Automated Smoothie Kiosk
I spent the last two summers as a mechanical engineering intern at Zenblen, a fast-paced robotics startup designing a fully-automated smoothie kiosk. I gained experience in part design, quality assurance and troubleshooting, and implementing practices to prepare the company for expansion.
Skills Strengthened:
- Root Cause Analysis
- Designing for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA)
- CAD Modeling (Onshape)
- Drafting Engineering Drawings
Quality Assurance and Cost Reduction
My time at Zenblen was centered on product quality and preparing the startup for future growth. Through tackling live issues by leading systematic root cause analysis on product failures and designing custom test fixtures to validate solutions, I drove a 66% reduction in the field error rate. Simultaneously, I leveraged DFMA principles to simplify existing sheet metal components, which successfully reduced part count and directly lowered our production costs.
Scalability and Contract Manufacturing Preparation
To ready the company for partnering with a contract manufacturer, I laid the groundwork for future scalability by implementing a company-wide standardized part numbering system and creating detailed exploded assembly drawings and build instructions. This internship taught me how to deliver high-impact engineering solutions while adapting quickly to an expanding product roadmap.