Nathan Ng Email & Phone Number

United States

United States

Pasadena, California, United States

Guided undergraduate and graduate students through the safe and effective operation of FDM 3D printers, laser cutters, waterjet cutters, and manual mills and lathes in Mechanical Prototyping class.

Pasadena, California, United States

Designed and conducted experiments to assess the performance of liquid crystal elastomers as soft actuators.Determined these actuators’ failure criteria, performance at different voltages over time, stress-strain response, and strain-temperature relationship.

Mountain View, California, United States

Worked on successor to Amber robot, Burgundy, that could 10x multi-trade layout speed on construction sites.Iteratively designed, released, and began deploying custom caster wheel across 200+ robot fleet; increased expected part lifetime by 200% and cut servicing time by 75%.Custom caster was independently optimized for injection molding, CNC machining, and MJF 3D printing.Designed and manufactured modular ergonomic service fixture to raise, fully support, and freely rotate a 12-20… Show more Worked on successor to Amber robot, Burgundy, that could 10x multi-trade layout speed on construction sites.Iteratively designed, released, and began deploying custom caster wheel across 200+ robot fleet; increased expected part lifetime by 200% and cut servicing time by 75%.Custom caster was independently optimized for injection molding, CNC machining, and MJF 3D printing.Designed and manufactured modular ergonomic service fixture to raise, fully support, and freely rotate a 12-20 kg robot in 4 DOF for 13+ different technicians, some with arthritis or wrist instabilities. Show less

Pasadena, California, United States

Undergraduate-student proposal for sustained, cable-driven lunar exploration network received $180,000 in funding as a finalist submission to the 2022 NASA BIG Idea Challenge.Lunar Architecture for Tree Traversal In-service-of Cabled Exploration (LATTICE) has shuttles transporting 100 kg payloads along stake-supported cables at steep 30 deg inclines in an ever-expanding and branching lunar network.Led 6-person subteam during the conception and design reviews of the shuttle.Developed… Show more Undergraduate-student proposal for sustained, cable-driven lunar exploration network received $180,000 in funding as a finalist submission to the 2022 NASA BIG Idea Challenge.Lunar Architecture for Tree Traversal In-service-of Cabled Exploration (LATTICE) has shuttles transporting 100 kg payloads along stake-supported cables at steep 30 deg inclines in an ever-expanding and branching lunar network.Led 6-person subteam during the conception and design reviews of the shuttle.Developed tensioning arm from first principles and verified its performance via 10+ static load simulations. Show less

Undergraduate-student proposal for a novel and modular lunar dust mitigation system was an undergraduate-led finalist for the NASA BIG Idea Challenge; received $180,000 in funding from NASA.Habitat Orientable and Modular Electrodynamic Shield (HOMES) uses a series of identical, rotationally symmetric panels with embedded electrodes to locomote lunar dust in discrete directions and distances.Led 3-person subteam to validate and optimize system housing/packaging and thermal management… Show more Undergraduate-student proposal for a novel and modular lunar dust mitigation system was an undergraduate-led finalist for the NASA BIG Idea Challenge; received $180,000 in funding from NASA.Habitat Orientable and Modular Electrodynamic Shield (HOMES) uses a series of identical, rotationally symmetric panels with embedded electrodes to locomote lunar dust in discrete directions and distances.Led 3-person subteam to validate and optimize system housing/packaging and thermal management system via 30+ static load, heat transfer, and topology optimization simulations.Designed, drafted engineering drawings for, and assembled 6+ custom parts for the mechanical housing of HOMES. Show less

Mountain View, California, United States

Worked on Amber robot that could 5x multi-trade layout speed on construction sites.Designed housing to protect electronics from foreign object damage; designed 3 different versions of the design for injection molding, sheet metal bending, and MJF 3D printing.Inspected and identified defects in 80+ custom parts; audited all of the robot's 50+ production drawingsand implemented GD&T fixes and NPI processes.Designed 7 different assembly jigs to increase assembly/servicing accuracy… Show more Worked on Amber robot that could 5x multi-trade layout speed on construction sites.Designed housing to protect electronics from foreign object damage; designed 3 different versions of the design for injection molding, sheet metal bending, and MJF 3D printing.Inspected and identified defects in 80+ custom parts; audited all of the robot's 50+ production drawingsand implemented GD&T fixes and NPI processes.Designed 7 different assembly jigs to increase assembly/servicing accuracy while minimizing its duration.Designed, ran, and analyzed the results of 100+ impact tests to characterize the behavior and efficacy of robot bumper features. Show less

Pasadena, California, United States

Automated testing process of flammable fuels from 5 samples every 30 min by hand to 81 samples every 30 min by a custom 100+ component motion system.Designed cleanable, reusable sample trays with temperature monitoring and electrical grounding for safely and rapidly testing flammable fuel samples.Improved existing test fixtures with adjustable 3D printed clamps and stabilizers.

Pasadena, California, United States

Decreased form factor of modular, low-cost pooling device for underprivileged communities by 20%.DFM’ed all components for low-cost FDM 3D printing.

Created 6 IP67-rated, food-safe, and heat-dissipating enclosures for 5 configurations of the Radian Camera AI platform; created decision table to formally evaluate and select from the 6 candidate configurations.Authored assembly instructions, drawings, and BOM for the camera system.Designed test fixture to measure camera quality across 0.5-1.5 m working range in a light-controlled environment; drafted BOM and full assembly/test procedures.

Palo Alto, California, United States

Wrote scripts to visualize and analyze TVAC testing trends for the GOES-S satellite.Analyzed signal attenuation in optical fibers, optical spectrum analyzer, LED controller, and power meter; determined most efficient setup for final pre-launch testing.Designed custom cooling duct, baffle structure, rotating sensor bracket, and dosimeter adapter to calibrate UV bulbs and explore applications in extending N95 mask life for COVID-19 Response Team.Drafted engineering drawings for above… Show more Wrote scripts to visualize and analyze TVAC testing trends for the GOES-S satellite.Analyzed signal attenuation in optical fibers, optical spectrum analyzer, LED controller, and power meter; determined most efficient setup for final pre-launch testing.Designed custom cooling duct, baffle structure, rotating sensor bracket, and dosimeter adapter to calibrate UV bulbs and explore applications in extending N95 mask life for COVID-19 Response Team.Drafted engineering drawings for above parts/assemblies following GD&T standards.Selected by panel of judges as the best intern presenter among 20+ interns. Show less

Sunnyvale, California, United States

Redefined AEHF satellite program testing procedures by safely reducing headcount by 40% per hazardous operation, lowering employee risk in case of operational failures.Presented revamped procedures and received unanimous approval from all 6 AEHF subteams.Caught and corrected dozens of missing steps and sign-offs during Acoustics Testing.Shadowed a Certified Test Conductor in satellite assembly/testing cleanroom.Designed a tool to safely compress heavy conical springs for AEHF-6.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Mechanical Engineering, Senior

Activities and Societies: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Teaching Assistant for Mechanical Prototyping Health.

High School Diploma, Mechanical Drafting And Mechanical Drafting Cad/Cadd, Senior

Activities and Societies: 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (Scholar), CAD Club (President and Founder), Maker's Club (Vice President).