Charles Thomas
Associate Engineer
Alameda,CA
Summary
I am somewhere between an industrial designer and an industrial engineer, incorporating aspects of both disciplines. I enjoy product development and refinement, and I am driven to help others by either seeing what's missing, identifying solutions that work, and/or persisting in making them happen from a reverse-engineered perspective. I am very resourceful and experienced in numerous aspects of business, from technical sales to production management. My strengths include product design, product development, production management, and training. I also have good communication skills, marketing, sales, and customer service.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Associate Engineer
Aperia Technologies, Inc.
03.2018 - Current
- Primary job duties involve the troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, or improvement of the entire corporation’s production fixture base
- Report directly to the Head of Production Engineering and work closely with his team of both Senior and production fixture Engineers and other engineering team members to ensure successful production project outcomes
- Invented and designed an extremely reliable production fixture resulting in development cost savings in excess of $18K for the company and a zero failure rate
- Observe and make recommendations on machine specs, material callouts, and overall recommend improvements or updates to enhance production timelines
- Assist Engineers in the evaluation and testing of products, systems, or processes to ensure optimal performance and reliability
- Troubleshoot machinery malfunctions and perform repairs to avoid production delays, as needed
- Built new production machinery using pneumatic, electrical, and mechanical schematics, and build componentry
- Regularly work with national and international (Asian and European), vendors to purchase new and existing fixture parts, tooling, and shop expendables to ensure continuous manufacturing productivity
- Controlled facility maintenance contracting and worked with various electrical, fire safety, overhead door repair, locksmiths, and other contractors to maintain the former manufacturing division facility
- Occasionally assisted in making measurements when asked for by the Head of Production Engineering and exceeded expected accuracy
- Responsible for providing technical support in the planning, design, and execution of engineering projects, including recommendation on fixture design to the actual designing of fixtures to be handed off to engineering for final approval
- Machined, fabricated or modified parts to repair and rebuild fixtures
Education
B.A. - Industrial Design, guitar research and development, business administration
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA06.1983
Skills
- Creative Solutions Development
- Project Coordination Expertise
- Composed in High-Stress Situations
- Analytical Problem Solving
- Precision Machinist Skills
- CAD/CAM Design Certification
- Vendor Negotiation Expertise
- Effective Relationship Building
- Product Development Experience
- Quality Assurance Testing
- Solution-Oriented Thinking
- Positive Interpersonal Skills
Certification
CAD/CAM certification in 5-axis programming using Solidworks and MasterCAM
Luthier Design And Development Work
Studied gears and identified three significant problem areas currently not being addressed by the industry. Private disclosure only!, Learned of a more lubricious metal alloy for gear usage overlooked by current manufacturers with an excellent cost/savings ratio., Studied different centistokes of PAOs, chlorine based lubes, fluorine based lubes, Sulfonates, high vacuum lubes, dry lubes, esters, ethers, solvents, and high tech gear coatings for 5 years and uncovered what ALL the guitar gear guys are missing., Networked with the chemical engineers at Mobil labs to discover the challenges at the very cutting edge of lubricant technology., Developed an 'ear' by intensely studying the tones of all the various woods used in guitar making - from hardwoods to softwoods, for almost 10 years before finally realizing how to REALLY listen in order to filter conflicting information and isolate, distinguish and identify an individual component affecting the overall tone., As an example, now able to differentiate and identify the sound of the carbon in resistors or the sound of calcium in bone or marble or gold plating on silver flute while the instrument is being played., Conducted an exhaustive study of the structural characteristics and tap and drop tones of various materials, including most plastics, minerals, and high-tech man-made substrates including the oxides, crystals and carbides, ivory, bone and stone., Currently focusing on the tones of chemical elements., Studied sounds through Al, Pt, Au, Ag, Be, Cu, Ir, C, Pd, Rh, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Ca, Si, and W so far., Mastered finishing techniques from applying simple coatings to translucents and sunbursting techniques., Worked with acrylic and nitrocellulose lacquers, enamels, polyurethane's and shellac using french polishing techniques., Studied the formulation of coatings using lac, amber, oil, rosins, and resins in violins and other instrument varnishes., Studied the various fatty acids and their sources - especially nuts., Sprayed for Thomas Featherston, a high-end furniture designer and learned the art of applying an ultra-smooth finish without having to rub it out., Studied all the guns from every manufacturer., Studied fundamental magnet structures and physical properties., Listened to magnets to discern how their physical characteristics affect tone., Discovered magnets not being used that have promising attributes - Private disclosure only., Studying the effects on tone of various wire types, gauges, and coatings., Intend on studying Litz vs solid core in pickups., Studied the epitaxial sensor, light sensors, piezo crystal usage etc., Identified the finest handful of transformer builders/designers worldwide., Studied nickel, cobalt and various steel alloy core materials and where and how they sound when in a well designed circuit., Identified the sound characteristics of carbon, carbon film, various metal oxides, tantalums, cermets and wire wound resistors., Studied every capacitor made for audio for 3 years nonstop from dry film to PIO’s to electrolytics., Mapped out their slew rates, DC resistances, and other parameters., Studied, tested, listened to, and learned to recognize the distortion characteristics of many tubes from common to esoteric, small signal to power, standard to miniature to sub miniature also the directly and indirectly heated triodes., Learned how to read data sheets and interpret parameters to recognize potential., Studied plate structures and their effect on tone., Private tutored by both a tube physicist and one of the most forward thinking audio amp designers in the country on circuit fundamentals and learned biasing techniques not common to industry., Currently studying transistors to find one that overcomes the inherent input/gate limitations associated with all transistor technology., Silicon-based transistors, FETS, VFETS, MOSFETS: gate and bandwidth limited., Vertical silicon carbide FETS: gate limitations w/improved bandwidth., TriQuint’s RF GAN transistors: skeptical w/problematic core., In contact with Diamond FET researchers under development showing best promise., Machined various metal parts for guitars and amplifiers, including one-of-a-kind titanium-plated aluminum transformer covers, brass bridges, amp chassis, modified electrical parts and fuse holders, speaker driver parts, etc.
Associations And Acknowledgments
- Guild of American Luthiers - Since 1991
- Strathmores WHO’S WHO International - 2004
Production Management Experience
- Surface Technology Corporation, Managed production of a countertop manufacturer with an annual volume of $3.6M., Directed the efforts of two shift foreman, 6 install crews and 25 fabricators., Maintained machinery and/or contracted service providers., Reported daily labor cost breakdowns to the General Manager and Owner., Monitored shop, installation, and template costs., Established a vehicle maintenance program., Held regular shop safety meetings., Purchased all necessary equipment and supplies., Hired, dismissed, and gave employees annual reviews., Scheduled daily work flow., Inventoried stock monthly and corrected previous PM inaccuracies., Reorganized the facility and cleaned it up.
- Hackley Architectural, Assisted the Owner in managing daily production efforts of 3 departments., Directed the efforts of the Art Director, Shop Foreman, Shipping and Receiving Manager, the Installation crew and everyone under them., Performed special task assignments as outlined by President/Owner., Responsible for all third-party vendor contact and outsourcing., Purchased all raw material goods., Strengthened supplier network., Met with clients offsite to discuss needs and won new business., Oversaw installers in the field.
- Sign Classics, Oversaw all daily production., Scheduled and managed flow of up to 100 orders on a daily basis., Supervised all production employees and installers, including the permits coordinator., Directed the duties of the Shop Foreman and Art Director., Created new positions and incentive programs within the company., Resolved customer service issues, wrote new orders, and won business., Acted as company liaison to government agencies., Monitored HAZMAT procedures and conducted regular safety meetings., Improved working conditions and brought operations up to compliance., Reorganized facility layout, raw materials storage., Automated new and streamlined inventory structure., Inventoried material goods weekly and all plant assets at year end., Created forms and structures for hiring, warnings, dismissals, inventory management, regulatory agency forms and letters, mileage logs for truck drivers and sales reps, etc., Hired, fired, promoted, trained, and conducted annual reviews., Strengthened and expanded supplier network while negotiating lower cost of goods., Directed all shipping and receiving, including international exports., Evaluated all new major equipment acquisitions for owner., Eliminated all back orders and increased on-time deliveries by 75%., Improved output quality and reduced costs., Revamped paint department, eliminated excess and lowered costs by 68%., Streamlined bloated inventories by 90% and lowered operation costs., Performed various fabrication, painting, and installation duties as needed., Pulled a company on the verge of going out of business and restored solvency.
Timeline
Associate Engineer
Aperia Technologies, Inc.
03.2018 - Current
B.A. - Industrial Design, guitar research and development, business administration
San Francisco State University
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