Devils Thumb Design is passionate about product development. We move your ideas forward by helping define, design, and commercialize your product. Our technical resources and product development experts are committed to delivering value by supporting your specific project needs.

Leading a team in developing best-in-class navigated surgical instrumentation

• Developing technical leadership and skills• Sustaining an engaging team culture that fosters customer service• Ensuring exceptional technical execution and quality of service• Staffing and talent development

• Direct engineering activities across domestic and international resources.• Lead new business development, customer proposals and quoting efforts. Building, mentoring and guidance of teams is my passion.• Provide clients with product development expertise to navigate programs through this process Key ProgramsSystem Lead on Drug Infusion System• Constructed a team of 14+ engineers over multiple domestic and international design centers• Mentored team members to allow for their personal development and responsibility• Responsible for all technical aspects of a multi-year, $2M+ program while providing accurate assessments project managers.• Insure proper resource allocation by matching individual strengths with program challenges• Develop and manage product specifications and verification test plans.Mechanical Lead on CPR-Assist FDA Class III Device• I coordinated a team of 18 mechanical engineers across Plexus' 6 Design Centers. Through tight communication, I was responsible for insuring the mechanical efforts were in line with the electrical, software, regulatory, quality, industrial design and manufacturing transition teams.• My group conceptualized, developed, tested and verified a ruggedized enclosure that had extreme thermal, impact, cycling, ingress and crush requirements. The polymeric-housed device needed to function after over 600,000 cycles of 100 lbs.• I coordinated all mechanical-related communications with the client and the larger Plexus team, and was responsible for providing risk analysis, DFMEA and mitigation plans.

• As Lead ME, I bring expert resources in-house to develop extremely ruggedized electromechanical systems. Ascend Geo designs and manufactures the Ultra G5, a wireless acquisition system for the land seismic industry, allowing imaging for oil and gas reserves.• Ultra G5 components acquire, transmit and process data. Most of these components have environmental challenges that far exceed MIL-STD-810. This required development of new internal standards to test and qualify equipment for field use.Field unit for charging, offloading and testing DAUs (data acquisition units)• Previous DOCK developed by an outside team was failing many key requirements including thermal, shock/vibe, water ingress and cost. My redesign met all requirements while reducing weight, size and cost to less than half the original design. Data offload doubled, and battery charge time was cut in half, translating into higher field productivity.• Designs validated using FEA simulation and rapid prototyping to prove concept prior to tooling. • Working closely with the Electrical and Software team, I designed a fan-less, sealed enclosure that successfully dissipated 120 watts while allowing components to operate in required range.• Other responsibilities include selection/coordination of vendors, suppliers and contract manufacturers; managing CAD database, developing product specifications and test protocols, developing product BOM and cost structures.

• As part of a compact and efficient team of engineers and industrial designers, I provide quality product solutions within an aggressive timeframe and budget. Excellent communication and coordination allow this goal to be met.• Products include medical, consumer, health/fitness, security, energy and industrial sectors.Example Medical Device Project: Portable Ultrasound Unit with Video Goggles• Coordinate all engineering aspects of this lightweight, environmentally ruggedized unit. Selected polymer and elastomer materials to meet impact, sterilization and aesthetic requirements.• Cost savings in a limited timeframe are achieved by selecting local and international vendors of top quality. Daily email and Skype calls maintain program schedules.• Assist client’s understanding of the product through the use of functional prototypes.• Develop impact and submersion tests for quick identification and solution of unforeseen issues. Example Consumer Project: Mobile Manager for the Visually Impaired• Client had unique challenge of having to touch, rather than see, the evolving design. This required accurate tactile prototypes using materials very similar to the production unit.• Designed unique hard drive suspension system that reduces cost and greatly improves impact.• Coordinate domestic and international teams in molding and manufacture efforts.

• Lead engineer for the development of plastic-based, silicone-overmolded dental hand instruments. Ergonomic, mechanical, environmental and aesthetic requirements are solved through unique material applications. Coordinate all design, FDA certification, testing, vendor activities, capital expenditures and manufacturing aspects of program.• Invented ultrasonic generator with the unique ability to self-recognize cleaning tip. This dental hygiene device improves patient comfort, relieves operator strain and increases tip life – a first in the industry.• Responsible for engineering of the Instrument Management System that includes medical-grade metal and injection-molded items. Cost reduction and enhancements were on-going objectives.

• Spearhead mechanical architecture of next-generation archival tape library system. Sold mechanical concept to CEO and Directors after only 4 weeks of conceptual design.• Implement and train ME team on CAD, FEA and file management systems.• Assemble and test prototype for manufacturability, airflow, temperature profile, strength and position accuracy. Based on results, revise design for Engineering Testing.• Design molded tape magazine that drastically cut cost and part count from previous design.• Interface with Hardware Engineers on signal and power requirements, component and PCB mechanics and connectors. Design all system cabling.• Research vendors for price, rapid prototyping capabilities and value-added abilities.• Design hot-swap drive bays to minimize tolerance loops. Extremely critical as high-density connectors are susceptible to misalignment.• Key liaison for drive manufacturers insure accommodation of features required by our library.• Thermally validate entire system using data logging equipment and thermocouples.

Responsible for mechanical design of the optical cross-connect switch system.• Created physical design of chassis, printed circuit board, optical component suspension system, fiber routing, cosmetic faceplates and artwork. Prototyped plastic injection components.• Analyzed CFD thermal model to insure passive cooling for high-density design.• Developed test plan to optimize mechanical performance during shock and vibration.Lead Engineer on high-density, optical technology printed circuit board. • Responsible for mechanical aspects of high-speed optical multiplexing card. This extremely dense card pushed the design envelope with mechanical, optical, manufacturing and thermal challenges. Daily interface with hardware and optical teams as well as component manufacturers was critical to find balance between these requirements.• As the Physical System’s first mechanical engineer, team-building responsibilities included CAD/ PDM/ FEA/ CFD tool selection and training, vendor/supplier selection and procedure implementation.

Lead Mechanical Engineer for the T1 and M1-3 Multiplexer product lines.• Design metal and plastic chassis, focusing on mechanical fit and function, thermal transfer, electromagnetic compliance and electronics packaging.• Develop an active cooling system option, thereby creating new $20M market for the Multiplexer product line. Further reduce manufacturing cost by 90% through plastic injection molding.• Evaluated existing product designs for cost reductions and improved manufacturability.• Designed kit that reduced equipment wall footprint by 50% and install time by 75%.Lead Thermal Engineer for next generation M1-3 MUX / Optical platform.• Interfacing closely with Electrical Team, optimized thermal solution of dissipating 120W in 1 RU. Co-designed the electronics packaging solution including optical connector selection and fiber routing.• Championed the establishment of the Mechanical Group and selected corporate Engineering tool set.

Lead Product Design Engineer for multiple data-connector product groups:• Directed multi-divisional program from conception to market. Products include molded housings, extrusions, stamped contacts and connector assemblies.• Primary engineering liaison with Singapore Design Group. Supervised and trained team of 6 in CAD, part design, corporate procedures, tool and part debug and acceptance, product testing and QA.• Developed product specs, test plans, schedules, financial justifications and regulatory listings.• Guided selection of lower cost plastic while maintaining performance for a $2M savings.• Continued to develop new as well as upgrade existing products.• Instrumental in defining, modeling and prototyping phases. This includes coordinating R&D efforts to combine rapid prototyping with laboratory testing to develop superior performing connector products.• As student CO-OP, rotated through Molding, Product Design, Equipment and Quality Groups. Designed and debugged 7 plastic injection molds.