QC Testing Station

I was tasked with designing and building a complete testing station for production, focused on thermal calibration and leak detection of our new pyrometer sensors. This included creating detailed documentation and training materials to ensure consistent testing procedures and smooth handoff to production technicians.

Thermal Testing Station V1 and V2

During the development of our new pyrometer sensors, I engineered multiple custom oven setups to support thermal testing across each sensor iteration. To enable reliable data transmission in a 300°C environment, I designed a specialized passthrough system. This involved modeling a modified version of our existing oven and integrating a custom fixture into the oven door capable of housing up to 12 sensors simultaneously.

After team validation, I had my design CNC-fabricated from a third-party vendor and personally fabricated a stainless-steel block-off plate and mounting solution to secure all 12 adapters. When the sensor design was later revised, I was able to retrofit updated adapters into the existing setup—verifying fitment and tolerances using SolidWorks to minimize downtime and rework.

V3

After using the initial quick-disconnect test setup across multiple pyrometer production batches, we encountered a grounding issue. While the quick-release system was efficient for sensor swaps, it lacked the consistent, direct oven ground provided by our traditional mounting method. The existing design relied on sensor-integrated grounding, which proved unreliable in high-heat environments.

To address this, the team developed a prototype that introduced a sliding fixture capable of positioning the sensors further into the oven. This new system offered a more stable electrical ground and showed strong potential in early testing. However, it reintroduced the original drawback of slow setup: sensor installation required nearly an hour of disassembly and reassembly, with multiple fasteners to manage. Additionally, thermal cycling caused severe galling and stripping between the aluminum structure and stainless steel screws.

I was tasked with creating a revised solution focused on improving ground reliability, minimizing sensor changeover time, and using readily available materials. To prevent warping and thermal degradation, I constructed the frame from bent stainless steel sheet metal instead of aluminum. All brackets were also designed as bent sheet metal parts and featured a slot-fit interface, ensuring a secure grounding connection while maintaining ease of removal.

This slot-fit design allows the team to pre-mount sensors onto individual brackets ahead of time. During production, they can simply slide out the old bracket and insert a new one without needing to remove fasteners or disconnect wires—dramatically reducing downtime between sensor batches.

I verified the design by 3D printing the bracket geometry for test fitting, and created a complete SolidWorks assembly using a mock oven model to confirm final clearances. All components were sourced from McMaster-Carr, using off-the-shelf sheet stock and hardware for ease of fabrication and repeatability.

Purge Air System

Each pyrometer sensor requires a continuous supply of clean, dry air during operation. After encountering issues with condensation bypassing the existing desiccant system, I designed and built a reusable inline air filtration unit to manage moisture buildup more effectively. I fabricated a four-legged desiccant housing using industrial-strength copper piping, soldered and pressure-tested to 120 PSI for durability and leak resistance.

The system significantly extended the service life of our smaller desiccant filters and added an accessible drain mechanism for easy maintenance by the quality control team. This solution improved reliability during high-temperature sensor testing and reduced downtime related to air system contamination.

Leak Detection Container

Leak testing is critical to ensure each sensor maintains proper shielding gas integrity. To support this, I repurposed an existing vacuum-only chamber to hold up to 1 atm of internal gas pressure. This required fabricating a welded steel cage to maintain seal integrity under pressure and designing 3D-printed drill guides to accurately install custom hermetic connectors sourced for the system.

I collaborated with our engineering team to integrate their leak detection hardware and software into the workflow, streamlining the process for production use. Currently, I am designing a new pressure-and-vacuum chamber in CAD to replace the original cage setup. This next-generation system will offer improved usability, faster sealing, and more consistent performance for routine sensor validation.

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