Shaker Plate Adapters

Adapter Parts Designed For Use With OEM Shakers

Single Shaker Adapter for Use with Stand-up Shaker

During employment at Abcam Fireplex, I assisted both the manufacturing and R&D team by designing shaker adapter parts. These parts allowed OEM shakers to be modified to fit the specific needs of a multitude of projects. Mainly, allowing sealed well plates to be shaken. In the aftermath of Covid-19, testing infectious diseases became a possible avenue of research for the company. I allowed for the possibility of infectious material to be integrated into different processes in the lab without creating a risk for the team.

Over the course of 3 months, I designed 6 different adaptor assemblies. They were all CNC machined, and modeled for use with metric and english fasteners.

• Date: September 2020
• Company: Abcam FirePlex

Close Project

Raft Filter

Manufacturing Process Improvement

Top Down Drawing of Raft Filter

At Abcam Fireplex, a particular manufacturing process called for the filtration of our product through a mesh screen. The term “Raft” was a company jargon for a bad product that needed to be removed. The design of this assembly started within my sketchbook, as a way to make a more robust part for this filtration step. Current limitations didn’t allow for the filter mesh to be removed, which was problematic in the event of damage or deterioration.

Notebook Sketches of the Prototype Filter

From these designs initial designs, the Raft Filter came into fruition.

Raft Filter Assembly With and Without Cap

Equipped with a transparent tube with custom threading and an o-ring groove, as well as a removable cap, this assembly allowed for the replacement of filter meshes at will, while still creating a fluidic seal. The thread size was designed in order to achieve the optimal compression rate of the O ring of 20 percent, in as few turns as possible for user ease. Designing this assembly with a top-down drawing allowed for dynamic changing of the prototype after design reviews, and also allowed the size constraints of the project drive features.

• Date: November 2020
• Company: Abcam FirePlex

Close Project

Silicone Injection Molding

In-house Manufacturing R&D

Fully Assembled Microfluidic Chip Mold

With the second generation of manufacturing machines being developed during my time at Abcam Fireplex, I was exposed to a few different research projects to continue ameliorating the capabilities of the lab. One of which was a prospective adaptation to the manufacturing line that required silicone molded parts. I had been exposed to silicone molding before at Seventh Sense Biosystems researching prototype ventilation systems. On this project, I rebuilt the assembly from scratch to learn all of the minor details and understand how to fix the current problems.

Microfluidic Chip Mold Exploded

Equipped with NPT fittings, fasteners, alignment holes/pins, silicone entrances and exits, and negative mold features, my redesigned assembly was able to successfully create the desired silicone parts. With the knowledge I had gained, I could lead the team in explaining the logistics of future changes to be made, as well as implementing those changes.

Microfluidic Chip Mold with Removed Top

• Date: November 2020
• Company: Abcam FirePlex

Close Project

Large Well Plate

Manufacturing Process R&D

Top Down Drawing of the “Large Well Plate”

At Abacam Fireplex, our manufacturing process was constrained by the industry standard 96 well plate. In this prospective project, I was able to develop a design from scratch, iterate over multiple design reviews with the team, and finally test functionality after parts were fabricated.

Comparison of the “Large Well Plate” to the Industry standard

The “Large Well Plate” that I designed would be able to process the same amount of product of 2 of the industry standard well plate, subsequently cutting the manufacturing time in half. With the possibility of increasing the turnaround of our product so drastically, this project had the potential to make a real impact on the company.

Full Exploded View of the Large Well Plate

This assembly includes a custom designed aluminum base plate, black abs plastic mid-plate, and polycarbonate lid. OEM O rings, glass frits, and nylon filter meshes are also featured into the design. The assembly itself is held together by metric fasteners which align with tapped holes in the aluminum base plate.

Partial Exploded View of the Large Well Plate

Once assembled, the top layer compresses against an O ring found in the aluminum base cutouts, creating a fluidic seal. My “Raft Filter” Project also listed on this website functioned as a proof of concept for this technology. In addition to allowing for larger batches of product to be processed through this assembly, the LWP (Large Well Plate) also has the robust features of the Raft Filter, allowing for easy removal of filter meshes due to damage or deterioration. After assembly, the polycarbonate lid fits snuggly on top preventing any spillage during shaking.

After the first prototype arrived, small changes were made after testing functionality in the lab. Unfortunately my time at Abcam had come to a close before the second revision could be manufactured. However the performance was still encouraging enough for the team to want to continue to pursue the project.

All in all, this project exposed me to leading a design from the ground floor, and having the foresight to account for dynamic change in a prototype by constraining the design to a top down drawing. Material selection, and force calculations were also necessary in order to achieve optimal compression of the O ring, even in low pressure scenarios. Finally, testing functionality and being able to reflect on what aspects of the design are causing problems was insightful for the use of this technology in the future.

• Date: December 2020
• Company: Abcam FirePlex

Close Project

Independent Album Common Vice

Independently Produced Indie Rock Album

Common Vice Self Titled Album Cover Art, Drawn by Shantala Mehta

Jumping into quarantine at the beginning of 2020, it seemed everyone had a whole lot more time on their hands. My close Friend Dan Peluso and I had been playing music together since we first met during our freshman year of college. We decided to sit down and get creative, and recorded, mixed, and mastered an album from the comfort of our bedrooms.

The entire instrumentation of the album was Dan and I. I play the piano mainly, as well as trumpet, and vocals. Dan covers the rest with guitar, bass, drums, some piano of his own, and a lot of vocals. It took a whole lot of work, and was definitely the peak of a relatively quiet year.

Our DAW of Choice: Reaper

We chose Reaper as our Digital Audio Workstation, because its free! We’ve gotten so much use out of it over the past few years that we’ve paid for the full version. In the screen capture you can see the different layering of tracks on the song “Summer of Nonstop Music”.

It’s available on all streaming platforms, just search “Common Vice” !

• Date: January 2021
• Personal Project

Close Project