Matthew portfolio

Mechanical Engineering
Design Portfolio
Matthew Allen (BS Mechanical Engineering)

Matthew Allen | Mechanical Engineering Portfolio | matt.allen98@gmail.com | 650 556 5464 2
Table of Contents
Introduction……..………………..…………..……………….…………………………………………………3
About Me….…………..……………………..………..…………………………………………………………4
Career Objectives………….……..……...……....……....……....……....……....…….........……....4
Major Things…………..……………………..………..………………………………………………………...5
Hyperloop – Air Tank Mounting System……..….…………………………………………………6
Hyperloop – Carbon Fiber Shell……..…………...…………………………………………………8
Zendo Meditation………………..……………….…………………………………………………10
Stanford Oral Cancer Screening…………..……………….……………………………………...12
Direct Air Capture Machine………………..…………….………………………………………...14
Minor Things……..……………………..……………..……………………………………………………….16
1st
Place Biomedical Make-a-thon………..……………….………………………………………17
Central Coast Plastics………………………..………….…………………………………………..18
Segway Forklift……...………….……………..……………………………………………………..19
RFID Club……………………………………..………………………….…………………………...20
Manufacturing Drawing Samples….................……..………….…………………………………21
Gear Train– Two Stage Speed Reducer...……….……………………………………………..…23
Future Things……………………………………..…………………………..……………..………..………25
Senior Project………………………………………………………..………………………………26
I/O and BCD conversion for LED Blinking ………………..………..…………..…………..……27
Hyperloop - Cold Gas Thruster Mounting System……………………………………….……..29

Introduction
Welcome, and thank you for taking the
time to view my portfolio. The goal of this
portfolio is to give you a deeper insight
into my experiences and skills I have
gained over my recent history.
It is my hope that this will allow you to
better assess how my skills can be
applied to your company.
I would be happy to talk in more detail
and can be reached using the contact
information at the bottom of this page.

About Me
Summary: Self-driven Mechanical Engineer with expertise in CAD, composites, and advanced
simulation. Experience designing and manufacturing components of a hyperloop pod, a biometrics
product, and an oral cancer screening device. Deeply curious, with a passion for creating innovation
and for the future of technology
________________________________________________________________________
Objectives
Short Term Career: Looking for a full-time position when I graduate in June 2020. I am pursuing a
position at a company that works with cutting edge technology and that will challenge me each and
every day. I want to be able to develop my hard and soft skills in an environment where my
colleagues expect a lot from me but are also willing to teach.
Long Term Career: In the future I wish to lead a company, perhaps my own, in my dream of
contributing to the future of space exploration. I think that our future is among the stars and I want to
make an impact on that future.
Volunteer: I have recently been inspired by the stories wounded soldiers, and I want to be able to
give back to the service men and women who risk their lives to keep us safe. I would like to start a
non-profit that would design and maybe manufacture 3D printed prosthetics or other life enhancing
technology.

Major Things
This section of my portfolio details large scale projects and internship experiences that have shaped my development
as an engineer and as a person. I dive into some of the projects that I have completed in my internships and with my
experience with the Cal Poly Hyperloop Club
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Design and Testing of Pneumatic Mounting System - Cal Poly Hyperloop
Project Aim: To design and manufacture a mounting system for two paintball air tanks necessary for the pods braking
system.
Background: The pneumatic braking system employed by the pod
consists of three pairs of braking units. Each unit contains a brake
pad, two coil springs, and two double acting pneumatic cylinders.
These units are housed within an aluminum frame and bolted to
the pod chassis.
In order to release the brakes, air tanks have to provide pressure
to the pneumatic cylinders. The system has to endure the
acceleration and braking forces from the pod, as well as vibrations
Approach:
• Work with the braking design lead to understand the
pressure required to actuate the pneumatic cylinders.
• Based on pressure requirements, choose an air tank based on a careful
Cost benefit analysis.
• Evaluate early mounting designs and breakdown the strengths and weaknesses
of each design.
• Apply the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principal to reduce the part count and
complexity of the design.
• Since the window to develop this part is very small, use rapid prototyping
techniques that have approved strength and outgassing specs.

My Role:
• Redesigned the mounting system for the pods pneumatics and
3D printed the mounts for the air tanks. Reduced the part count
of the system by 66 percent, and cut the space taken up by the
system in half.
• Designed a test fixture to do compression testing on the pod’s
pneumatic mounting system, and wrote subsequent test
procedures for a SpaceX safety briefing
• Used SolidWorks and Ansys to simulate the effects of
acceleration and braking forces on the chassis and pneumatic
mounting system of the pod, and confirmed the results with
detailed hand calculations
• Performed mechanical testing on the chassis and pneumatic mounting system to confirm simulation and hand
calculation results
Skills Developed:
• Finite element analysis simulation
• SolidWorks 3D modeling for large assembly
• 2D drawings
• 3D printing
• Mechanical testing procedures
• Design for vacuum environment
• Rapid prototyping
Considerations:
This component had to be developed in less than a
month, so I came up with the idea of 3D printing the part.
My idea was approved, and I was asked to lead the
developments of the mounting assembly. If I had more
time, I would have iterated the design and would have
given it a shape that could easily be Milled or CNC’d.

Design and Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber Skirt - Cal Poly Hyperloop
Project Aim: To design and manufacture a carbon fiber skirt to improve
pod aerodynamics and project electronics
Background: Although the idea behind Hyperloop is that pods will
travel in a vacuum tube, the “vacuum” we are designing for is actually
just a partial vacuum. After speaking with subject matter experts, we
learned that when traveling fast in a partial vacuum, you have to worry
about particle impact. This realization prompted our team to start
designing a shell.
I volunteered to lead a team in manufacturing the shell. As a
manufacturing lead I worked with the lead designer to design a shell
that was optimized for manufacturability.
Approach:
• Spend a month researching the process of working with carbon fiber. This
means speaking with Formula SAE students familiar with the process, sitting
down with composites professors, and watching countless YouTube videos
• Decide on a material based on the application of the shell, and club budget
• Choose a manufacturing process. Pre-Preg was eliminated because the oven
on campus was too small for our shell and designing a multi-sectioned shell
was too great of a scope of work
• Shadow Formula students conducting a wet layup. Ask many questions. Use
this experience to develop and initial manufacturing process.

• Train a group of people in the manufacturing process and assign roles. For example, have one person in charge
of prepping a vacuum bag, and another making sure the vacuum pump is functional
• Start with a scaled-down version of the shell and practice the entire process, until the entire group feels
comfortable doing a full-sized layup.
My Role:
• Manufacturing lead for the team that manufactured the pod’s carbon fiber skirt, using a wet layup technique.
• Spent two months observing Cal Poly Racing's composites team and conducting research to learn how to
perform a wet layup and what materials the team needed to order
• In charge of manufacturing and prepping the foam mold used in the full-scale wet layup process.
• Developed a manufacturing process to make a scaled-down version of the skirt and then slowly scaled up the
process until we manufactured the full-size 7' skirt.
• Finished 6th
out of 21 teams in competition, as the first ever first-year team, and was commended for having the
least expensive pod in competition history.
Skills Developed:
• Composites Knowledge
• Wet Layup
• Leadership
• Design for Manufacturing
• Mold preparation
• Process Documentation
• Expedited development
Considerations:
Leading a team, in a process that I knew nothing about,
at first seemed daunting, but I was determined to
impress the engineers at SpaceX, and I think that I
learned more by doing than I could have learned taking
any class.
Me and two other team members are now self-teaching
advanced composites so that next year’s pod with have a
composite chassis.

HRV Consumer Product Design – Zendo Meditation
Project Aim: To take the immersive meditation experience offered by the Zendo app and make it accessible to more
people.
Background: Zendo was designed to accompany your meditation
practice, it allows the ever-growing community of meditators to look
within while monitoring heart rate variability (HRV), a measure empirically
correlated with a sense of well-being and positive health outcomes.
The problem with the experience is that it is only available to people with
an Apple Watch. My job at Zendo is to lead the development of a product
that can collect users HRV data, for a fraction of the cost of an Apple
Watch. The idea is that anyone with a computer or an phone will be able
to hand out my device and start an immersive group meditation
experience with relevant biofeedback.
My Role:
• Brainstormed with the CEO about possible ways to take this device. He originally envisioned a band that goes
about a person’s arm or wrist.
• Spent time working with the sensors that the software team had been developing for, and after determining that
the sensors worked by measuring the electrical potential difference across your heart and could not work as a
band on only one side of the body, suggested a handheld product.
• The company’s CEO approved development of the handheld product, so I begin designing different form
factors of the device to present to the company.
• Conducted customer research and spoke with meditation experts (a Zen monk) in order to design a product
that is functional, but also speaks true to the company message and background.

• 3D printed the final design and conducted meditation sessions to gather customer feedback for further
improvement.
Summarized:
• Developed a handheld heart rate monitor that monitors users heart
rate variability (HRV) in order to deliver an immersive group
mediation experience
• Discovered an issue with the company’s original plan for the monitor,
based on the hardware’s capabilities and presented a new design
that was approved for rapid prototyping
• Currently revamping the handheld monitor to allow for sensor
repairs, battery changes, and better heart rate data
Skills Developed:
• CAD (SolidWorks)
• Design for 3D printing
• Rapid Prototyping
• Communication
• Hardware/sensors
• Product Design
• Empathy (Customer Research)
Considerations:
After presenting my final prototypes to the company, I
was told that I exceeded expectations and was offered to
continue working with the company during my 4th
year at
school.
I am currently teaching myself Rhino, which will allow me
to be more creating with the form factor. I am also
optimizing the device so that the batteries and sensors
can be easily removed.

Oral Cancer Screening Device – Stanford Optical Engineering Department
Project Aim: To evaluate different form factors of an oral screening device and suggest
changes. Design and built a system so that the device can be used for data collection.
Background: Normal human tissue fluoresces, meaning that when a certain wavelength of
light hits the tissue, it actually increases in wavelength. However, cancerous regions or
dysplasia does not fluoresce. There are devices on the market that allow dentists or oral
surgeons to look through the device and detect concerning regions.
At Stanford I was working with a team to develop a device that uses the same technology
as exiting devices but adds a machine learning aspect. We worked on a device that can
take pictures of troublesome regions and use a machine learning algorithm to analyze the
pixels in the images and determine the cause of the alarming region.
My Role:
• Worked In an interdisciplinary team to develop an oral cancer
screening device that uses natural tissue fluorescence and
machine learning to detect cancerous legions or dysplasia
• Synthesized the pros and cons of early prototypes and spoke
with dentists and researches to determine the best form factor
and possible redesigns for the device
• Built a robust and adjustable platform using rapid prototyping
techniques, so that we can use the most recent iteration of the
device for data collection

Skills Developed:
• Rapid Prototyping
• Form Factor Design
• Mechanical Systems Design
• Design for Overseas manufacturing
Considerations:
Working at Stanford University gave me access to an
incredible amount of resources. I worked closely with the
head of optical engineering at Stanford and PhD
students.
Although my main projects involved mechanical aspects
of the device, I gained a valuable insight into the
applications of machine learning and the field of optical
engineering.

Direct Air Carbon Capture Machine – Healthy Climate Alliance
Project Aim: To develop an economical and scalable system that converts CO2 into
building materials like concrete—sequestering it permanently.
Background: Direct air capture is a process of capturing carbon dioxide directly from the
ambient air and generating a concentrated stream of CO2 for sequestration or
utilization. The air flows through a filter where CO2 is removed. The technology is still in
early stages of development.
Healthy Climate Alliance wanted to design a DAC machine that could easily be
manufactured and scaled up. The design is leverages technology pioneered by Dr.
Klaus Lackner.
My Role:
• Worked with lead engineer to design a Direct Air Capture (DAC) machine
based on a selection of scientific literature.
• Built the DAC machine from the ground up, updating the documentation
and drawings as changes were made. Created 3D SolidWorks animations
and renderings of the machine
• Assisted in showcasing the machine at the Global Climate Action Summit
and a Y Combinator climate tech show and tell.

Skills Developed:
• Top Down Assembly
• Manufacturing Drawing
• Mechanical Systems Design
• T-slot framing
• Metals Manufacturing
Considerations:
This project was part of my first internship as a
mechanical engineering student. This experience was
vital in developing my skills in CAD and mechanical
design. The engineers I was working with were well
versed in designing complex systems, and by asking
questions and absorbing as much I possible I was able
to acquire a plethora of new skills.
The device that I built and helped design, was featured in multiple online news articles

Minor Things
This section of my portfolio details small scale projects in which the scope of work was smaller than the projects of my
summer internships.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1st
Place in Biomedical Make-a-thon
I participated in a 30-hour design competition. My group of 4 was able
to place in second out of 25 teams. I was the most experienced in my
group and assumed the role of team lead.
Prompt: To design a simple, affordable prosthetic arm kit that be
implemented in developing countries. The design has to be able to
conform to a range of arm sizes and lengths. The device should be
made of an assembly of parts that are easy to source, fix, and replace.
Our Approach: We decided to limit our kit to apply to transradial
(below the elbow) amputees since it is the most common arm amputation. After our first few ideas hit a wall, I came up
with an idea to design a full arm splint that hinges at the elbow. This way the device can be adjusted to fit any size arm.
Also, the location of the straps can be adjusted depending on the length of remaining arm.
Our device also features a chuck on the end. We got this idea from
seeing the creative ways some amputees use their prosthetics. We
figured that by using a chuck the amputee and hold a wide array of
different items.
Our design won us first place overall.

Central Coast Plastics – Manufacturing Intern
In my second year at Cal Poly I worked for a local plastics shop, which took on plastics projects for individuals and
companies. I spent my time machining and strip bending plastics parts as well as developing tooling for the
companies manufacturing processes.
The Party Star: Worked on the prototype for the party star at Central Coast
Plastics. Created tooling and processes in order to fix the first few
thousand defected products.
Assisted Listening Device: I manufacture the infrared plastic cover for the
emitted panel in a divide that helps the hearing impaired to watch
movies. The device is required in every move theater in the United States
and I am the primary manufacturer. I worked with the CEO to create the
tooling and processes, but work independently in carrying out
the manufacturing.

Segway/Forklift – 3rd
Year Mechanical Design Project
Project Prompt: Design a 2-wheel drive forklift to lift and transport medium weight goods across factories & industrial
warehouses. The two-wheel drive is a fast, efficient and low power consumption vehicle that does not require much
space to move. The mini forklift should run on two dc motors and drive small weight (15 kg) with pickup arrangement
across small distances easily. Design a forklift that lifts objects and placing them on a regular table (for instance, tables
used in Cal Poly’s laboratories).
Utilizes a 3-pulley
system to decrease the
torque required to lift
the skid
More cost effective
and simpler than using
gears
Two 12V, 5,300 RPM, 337
W DC motors, controlled by
two separate reversible motor
controllers
6:1 gear ratio, transmitted
through sprocket and chain
increases torque
We used differential steering to
control each individual motor
independently of each other.
This is all controlled by a control
panel which consists of
acceleration levers, on/off
buttons and motor output
percentage displays
There is a friction pad
that is attached to a
piece of wood. There is
a spring at the bottom of
the braking mechanism
to keep the braking
mechanism up.

RFID Soda Dispenser – Mechanical Lead
Project:
Based on a concept observed at a local taproom, we set out to apply
RFID to a soda dispenser. The taproom requires customers to wear a
wristband with a tag inside that keeps track of what beers the customer
is buying so they can be charged as they leave. We created a soda
dispenser that can only be activated when a tag is scanned. A scale tells
the machine how much soda to dispense. The purpose of this project
was to showcase RFID technology at open house and draw
more attention to our club

Manufacturing Drawing Samples

Gear Train – Two Stage Speed Reducer
Challenge:
(a) Design all four helical gears using AGMA equations.
(b) Design all three shafts based on forces you obtain from part (a). You need to first
design each shaft based on fatigue and static stress analysis. Next, check shafts’
deflections at points of interests (locations of gears and bearing) and compare
them with allowable values; and modify shafts diameters again if required in order
to keep slopes and deflection values inside allowable ranges. Design shafts with
varying cross-sectional areas/diameters and reduce shaft diameter in areas with
small stresses.
(c) Select proper ball bearings from catalog based on shafts
diameters and reaction forces.
(d) After you are done with your design, you should generate a 3D
model of the gearbox you designed in Solid works. Next,
perform static stress analysis on each gear using the forces you
get from your design and compare its results with your
analytical results.

Future Things
This section of my portfolio describes some of the projects that I am currently working on.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Senior Project - Designing and building an autonomous optical filter selector
to infer properties of the upper atmosphere and predict space weather,
sponsored by the Space Sciences Laboratory UC Berkley
Challenge: This design challenge will involve designing, prototyping, and
building a filter selector. Two examples of a filter selector from commercial
sources are shown above. It is expected that the students’ design will differ in
order to (1) accommodate the size constraints (~10x10x10” cube), (2) allow for
an adjustable filter tilt from 0-10 deg in 0.2 deg steps, and (3) result in a cost-
effective design. A key requirement of the design is robustness. It is required
to operate almost entirely autonomously in a remote, dusty location with
limited temperature control for three years. The filter selector is a critical
component of an upcoming deployment of three space weather instruments
scheduled for Summer 2020.
Specific Goals:
• Deliver three filter selectors plus one backup
• Include all CAD files and drawings for designed parts
• Implement a week-long free-running test to demonstrate robustness
Special Skills needed: Mechatronics

I/O and BCD conversion for LED Blinking
The goal of this lab is to add input-output capability, typically called I/O, to the
blinking of two sets of LEDs. More specifically, I will augment my LED blinking
code such that the user can enter on the keypad a decimal integer
representing the number of milliseconds in the period for LED pair_1 and a
second decimal integer representing the number of milliseconds in the period
for the LED pair_2. Magnitudes from 1 to 65,535 should be accepted.
My program should continually check for the F1 or F2 key having been
pressed on a keypad. The F1 and F2 keys should correspond to LED pair_1
and LED pair_2, respectively. In response to the F1 or F2 key having been
pressed, my program should take the following actions:
1. Turn OFF both LEDs in the appropriate LED pair.
2. Display an appropriate prompt on the LCD, such as, "ENTER the number
of msec for LED pair 1:".
3. Accept characters representing decimal digits from the keypad.
4. Ignore all characters except 0 - 9, <Backspace>, and <Enter>.
5. Echo valid digits to the LCD and store them as ASCII characters in a buffer.

6. Handle <Backspace> appropriately.
7. The number entered by the user will be terminated by the <Enter> key.
Upon receiving a valid <Enter>, my program should convert the ASCII
characters to a BCD number, then convert that BCD number to a binary
number, and begin blinking the appropriate LED pair at the rate
associated with the period entered.
8. Error conditions, such as no digits, zero is an inappropriate magnitude,
and magnitude too large should be handled properly, which includes the
display of an appropriate error message. User friendliness is a required
feature for your program.
9. Any time an LED pair is blinking, the period for that LED pair should be
visible on the LCD, and the corresponding period should be blank if either
LED pair is not blinking.

Cold Gas Thruster Mounting System – Cal Poly Hyperloop
My roles this year:
• Currently designing a composite chassis for this year’s pod which will
feature cold gas thrusters and magnetic levitation
• In order for the maglev hover engines to be effective we need to greatly
reduce the weight of the chassis, so myself and three others are
developing an advanced working knowledge of composites.
• Designated as chassis analysis ambassador, meaning that I will be working
with the team’s analysis lead to perform most of the analysis for the chassis
subsystem
• Wrote a program that will take in the masses and locations of various
components of the pod, to determine the best location for the magnetic
levitation system

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