Thomas Cheng Email & Phone Number

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Working alongside multidisciplinary teams of Engineers, Technicians and clients from different sectors, I’ve been involved in 50+ tool design projects, from detailed design and prototyping to manufacturing. My role’s main focus is to guarantee that design solutions meet the mechanical system’s requirements, customer tolerance and performance expectations, as well as any applicable codes and best industry practices. My involvement in these projects has enhanced my mastery of CAD and simulation software to create virtual mock-ups of product ideas and fully detailed 3D models that could be used for manufacturing. I’ve created Bill of Materials (BoM), including participating in specifying and procuring components and tools for manufacturing different tools. Aside from design tools, I’ve used FEA software to analyse thermal and mechanical loadings and validate the manufacturing feasibility.This role has further enhanced my other soft skills and personal attributes. I’m not only required to manage actions and deliverables in each project but also to communicate and coordinate effectively with suppliers, clients and other engineering principles to ensure deadlines are met. This has improved my ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams to drive improvements to designs, while also identifying ways to optimise product quality, cut costs and reduce cycle times. I’ve shown strong organisational skills, especially when performing administrative functions associated with each project, such as technical documentation, as well as tracking design changes and approvals on the company’s server. One of the projects I’ve worked on was the design and manufacture of a console unit used in submarines. In this project, I worked collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams across all phases, from prototyping to testing, validation and production, with the view of identifying opportunities to improve console quality while reducing its overall cost and weight.

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Working at a small, start-up space robotics company, I was required to work with minimal supervision on my assigned tasks to support the development of CAD models of the high-altitude platform system (HAPS) payload. I autonomously carried out research to gain an understanding of applicable aviation regulations, ensuring that electromechanical designs were compliant with these standards. I verified system requirements using FEA, and also evaluated the structural integrity and serviceability of complex engineering systems. Whilst I often worked independently on self-managed tasks, I was equally effective when collaborating with internal and external teams. It was important for me to keep open communication with the Electronics Team so that any critical hardware changes and other evolving requirements were reflected in mechanical designs and incorporated into the system’s features. Regular communication with vendors and manufacturers was also necessary to ensure timely procurement of the required components and materials, ensuring they were readily available so as not to cause any unnecessary delays to production. One of my key contributions was redesigning the frame structure of HAPS to reduce its overall weight by 23%. I also captured significant reductions to HAPS landing impact for payload recovery by conceptualising and designing an improvised landing system.

Hong Kong

Whilst this internship was not design-orientated, I have gained some valuable skills that I was able to use both at work and at the university. For example, I have acquired practical knowledge of various electromechanical systems, along with best practices in developing cost-effective preventive maintenance plans to ensure the equipment’s optimal condition. Despite being a junior staff, I’m proud to have contributed towards the company closing a deal with a local government client. This was achieved by conducting a cost breakdown analysis of existing public facilities maintenance contracts that helped the team understand cost drivers, allowing them to develop a targeted proposal for the client.

Hong Kong