CONNOR TAN Mechanical Design Engineer

My current role is as a 3D Printing CAD Designer at Plastic Magic Designworks, an independent contractor role focused on designing products for FDM 3D printing. I work with 3D printing businesses to design, modify, and prepare products for sale to consumers, such as toys or home accessories. This includes working on designs that help them expand their current offerings, create custom commissions, or create seasonal design variants. 

CAD: Fusion360, Blender

I worked at Proterra Powered as a mechanical design engineer, working on HV battery packs for electrifying medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

I was responsible for the design of aluminum extrusion battery enclosure components and thermal runaway venting components on the H2-23 battery product, from initial project kickoff through D-sample release. Primary focus was on manufacturability for high volume production and cost considerations, while maintaining key performance requirements. I worked with suppliers on DFM and design improvements for both prototype and production part procurement. 

Additional responsibilities at Proterra included design engineering support for H4-15 battery B-sample and production launch of our Powered 1 factory in Greer, South Carolina. This is Proterra’s first truly high volume manufacturing facility, tripling existing production output into multi-GWh production output territory.

CAD: 3DExperience/CATIA

Graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley in 2021.

CAD: Solidworks

A 6 month internship at Google X's Loon, working on balloon envelope manufacturing R&D projects for Loon's high altitude balloons. I designed a manufacturing cutting fixture used for procuring samples for tensile tests of the heat seal between the balloon envelope's gore segments. 

CAD: Solidworks

A 6 month internship at Tesla on the Model 3 Battery Pack Team. My time was split between HQ in Palo Alto, California and providing design engineering support for Model 3 production ramp at Gigafactory 1 in Reno, Nevada. I designed a probe fixture for impedance testing of the busbar joints in the DC fast charge contactor, used on the "penthouse" factory line for Model 3 production.

CAD: CATIA/Solidworks

A 4 month internship at Kitty Hawk (now Wisk) on the Battery Group for their 4th generation electric VTOL "air taxi" aircraft, Cora. I designed a manufacturing assembly used to accelerate ease and reliability of battery module assembly, where pouch cells were assembled into modules.

CAD: Solidworks