Lucas Barton

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Mechanical Engineering Co-op

As part of Northeastern University's Co-op program, I completed my third six month experience at Fortify - a 3D printing start-up based in Boston. I gained design and hands-on experience building on skills I had acquired in my previous co-ops. I also had the chance to develop firmware and be responsible for testing of multiple printer systems.

Rapid Prototyping Injection Mold Design

I designed an injection mold assembly that was able to be printed on Fortify's SLA 3D printers. The printed mold was injection molded in-house and withstood the intense pressures of the injection molding machine. I analyzed the molded parts for defects, implemented improvements into the designs, and documented procedures for faster prototyping. This process could be completed in one day.

Part Design for SLA 3D Printers

I designed assemblies for inclusion on Fortify's in-house SLA 3D printers. These included sheet metal assemblies, electromechanical systems, and new prototypes designed through machining, soldering, tolerance analysis, and fluid engineering principals.

Latch Assembly

I designed a latch assembly that securely clamped the build area to the 3D printer stage plate. I completed drawings and sent them to suppliers for part procurement. I was then able to assemble the components and make minor adjustments to ensure proper clamping force. I updated the internal CAD models with improvements for future iterations. This design was used daily on an in-house printer.

Sheet Metal Assemblies

I also had the opportunity to design unique sheet metal assemblies that met specific requirements for the in-house 3D printer systems and fit within the specified dimensions of the printers. I often analyzed the sheet metal designs in FEA software to study worst and best-case scenarios. I continued the practice of producing drawings for the assemblies and coordinating with suppliers to obtain the parts. Finally, I would test the assemblies on the 3D printer systems and make adjustments as necessary.

Fluid Seal Design

One of my first projects at Fortify involved designing an assembly that would be displayed on a 3D printer system and was expected to contain liquids. I learned design techniques for incorporating off the shelf o-rings and heat set inserts into the assembly, and I learned how to use holes and slots to ensure proper alignment for sheet metal brackets.

Build Plate Fixture Assembly

One of my final projects at Fortify allowed me to invovle all of the design principals I had learned during my time there - I designed a 3D printer fixture that could quickly secure and release a 3D printing build plate. I used the concept of over-center locking with strict tolerance analysis to develop the prototype. I leveraged elastic properties of the materials through FEA with ANSYS, and ensured that the proper force requirements were adhered to. I produced detailed part drawings of each component and made sure I knew the tightest tolerances that the suppliers could meet. In the end, I assembled the components and the fixture was successful in accomplishing the task without major adjustments.

Arduino

I worked often with the Arduino IDE in conjunction with compatible boards like the Mega while at Fortify. I created firmware to complete novel tasks and help me complete printer testing and analysis. I gained experience controlling stepper motors and other necessary printer components, and I became more familiar with electronic processes like wiring circuits, soldering, and troubleshotting electrical problems.

One Arduino project I completed was utilizing an extrenal SD card to log data from one of Fortify's printers. This process originally required a computer to log data, but by incorporating the SD card, I enabled the process to run without a computer, saving time and allowing much more data logging on the printer.