COREY HOFFMANN

•Fabricate and finish sculptural works in steel, aluminum, wood, resin, clay, composites, and found objects for gallery and museum exhibitions; manage one-off and short-run builds from concept through installation.
•Execute silicone mold making, structural assembly, sanding, painting, lighting, packing, transport, and on-site installation.
•Independently interpret instructions, execute detailed tasks, contribute to creative decisions, and solve fabrication challenges.
•Develop jigs and fixtures, perform material tests, and optimize build steps to improve quality and repeatability.

•Operated and maintained CNC routers, laser cutters, 3D printers, and traditional shop tools within the industrial design department and machine shop tool cribs.
•Provided hands-on support in SolidWorks, Visualize, Illustrator, and physical modeling for class projects and prototypes.
•Troubleshot machine and software issues, reviewed project files, and guided students on setup, material selection, and output quality.
•Assisted faculty with critiques, project reviews, and demos; trained incoming assistants on safe operation and protocols.
•Organized inventory and managed daily tool crib operations to ensure a safe, efficient shop environment.

• Owned CAD-to-cut handoff for performance automotive parts in 5052 and 6061 aluminum; released SolidWorks models, flat patterns with bend allowances and K-factor, hardware and material callout's, and vendor-ready DXFs.
• Programmed and ran a 3-axis CNC plasma system; standardized nesting and setup sheets, tuned kerf and pierce parameters, and improved edge quality for downstream forming and finishing.
• Built fixtures, bend check gauges, and assembly aids that made fit ups repeatable and reduced operator error.
• Troubleshot cutting and finishing issues including torch alignment, consumable wear, heat distortion, and coating defects; restored uptime through root cause fixes and preventive maintenance.
• Implemented Lean improvements across cutting, sanding, and finishing that shortened lead times and improved consistency across product lines.
• Created SolidWorks models and assemblies; produced drawing packages with material specs, tolerances, hardware callout's, and flat patterns for shop and vendors.
• Increased material yield through optimized nesting and remnant reuse planning for common thicknesses; lowered scrap and reduced reorder frequency.