ThermoFisher 2023 Co-op Rotation

Overview

Production engineering across real manufacturing constraints.

Over the 2023 co-op term at ThermoFisher Scientific's Rochester manufacturing facility, I designed and developed tooling, fixtures, and semi-automated systems across fluid management and closure gasket product lines. Projects spanned the full engineering cycle - identifying ergonomic risks on the production floor, building prototypes, running structured experiments, and delivering production-ready solutions.

Project 01

Rack Unlatcher

Problem: Operators manually toggled side latches on product racks throughout their shift. The motion combined a firm grip with wrist rotation at an awkward angle, creating cumulative fatigue and a repetitive strain risk.

Semi-automate the latching and unlatching process.
Accommodate two different rack heights.
Support one-handed operation so the operator never releases the rack.

Rack latch ergonomic problem photo — Side latch in use, showing the awkward wrist angle.

Rack side latch close-up — Side latch mechanism close-up.

Concept Development

The first prototype validated the core mechanism but exposed a need for built-in compliance and height adjustability. Version 2 introduced compliance and manual timing adjustment, allowing the tool to absorb rack variation while giving the operator control over engagement speed.

v1.0

Rack Unlatcher v1 top view — Initial prototype top view.

Rack Unlatcher v1 bottom view — Initial prototype underside.

v2.0

Rack Unlatcher v2 prototype — Prototype with compliance and adjustment features.

Assembled Rack Unlatcher v2 prototype — Assembled v2 prototype.

Final Design

Rack Unlatcher final tool operating demo — Animated operation demo of the final tool.

After evaluating v2.0 in production, the team reduced complexity by separating the latching and unlatching functions into distinct motions. The final version was lower profile, simpler to manufacture in-house, and more robust for daily production use.

Rack Unlatcher final CAD or photo — Final version CAD/photo.

Final side profile.

ErgonomicsTooling DesignSolidWorksDFMLean Manufacturing

Project 02

Mr. Big Weld - Closure Gasket Ultrasonic Welding System

Problem: The existing closure gasket assembly process relied on an operator manually positioning a membrane filter before ultrasonic welding. The placement was done by eye, which introduced unacceptable variation in filter location and weld quality.

Operator placing filter by eye in original process — Original process: operator placed the filter by eye.

Mr. Big Weld automation process flowchart — Automation sequence and process cues.

Mr. Big Weld new welder frame — Welder frame and machine setup.

Development

Working with Rochester Automation, I helped develop the machine frame and controls system. In parallel, I designed a wand vacuum pickup tool to automate filter placement, replacing judgment-based placement with a fixture-guided pick-and-place sequence.

Wand vacuum installed in machine — Wand vacuum installed in the machine.

Hand-held wand vacuum standalone — Hand-held wand vacuum concept.

Product Development and DoE

With the system operational, I ran a leak test Design of Experiments to characterize the ultrasonic weld process and identify usable parameters. The DoE showed that the filter outer diameter needed to change, feeding a design update back to R&D.

I also designed a staging fixture for destructive force testing, collaborating with an R&D co-op to validate weld strength across the parameter space.

Leak test DOE data and setup — Leak test DoE data and setup.

Filter outer diameter design change — Filter outer-diameter design change detail.

Ultrasonic WeldingDoEProcess CapabilityAutomationSix Sigma

Project 03

Closure Gasket - Quality Assurance Fixture

Problem: The production line used a vision system to inspect closure gasket assemblies, but the vision check did not emulate the part's functional behavior under seating load. A tolerance stack-up analysis defined the constraints the fixture needed to satisfy.

Solution: I designed a functional reference fixture using a calibrated mass and dial indicator. The mass applies a repeatable seating load while the indicator measures gasket deflection, giving the team a direct check of functional performance under load.

Current closure gasket vision inspection system — Current vision inspection system.

Closure gasket tolerance stack-up context — Tolerance stack-up context.

Closure gasket QA fixture CAD — QA fixture CAD / diagram.

Closure gasket part close-up — Gasket / part close-up.

Closure gasket QA fixture annotated with calibrated mass and dial indicator — Calibrated mass and dial indicator emulate the inspection process.

Closure gasket QA fixture alternate angle — Alternate fixture angle with operator-facing handle.

Gage R&RMSAFixture DesignQuality EngineeringSPC

Project 04a

Stem Bender - Diagnostics and Repair

A 27-year-old stem bending machine was generating frequent, difficult-to-diagnose faults with significant downtime impact. I supported troubleshooting through root cause analysis, ultimately identifying and replacing faulty temperature readouts and thermocouples.

Stem bender component replacement detail — Components under replacement.

Stem bender thermocouple and temperature readout detail — Thermocouple and temperature readout detail.

Root Cause AnalysisTroubleshootingPreventive MaintenanceThermocouples

Project 04b

Tooling Design

Across the co-op term I designed and fabricated production and maintenance tooling, including press-fit installation tools, 3D-printed fixtures, and floor-level utility hardware. Each tool was scoped, modeled in SolidWorks, and either fabricated in-house or printed on the shop floor printer.