RICHARD HEUCHERT
MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER - SENIOR
***** ******** **** *****, **** Hill, NC, 28227
*********@*****.***
(Open to relocation)
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 35 +
SKILLS
Productivity Consulting and Engineering
Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Project Engineering
Robotics, Special Machines, and Automation
Engineering Management
Consulting on various new product and vehicle development programs
Solidworks (12+ years) and Autocad CAD Design
TOP SKILLS
Concepting and optimizing
EMPLOYMENT RECORD
August, 2015 to February, 2016
Transbotics Corporation
Mechanical Designer
Investigate, concept, design, detail, and check an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) with internal scissor lift mechanism for uses in a new Bridgestone tire manufacturing plant in Quebec, Canada. This battery-operated machine was designed using on-board logistics and position-sensing lasers to continually monitor its location and destination within 4 miles of aisle ways inside the plant. My initial investigation found an error in the requirement for traveling between floors. The concrete ramp design had featured an entry and exit area that had a 50 thousand millimeter radius curved transition area to allow the very low 14 foot vehicle to traverse without bottoming out. This was physically impossible and further investigation found that the radius was intended to be 50 thousand inches (a 25.4 times larger distance). Finding this error early in the manufacture of 30 identical vehicles resulted in savings of over $150,000 in repairs and 2 months of late delivery.
2013 to 2014
Jewett Automation
Mechanical Design Engineer
Engineer, concept, and design additions and enhancements to completed machines per customer’s requests for additional products, capabilities, serviceability, and production. The projects included machines to produce components for a new product to provide painless injections, and a new production machine to take various length and diameter nuclear fuel rods that are loaded with inert radioactive material and other components and weld, machine, clean, check, and validate them. This was further complicated because the fuel rod alloy material could only be touched by a couple of types of material and had to be completely unmarked by scratches and scuff marks that might change the local heat transfer properties of the rod assembly.
2012 to 2013
Pipestream, Inc., Houston, TX
Conceptual Design Engineer
Concept, engineer, and design a unique automatic machine to rebuild and rehabilitate existing oil and gas pipelines to better-than-new specifications. This new machine will handle pipes in common standard sizes from 6 to 42 inches in diameter and of unlimited length, almost anywhere below ground. One of its most important features is that the pipeline can remain open and running continuously, preserving many millions of dollars of uninterrupted throughput. This machine has exceeded the highest expectations of Pipestream for design intent, suitability for purpose, integrity, size, and cost. It will fulfill an unmet demand and will be marketed worldwide.
2011 to 2012
Michilen Tire / Salisbury Machine, Salisbury, NC
Machine Design Engineer
Engineer and design a new modular machine to remove old rubber from tires before retreading. This new design eliminates more than 200 different parts from a machine design that they have been purchasing from Europe. It is simpler, more robust, easier and quicker to build, easy to adjust and maintain in the field, modular, has greater range of tire sizes, and is much less costly to build. Some of the major sub-assemblies have been concurrently designed to seamlessly work in other tire retreading equipment.
2008 to 2011
Bradman Lake Inc., Charlotte, NC
Project Manager and Machine Design Engineer
Manage and engineer projects to manufacture and build high-speed packaging machinery for the processed food and pharmaceutical industries. Responsibilities include quotation, concept, design, build, trouble-shoot, and run-off reviews for machinery to package consumable food products at rates up to 2,500 units per minute. Additional responsibilities include rewriting company standards for quotations, work orders, machine design and software, and internal communication. Designs were created using SolidWorks 3-D and Autocad 2-D CAD software.
2004 to 2008
ATS Carolina, Rock Hill, SC
Mechanical Design Engineer
Manage and designed many varied automated stations in large systems that include manufacturing contact lenses, assembling turbochargers, lawn mower engines, BMW fenders, steering columns, differentials, medical pipettes and others. Responsibilities included concepting, designing, detailing, checking, and purchasing equipment to meet or exceed customer requirements for efficiency, robustness, maintainability, cost-effectiveness, and safety. The concepts and designs were created using SolidWorks 3-D and Autocad 2-D CAD software.
1988 to 2004
Imagineering Unlimited, Inc., Metamora, MI
Owner and Manufacturing and Design Engineer and Productivity Consultant
Defined the root causes of manufacturing deficiencies and revised equipment to attain 30 to 85% improvements in production capabilities. Designed many varied mechanical assembly and test systems for increased productivity, flexibility, and quality. Concepted and designed leak testers and induction heat-treating equipment with loaders/unloaders for transmission components. Consulting responsibilities included concepting, designing, implementing, and trouble-shooting new processes and equipment to promote start-up and production of new manufacturing facilities and to also improve production and profitability of existing plants.
1986 to 1988
KTB Group, Troy, MI
Chief Engineer
Redesigned and enhanced brake systems tester resulting in sales to retrofit all General Motors automobile assembly plants. I attained a 25% savings in manufacturing and assembly of automobile “cockpit” in $2 million study of General Motors future concept car. Responsibilities included supervising and integrating the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing, and assembly groups, and developing new products.
1978 to 1986
Complete Design Service and Full Spectrum Engineering, Troy, MI
Owner and Mechanical Design Engineer
As owner I worked in many positions, including management, sales, proposal, quoting, concepting, designing, detailing, and checking. The services provided included machine design, build, assembly, and trouble-shooting for several varied machine integrators providing equipment for the automotive industry.
1977 to 1978
Solar Engineering, Royal Oak, MI
Mechanical Engineering Manager
Start and manage a design group for special dedicated machinery. After being given an office, desk and telephone, I was given a year to initiate some work. In 3 months I had sold and managed Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, and in 6 months I also sold and managed Buick Motor Division and Detroit Diesel Operations accounts.
1975 to 1977
Ford Motor Tractor Operations, Romeo, MI
Design Engineering Manager
Manage, hire, and direct up to 10 direct and contract employees during a major engineering effort designing components for new tractors, backhoes, and loaders. My responsibilities consisted of managing, advising, sketching, designing, and checking large backhoe and tractor chassis, beams, buckets, levers, brackets, hydraulic cylinders, and other parts. Also, all of the special fixtures, tools, gages that were required to manufacture those parts were included. In addition, 3 separate programs were completed in the time frame allocated for 2 programs.
Prior to 1978
This time was invested at engineering and manufacturing facilities in learning and applying sound engineering principles to manufacturing challenges.
EDUCATION
Henry Ford College – Dearborn, Michigan – Mechanical Engineering
Oakland University – Auburn Hills, Michigan - Computer Aided Design
Cross Company – Fraser, Michigan - Machine Design