Florida Tech Machine Shop
Machining
One year experience in machining using manual mills and lathes as well as 2-axis CNC mills and lathes working on propulsion hardware, such as CNC machining nozzles and nose cone tips for Phantom 10K, and manual/CNC lathe machining of SABER, which is a bipropellant engine being developed by a senior design team.
Capabilities
Aluminum nozzle, CNC 2-axis lathe
Phantom 10K Hardware
Experience in CNC machining involved several materials and their specific machining issues, such as machining of an aluminum nozzle, machining graphite nozzles for Phantom 10K, machining nose cone tips for Phantom 10K, and machining of a mild steel nozzle for the SABER senior design project. The differences between graphite, aluminum, and mild steel and machining issues caused by these differences made the machining process challenging.
CNC-machined the aluminum nozzle, graphite nozzles, and nose cone tips used across Phantom 10K's static fires and flight.
Outside Machining Support
SABER was a senior design group constructing multiple bipropellant rocket engines with different characteristic lengths. Being not a member of the team, my role was outside machining support where I performed operations using a CNC lathe for about three months; at the time, I was one of only three people at the university who could use the CNC lathe. During the manufacturing of the steel combustion chamber, we faced an unexpected problem when some parts of the stock material had different hardness, which no one, even the material supplier, was aware of before the process began.
Performed manually the manufacturing of a hydrostatic test nozzle and a flight nozzle which were used by the SABER team. Additionally, performed the manufacturing of a steel combustion chamber although the inconsistency in hardness discovered during the process of manufacture makes it questionable whether the part was useful.
SABER hydrostatic test nozzle, manual lathe
✓ Recognition
Acknowledged at the Florida Tech Senior Design Showcase as part of the SABER team's presentation, for machining contributions to their project.
Reflection
"The fact that I got hired particularly because not many people at the school could operate the CNC lathe was another example of how a manufacturing skill is more valuable than a designing skill. The difference in hardness of the material used in the combustion chamber has taught me that there is nothing an operator can do with wrong material regardless of how skilled he or she is."
Skills Learned