for archiving bank checks into microfiche. Detailed 4' dia rotating step/repeat collating carousal and motorized conveyor packaging that lead to team efforts in meeting projected design goals, delivery schedules and critical budgets on time.
Optical Mechanical Design Engineer · Designed and built high power laser bench systems for government DOE/DOD programs working with lab engineering on water cooing systems, beam pump chambers cavities, motorized birefringent tuners and thermal lens element assemblies that resulted to key breakthrough research of system for Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (NOVA), and Sandia National Laboratories.
PCB Designer · Tasked to package analog/digital components of PCB's in disk drive hardware for Tandon computers involving precision grid layouts, taping, and fabrication of photographic artwork designs.
Mechanical Designer · Responsible for designing the main rotor blade expandable pins for Sikorsky helicopters · Also designed other applications of expandable sleeve fasteners, high shear pins, and cam lever locking bolts used on commercial and military aircraft elevator, Aileron, Flaps, and Bomb Bay systems.· Designed cam locking fasteners used in the Space Shuttle bay scaffolding, for rapid assembly resulting in time saving erecting of work platforms.
Electro-Mechanical Designer · Developed designs of a flight control handwheel for Lear Jet aircraft and small aircraft market resulting in accessible handwheel controls for pilots · Designed turbine engine thermocouple heat sensor harnesses for Pratt & Whitney engines that effectively added flight safety to commercial and military aircraft.
Mechanical Design/ Drafter- Aircraft · Assigned to layout complete custom aircraft interiors including side panels, overhead storage bins, window fairings, seat frames, and cabinetry for custom and corporate Gulfstream II. aircraft.
Electro-Mechanical Design/ Drafter · Detailed mechanical parts and assemblies for a hand held geared rotating tube welder including packaging mechanical rotating components, wire harnesses, and electronics that offered a cost effective solution to portable field, and in shop tube welding
Electro-Mechanical Drafter · Worked in detailing and layout of large military ground station auto tracking antenna arrays and Naval shipboard scanners/ receivers · Assigned to detail structures for build and assembly of antenna systems, scanner head details, RF waveguide channels, and schematic layouts of signal processing.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS:
· Reviewing customer contract files for project design compliance, creation of ICD's/SCD drawings, BOM's assembly travelers, and required details, ·Technical writing (Mfg. procedures, qualification specs, customer rebuttals) .· Customer/ vendor engineering support. · Reviewing and approving course actions of Quality assurance discrepancies, including MRB, · simultaneously managing work in process projects for over 30 ongoing designs in manufacturing and development.
COMPUTER SKILLS
Software: Strong PC skills include AutoCAD 11 to 14, & 2000, MS-Word, Excel, Solidworks 99 (minimal use), ANVIL-1000 (1.5), PowerPoint, Windows NT /2000, 3D Studio Max205/3.0, Acrobat, PhotoShop5, Illustrator 8, CADAM/ EDGE, Kinematics Linkage programs (Lockheed}, and Spring design Programs.
ENGINEERING GRAPHIC SKILLS 3D Modeling, Mechanical animation, Digital Engineering Photographer, and Trade show graphic presentations