Resume

Ron Govoro

● Mt. Airy, MD ● rongovoro@gmail.com ● www.rongovoro.com

Mechanical Engineer with over 10 years experience and broad depth of knowledge in mechanical design and testing. I am a strategic problem-solver who is able to quickly identify the key requirements of a project to ensure its success the first time. Highly organized and self motivated, experienced managing complex projects from concept through completion.

Knowledge & Skills

  • Fluent in SolidWorks (15 years), for part, assembly and drawing creation. User of Creo (3 years) and Fusion 360 (5 years), well versed in the application of tolerancing and GD&T.
  • Power user of finite element analysis, experienced creating simulations for linear static, non-linear and modal analysis of structural elements. Able to use sound engineering theory to ensure a simulation result is realistic and accurate. Comfortable working on complex analysis cases including multiple bodies, contact analysis and thermal analysis.
  • Excellent knowledge of mechanical design elements from springs, bolted joints, motors and drive systems.
  • Skilled user of Matlab and LabVIEW to control test equipment, collect test data, manipulate and analyze large data sets.
  • Experienced in test & measurement of temperature, pressure, force, displacement, flow and optical systems.
  • Extremely knowledgeable in waveform generation and measurement techniques using function generators, oscilloscopes, boxcar averaging, pulsed sources/PWM, etc.
  • Skilled in electronics, circuit theory and controls, design and manufacture of simple PCBs. Comfortable selecting components, assembling circuits, soldering, etc. to deliver a fully working solution.
  • Well versed in design for CNC machining and sheet metal. Experienced CAM programmer making hundred of parts in Fusion 360 and SolidWorks CAM; CNC milling (3 axis), CNC lathe, laser and plasma cutting (2D profile), fiber laser engraving.
  • Solid hands-on skills doing all types of mechanical work, from plumbing to manual lathe to manual Bridgeport milling.
  • Fiber optics: 10 years of experience working with optical fiber and fiber bragg gratings (FBGs) as the sensing element to take difficult mechanical measurements. Design, build and test fiber optic measurement system from the ground up.
  • Lasers: 5 years of experience working with diode lasers in fiber optic and free space applications. Laser powers ranging from a few micro-Watts to several Watts.
  • Optics and opto-mechanics: 5 years of experience designing optical systems, including lenses, attenuators and multi-optic systems. Experience selecting and designing optics as well as working with optical coatings.
  • Software: Matlab/Simulink, LabVIEW, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

Professional Experience

Test Engineer, Mid-IR product line                                                                                      September 2016-Present

Thorlabs Quantum Electronics-Jessup, MD

Support the manufacturing of mid infrared (Mid-IR) semiconductor lasers for product line with $15M annual revenue with 20-30% growth year over year.

  • Design and build test & automation systems for manufacturing semiconductor lasers. Design of complex fixtures to accurately place components to the sub-millimeter level, maintain temperature control and apply precise & repeatable loads.
  • Develop and maintain test software in LabVIEW and Matlab to collect data sets, write data to SQL server database and create datasheets for products.
  • Responsible engineer for the Turnkey Mid-IR laser system. Completed mechanical design, manage sourcing & manufacture of the product, conduct product testing and handle customer issues.
  • Responsible for the design and development of a QCL driver to power Mid-IR lasers for an OEM customer. Created and built a prototype device, worked with EE team to specify a PCB design, provide customer with test data and final report to show QCL driver met customer operating specs.
  • Maintain CAD models to ensure revisions are current and accurate.
  • Coordinate with vendors to manufacture & procure components, specify manufacturing processes.
  • Manage several direct reports to support various activities across all product lines.
  • Trained ISO auditor, perform annual audits of internal processes to maintain ISO certification.

R & D Engineer III                                                                                                August 2011-September 2016

Weatherford-Lanham, MD

Design and test optic sensing systems and completion components used in oil and gas well applications.

  • Volunteered to reinvigorate a new manufacturing process for fiber optic cable that was languishing for two years and had failed four initial trials, at $15K per trial.  Successfully pushed project through to completion in six months. The new manufacturing process was able to produce fiber optic cable on the first trial at required tolerance and at a 30% per meter savings over the existing manufacturing process.
    • Redesigned the automation system, procured components to meet project’s design requirements and wrote LabView UI control software from the ground up.
    • Thoroughly calibrated the system prior to manufacturing test, wrote a user’s manual and transitioned to manufacturing. Compiled UI as executable and set-up revision control.
  • Design of a dry-mate connector assembly for down-hole optical pressure gauge operating at 25,000 psi internal pressure. Detailed analysis using theoretical calculations and FEA to drive design. Assemble and test prototypes to show they met the project spec’s and goals.
  • In support of the dry-mate connector, devised a process to optimize placement of multiple optical sensors in oil wells to overcome random pipe lengths (commonly used). Wrote a Matlab GUI program to demonstrate feasibility to stakeholders, able to demonstrate a reduction in sensor placement error from ±200 ft. to ±1.5 ft over 1.2 mile (2 km) sensor string. Created a LabVIEW UI to control the process on field crew hand held units, demonstrated a direct $50-60K savings per oil well over accepting random placement, eliminating sensor failure and improving reliability.
  • Lead FEA analysis for fiber optic based pressure sensor. Initial sensor design showed signs of mechanical failure due to tensile stress in optical fiber. Lead the effort to conduct factorial study comprised of multiple FEA simulations to identify failure point. Ultimately identified parameters that lead to a 60% reduction in tensile stress in the fiber structure, eliminating part failures. 
  • Oversaw intern program, responsible for mentoring engineering students and managing their projects/workload.

Mechanical Engineer                                                                                                                       June 2008-August 2011

Aither Engineering-Lanham, MD                                                                                                          

Applied engineering knowledge to support the development of fiber optic sensing systems.  

  • Worked with software engineers in Montreal, Quebec to create LabVIEW based custom software as acquisition, control and viewing tool to synchronize data from multiple input devices. Data was collected at individual test stations and written to a common SQL server for viewing at either the Maryland or Montreal test facility.
  • Team member of SBIR on fiber optic health management system in collaboration with Bell Helicopter and NASA Glenn Research center. Devised and built an FBG sensor string to attach inside a helicopter planetary transmission. Performed in-house preliminary testing to show feasibility. Travelled to NASA GRC and conducted seeded fault testing with Aither senior staff and NASA engineers. Collected large data sets, processed data to show results and present findings to stakeholders.
  • As a previous SolidWorks user, helped Aither staff transition from AutoCAD to 3D CAD design, setting up in house PDM and CAD libraries.

Research Assistant                                                                                                                                  May 2007-June 2008

University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR)-Columbia, MO

Designed, built and tested fluid flow measurement sensors for MURR reactor to estimate safety levels of production of nuclear medical material, Moly-99.

  • Conducted theoretical and CFD analysis to provide initial estimate of flow velocity prior to testing.
  • Selected hot-wire anemometer as test instrument. Built a test bed to calibrate sensor in fluid flow. Procured DAQ system and wrote LabVIEW UI to collect data.
  • Conducted tests in a working nuclear reactor, coordinating with reactor staff to ensure we could safely take quality measurements.
  • Analyze test results and provide a final test report to engineering professor and MURR technical staff. Test results showed available cooling in reactor and were used to set quantity of material processed in each batch.
  • Designed and built a test “wedge” using differential pressure in fluid flow for fluid velocity measurement. Delivered test wedge to MURR staff to use as a drop-in measurement standard.

Education & Certifications

BSME Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Passed FE test, registered EIT, Missouri (2007), Maryland (2010)