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PremierPrincipe

ex-Tesla launch/sustaining mechanical engineering expert

San Francisco, US

Global rank:

92,393 / 92,493

Skill pts: 0

3D Solidworks Assembly Jigs and Fixture Battery Design Engineering Battery Module and Pack Engineering CAD Design Catia V5-6 Design Engineering Design for Assembly Electronics Packaging ENOVIA GD&T ASME Y14.5 Lithium Battery Design Mechanical Design Onshape Product Engineering Six Sigma Statistical Process Control (SPC) Statistics Team Leadership Team Management

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About

My skill-set and experience is broad. I am a "sword for hire" for those that need swift and sharp technical mechanical design work completed and a guru for sustaining engineering. The majority of my experience is with lithium-ion battery design engineering, launch and ramp in large-scale manufacturing however I also have experience with forensic engineering and lithium-ion cell mechanical R&D.

My most notable career-highlight is creating a global sustaining-engineering model and building a team-structure to execute thereto. I've done this twice, once for DeWalt's highest-volume lithium-ion battery product (>10 production lines in 3 factories globally) and again for Tesla's Model 3/Y legacy battery production (2 Giga-factories). I developed an assortment of methods, best-practices, strategies and techniques to define and optimize post-launch product/production sustaining.

Experience

Freelance Mechanical Design Engineer Premier Principe · Self-employed Apr 2023 – Present 1 yrs 9 mos Morgan Hill, CA, United States Owner and freelance designer, I bring experience, speed, and strong mechanical engineering discipline to those that need a "NOS boost" to projects where high-focus and intensity is required. Other times I tackle those "nice to haves" that every engineering org otherwise leaves to collect dust.
Staff Mechanical Design Engineer (Specialist) Tesla Inc · Full-time Jan 2023 – Apr 2024 1 yrs 3 mos Palo Alto, CA, United States Technical subject-matter-expert (SME) for high-voltage battery sustaining engineering; executing design changes for DFx reasons; support local/global initiatives for product life-cycle sustainability; support PLM/CAD changes & optimizations.
Manager of Mechanical Design Engineering Tesla Inc · Full-time Feb 2020 – Dec 2022 2 yrs 10 mos Palo Alto, CA, United States Ever improving, optimizing, simplifying, tidying, increasing, and strengthening our high-volume battery designs + teaching others to do the same.

Building a global team of on-the ground design-experts to plug-in (pun intended) to the factories to foster a short feedback-loop, minimize latency and maximize efficacy of product & process solutions & improvements.
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer Tesla Inc · Full-time Aug 2018 – Feb 2020 1 yrs 6 mos Palo Alto, CA, United States Development, Design-for-Manufacture, and qualification of electro-mechanical components and sub-assemblies within the battery module team for automotive and energy products. Validate scientific principles and proof-of-concept through hands-on experimentation. Work collaboratively with manufacturing and process teams to develop and specify component integration into assembly.

• Redesigned an exceptionally unorthodox and innovative flexible printed circuit (FPC) to better marry DFM and DFA principles.
• Developed fixturing and aided process development during Model 3 battery module pilot production phase.
• Coached suppliers to understand GD&T principles and statistical truth-in-data.
Staff Mechanical Design Engineer Tesla Inc · Full-time Feb 2018 – Feb 2020 2 yrs Palo Alto, CA, United States Lead a team to drive post-launch design optimization, cost-down, and performance improvement efforts; maintain design ownership during production. Development, Design-for-Manufacture, and qualification of electro-mechanical components and sub-assemblies within the battery module team for automotive and energy products. Work collaboratively with Manufacturing, Process and Quality teams to launch and qualify new components, products and processes.

Education

University of Maryland - College Park Masters of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 4.0/4.0 2012 – 2014 Activities and Societies: Professional mentor to Engineering Without Borders PMME Program with concentration in Energy and Environment
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Bachelors of Science, Mechanical Engineering, 3.22/4.0 2005 – 2009 Activities and Societies: RPI Professional Leadership Program, Ballroom Dance Team, machine-shop work-study Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Thermodynamics/Energy Systems. Also a Minor in Economics.

Other experience

Tesla Giga-Shanghai Launch Lead the battery-design task-force supporting on-site launch and sustaining thereafter of the Model 3/Y battery production in Shanghai, China.
Tesla Megapack B-Sample Component design for the original Tesla Megapack during B-sample phase; heavy with DFM and readiness DVT builds.
Robotaxi A-Sample Battery Development Built and managed the core battery engineering team to develop an A-sample prototype battery for Tesla's "next generation" battery architecture, making exhibition as the Tesla Robotaxi.
New Model S/X Launch Managed the launch/sustaining team that took design-improvement and ramp-support ownership from the original product design team. Our role was to take the battery production to SOP and through the pain of ramping thereafter.
Tesla Model 3 Launch Mechanical design engineer on the High-Voltage Battery Engineering team; component-design for Model 3/Y battery modules