Part of the founding engineering team that built Sidework's Gen 2 machine from the ground up. Worked on major subsystems from day one and, as the team contracted, became the sole ME responsible for designing and building v4.7 and the NSF-certified V5. Took it through the full cycle: design, manufacturing, assembly, and field deployment. Cut fastener count by 300+ and shipped from first CAD to installed units in 6 months.

Redesigned both the custom and generic cap systems, replacing machined parts and loose fasteners with injection-molded components using press fits and threaded features. Fewer parts, no loose hardware, and users can fully disassemble for cleaning by hand. Hit cleanability, NSF compliance, and unit cost goals all at once.

After a year of testing, thermal flow sensing proved the most reliable method for detecting ingredient runout, but off-the-shelf sensors ran $50 each. The challenge in replicating them in-house was fixturing: at 2mm × 2mm, the sensors needed consistent thermal contact with a 1/4" stainless tube, and a machined housing risked breaking that contact. Injecting hot melt compound directly around sensors pre-set with thermal epoxy locked each unit in place without fasteners or snap features.

Designed a silicone sling to keep a beating heart secure during transplant transit, for a cardiac preservation device now in clinical trials. Durometer was the core constraint: too soft and the heart shifts, too stiff and it risks damage. Learned silicone casting from scratch, went through around 10 versions, and handled full integration into the device.