Eric Zuniga Email and Phone Number

Responsible for new equipment integration, tooling design, robotic programming, and process improvements. Focus on air plasma spray, dual wire arc spray, combustion spray, and waterjet stripping for aero compressor repairs.

Perform design engineering and manufacturing management of HPT components for large frame and aeroderivative IGT engines. Responsible for engine components from design through operation.1) Create technical reports, CAD models, engineering drawings, engineering specifications and procedures. 2) Provide engineering support to customers and suppliers.3) Update status of engine or component issues to management.4) Determine materials and manufacturing processes needed to achieve design requirements.Support daily shop operations of manufacturing, inspection, and testing departments. 1) Perform airflow and dimensional inspection fixture design. 2) Create test requirements and inspection plans. 3) Collaborate with manufacturing engineering for process development and troubleshooting.4) Evaluate and approve shop routers, NDT data, and first article reports. 5) Disposition non-conformances and determine rework/repair work scopes.6) Perform root cause & corrective action (RCCA) studies and implement solutions.7) Personally perform airflow testing, dimensional, and metallurgical inspections.Provide engineering support for engine build, disassembly, and monitoring. 1) Ensure engine service manual requirements (dimensions, torqueing, retention, etc..) are met. Provide troubleshooting and corrective actions to resolve non-conformances.2) Perform visual, material, dimensional, and airflow inspections.3) Write technical reports detailing work performed.Lead field instrumentation team consisting of technicians and engineers.1) Create instrumentation plans, determine equipment needed, design engine component mods, and manage installation.2) Eliminated use of outside contractors for instrumentation and data system installation. Saving ~$1.5k/day.3) Designed new integrated data acquisition system to protect hardware, reduce setup time, and improve remote control.

Managed design and new part manufacture of several combustor and HPT components for large frame IGT engine. Provided ~ 1 year of onsite design engineering and hands on support to manufacturing for casting process development. Acted as common point of contact to expedite communication between design and manufacturing engineering.1) Optimized solution heat treat process, implemented new mold dewax process for large parts, created blend process to accurately remove excess airfoil mass from turbine blades.2) Qualified outside supplier for waterblast shell removal, reduced operation time by ~40%.3) Created EDM and manual rework processes for internal casting defects. Improved overall yield by 7%.4) Developed mold scanning technique to non-destructively map mold thickness during process development.As part of field engineering team, executed install of first set of parts into customer engine. Successfully completed most detailed internal and external instrumentation plan in company history.

Performed airflow testing, airflow fixture design, and data analysis.Peformed metallurgical investigations for characterization and failure analysis. Built innovative dynamic modulus test setup for superalloys from 0 -2000F.Performed ANSYS analysis to calculate superalloy dynamic modulus from test data.

Developed a new abrasive tip coating for shrouded HPT blades on the Rolls Royce Trent 900, 1000, and XWB engines as well as shroudless HPT blades for the Trent XWB. Applied new coating using only electroplating, eliminating low pressure plasma spray. Executed experimental trials and analysis. Designed new tooling and equipment upgrades. Redesigned process layout to minimize touch time and increase throughput.I also contributed to repair of GE, Rolls Royce, and Pratt & Whitney HP blades and vanes.

Worked in investment casting facility making both aero and industrial gas turbine components.Developed casting defect analysis capability by characterizing all possible sources of non-metallic inclusions. Developed database that contains chemistry, morphology, and particle size distributions using SEM and optical microscopes. This system determines the source of the inclusion and traces it back to a specific step in the casting process, directing and expediting engineering efforts to correct the issue.Installed XRF and trace element analyzers for chemical analysis of Ni and Co based super alloy production. Validated composition of first heats from new master alloy production facility. Established operating principles, performed calibrations and wrote detailed procedures. Provided comprehensive training to all lab technicians and master alloy personnel. Installed digital microscopy capability and developed methods for automated porosity calculation, grain characterization, high definition imaging, and 3D defect measurement. Used to measure width and depth of casting defects not possible by manual gauges, CMM, or blue light. Wrote detailed operating procedures and trained lab personnel in its use. Created process and quality procedures for the ceramic core department for injection, finishing, and dimensional inspection.Project lead for Computed Radiography integration. Sold used Carestream HPX-1 CR unit for $60,000 to fund project. Coordinated equipment installation and operation. Performed capability studies and recommended process improvements to enable faster shooting and approval of parts. Created quality documents to industry specification and trained quality department personnel to operate system independently.

Member of design team for new, more efficient cathode for Hall Thruster Wrote LabView code for pressure controller to interface with computer to measure and output data Installed and repaired pumping, electrical, and coolant systems for Bell Jar small vacuum system Designed parts and components for operation in vacuum environments using Solidworks. Worked in three person team to design a propulsion system for a nano-satellite Designed two options: Cold Gas system and Hall Effect Thruster Duties included design of fuel tank, power processing unit (PPU), and fuel flow system Optimized electrical and command circuitry to produce smaller PPU than current models

Contributed to design, testing, and analysis of new missile payload concepts Used iterative finite difference method to reconcile thermocouple and IR data and calculate the emissivity of thin flame. Analyzed detonation thermodynamics and kinetics from payload testing.