Mechanical Design

I am a mechanical designer. I worked for almost thirty five years at Optech Incorporated, now Teledyne Optech. I have just ended a contract with Christie Digital.

My resume in PDF format.

My resume in HTML format.

I am a member of OACETT. I am a Certified Engineering Technologist, specializing in mechanical design. As of April 2018, I am OACETT's Toronto West Chapter Past Chair.

Articles by me

Most of the following articles are written in LaTeX, and converted to a readable format by the various LaTeX tools. The program latex2html no longer reliably converts graphics. This includes equations, which are important in many of the following articles. Most of the following articles are in PDF format only.

Design For Manufacture and Assembly

These are my notes on the subject. Shoddy design is a non-value added cost. Let's do it properly! The format is PDF.

Calculating Locational Tolerances

As a mechanical designer, I prepare fabrication drawings. I apply a lot of dimensions to holes, and I have to work out tolerances. Finally, I sat down and did the math. If you prepare or check mechanical drawings, this article should be useful. The format is PDF.

Document Management

I have been working with engineering documentation in some form or another since the mid-seventies. This is an opinion piece, based on all my experience.

Positional Tolerances

Positional tolerances as per ASME Y14.5, and some ISO specification, are supposed to provide 50% more allowance, compared to +/- tolerances. Do they? Also, note how the scatter diagrams are generated randomly, every time this website is updated. The format is PDF.

Parametric Threads in SolidWorks

You can model a threaded assembly and create fabrication drawings of the parts, and make it so that all the thread specifications update. It does have to be a metric thread. Let me show you how. This was written in straight HTML.

Screw Torques

This is a screw torque calculator, written in JavaScript. As of 2018/11/20, I think I have everything working, and it explains the engineering it is doing. I need to add materials. I need to test the hell out of it. The pull-down menus do not work on my cellphone. I am learning JavaScript! :)

External Engineering Websites

Engineering Tips

This is an engineering forum I found on the internet. You can log in and ask technical questions. You can be helpful and answer some of the questions if you know what you are talking about.

Matweb

Here is a very useful database on engineering materials.

Engineering and Technology

This contains all sorts of articles on engineering related topics, maintained by Dr James B. Calvert. I still have an old slide rule lying around somewhere.

Tips on Designing Cost Effective Machined Parts

Most of my stuff gets machined. I do not agree with everything in the article, but most of it is good to know.

Engineering.com

All sorts of engineering stuff.

RoyMech

All sorts of more engineering stuff thank to the late Roy Beardmore. The website is being kept up for the moment.

Finally...

Never be caught without your Machinery's Handbook. You never know when you have to flatten out a panel for dovetailing.

Next time, I buy the large print version, which weighs more.

Last modified: 2018/11/27 by Howard Gibson.