As Manufacturing Lead during the Charged Up season, I led fabrication and physical assembly of major robot mechanisms under tight deadlines. The core win was solving a recurring design-for-manufacturing bottleneck in tab-and-slot plate assemblies, which removed major manual rework and standardized our process for future builds.
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Project Overview
Our team had to convert complex 3D structures, including elevators, intakes, and scoring mechanisms, from flat aluminum and polycarbonate plates. The biggest blocker was internal-corner geometry limitations from CNC tooling, which caused interference during assembly and consumed huge amounts of hand-finishing time.
Square Peg in a Round Hole Problem
With cylindrical endmills, milled internal corners always retain a tool radius. That meant square tabs could not fully seat in rectangular slots without additional clearance. Our early workaround was manual filing, which was slow, inconsistent, and tolerance-sensitive.
Dogbone Relief Implementation
I researched and implemented standardized dogbone corner reliefs so toolpaths overcut corner vertices. This let 90-degree tabs clear corner radii and seat flush, eliminating the need for repeated manual corner cleanup.
Process Standardization and DFM Integration
- CAD integration: Embedded dogbone templates directly in Onshape/SolidWorks models before CAM export for assembly-ready parts.
- Manual retrofit protocol: Created drill-press jig workflow to add corner reliefs quickly when CNC queue constraints required fallback methods.
- Repeatability gains: Achieved tight, repeatable press-fit assemblies with reduced iteration time and consistent plate mating behavior.
Machining Leadership
- CAM and machine operation: Managed toolpaths, feed rates, and fixturing for aluminum and polycarbonate while controlling burr and deflection risk.
- Mentorship and QC: Trained teammates on calipers, micrometers, inspection flow, and shop safety to maintain tolerance discipline across subsystems.
Key Outcomes
- Time savings: Reduced plate post-processing from hours of manual filing to under a minute of automated machining relief per subsystem.
- Structural reliability: Delivered robust 3D plate assemblies that held up to defense and repeated high-impact gameplay loads.
- Team continuity: Captured tab-and-slot DFM standards in Wolfpack's engineering playbook for future build seasons.
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