
William Meuleners
Verified Expert in Engineering
Mechanical Designer and Developer
Eau Claire, WI, United States
Toptal member since May 7, 2024
William is a senior engineering professional with expertise in new product introduction (NPI), project and program management, plastics, and electromechanical packaging. He has demonstrated expertise in guiding projects from initial concept development to production, managing the entire product lifecycle, including global sourcing and manufacturing processes. William has consistently delivered innovative and competitive products thanks to his technical acumen and strategic approach.
Portfolio
Experience
- Electronic Packaging - 20 years
- Plastics - 20 years
- SOLIDWORKS - 20 years
- 3D CAD - 20 years
- Design For Assembly (DFA) - 20 years
- Design for Excellence (DFX) - 15 years
- New Product Introduction (NPI) - 15 years
Availability
Preferred Environment
Windows 10, 3D CAD, Microsoft Project, SOLIDWORKS, Design for Manufacturing, Electronic Packaging, Design For Assembly (DFA), Design for Excellence (DFX), Plastics, Safety
The most amazing...
...thing I've headed the design of was a wrist interactive device (WID)—the smallest computer in the world and the 1st running Bluetooth device.
Work Experience
Senior Product Development Engineer
Wollard International
- Headed the design and development of net-zero emission battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for airport ground support equipment (GSE) powered by lithium-ion (Li) batteries.
- Established and coordinated project schedules for new BEV design and development projects.
- Researched drive-by-wire and collision avoidance system (CAS) technologies available in GSE.
- Determined powertrain requirements for BEV based on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) specifications for GSE.
NPI Program Manager
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Oversaw NPI activities required for unique large-scale, liquid-cooled supercomputers used for artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced scientific research.
- Coordinated factory build activities for the Aurora exascale supercomputer for Intel and Argonne National Laboratory.
- Represented supply chain on core teams for Slingshot, focusing on high-speed switching, networking, and cabling.
Mechanical/Microfluidic Consumable Engineer
Zepto Life Technology
- Designed and developed disposable microfluidic cartridges for point-of-care diagnostics of bacteria, viruses, fungi, cancer, and COVID-19.
- Created injection molding components and assemblies to analyze fluids such as blood and saliva.
- Executed designs and produced technical drawings utilizing SOLIDWORKS CAD software.
Product Development Engineer
IntriCon
- Developed micro molding components for class 2 wearable medical devices for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and coordinated IQ, OQ, and PQ protocols per ISO 13485 standards.
- Collaborated with customer design engineers and internal manufacturing engineers to optimize design efficiency.
- Worked with external tooling and robotic suppliers to build high-quality, cost-efficient mold tooling and automation equipment systems.
- Utilized SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo software for design and development as required.
- Participated in a week-long bootcamp to prepare for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Attended training for Microsoft Project Enterprise.
Product Engineer
TDK Hutchinson Technology Inc.
- Drove NPI process improvements between design engineers in Hutchinson, Minnesota, and manufacturing engineers in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
- Served as liaison engineer, enhancing design for manufacturing (DFM) processes and production releases between design and process engineers.
- Created the design guidelines for new and existing products and processes, resulting in more manufacturable product designs.
- Participated in the yield improvement team, tracking scrap issues and targeting key items for significant enhancements.
- Coordinated design reviews using SOLIDWORKS, PTC Creo, and Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD software.
International Project Engineer
CURT
- Coordinated engineering-related functions for automotive products manufactured in Asia.
- Collaborated with suppliers in Asia to properly document CURT products and assure the highest quality at the most economical cost possible.
- Managed project schedule and coordinated necessary activities of team members to meet timelines and budgets.
- Used Inventor CAD system and Adobe Acrobat Distiller to design, analyze, and document products.
Senior Product Development Engineer | Contract
Olympus America
- Managed the product engineering requirements to transfer 33 plastic injection molds from internal injection molding operations in Minnesota to an external injection molder in Switzerland.
- Evaluated the design and updated drawings of injection-molded components of class 2 endosurgical energy-based instruments.
- Performed design and drawing changes utilizing SOLIDWORKS as required.
Plastics Engineer | Contract
Thermo King
- Managed value-added value engineering (VAVE) for plastic components of a new product.
- Evaluated and managed the material conversion of large injection-molded components to more cost-effective resins.
- Led a cost reduction initiative for large plastic parts in ruggedized refrigeration systems for transport.
- Performed design tasks in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire software as needed for various projects.
NPI Mechanical Engineer
Enphase Energy
- Acted as liaison engineer between the US and New Zealand mechanical design engineers and Chinese contract manufacturers and suppliers.
- Coordinated with design engineers, supplier quality engineers (SQEs), and supply chain managers to ensure the quality and supply of global and China-specific electromechanical components.
- Collaborated with automation equipment suppliers and contract manufacturers in China and Canada to expedite the launch of new products using automated robotic assembly equipment.
- Partnered with Chinese component and sub-assembly suppliers on new tooling ramp-up, qualification, and process enhancement to meet new product quality standards and cost objectives.
- Collaborated with component suppliers and contract manufacturers to obtain DFM, design for assembly (DFA), and design for excellence (DFX) insights, coordinating with design engineers to produce cost-effective, high-quality solutions.
- Managed projects involving plastic injection molding, aluminum die-casting, sheet metal forming, extrusions, wire harnesses, connectors, machining, and prototyping.
Project Engineer
Electrolux
- Developed electromechanical sub-assemblies, printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), and plastic injection-molded components for Electrolux and Eureka vacuum cleaners for the North American market.
- Conducted design work for manufacturability using NX6.
- Coordinated high-volume production efforts in China with manufacturing and tooling engineers.
Senior Product Development Engineer
Sensata Technologies
- Created electronic control systems for major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in forklift, scissor lift, boom truck, and off-road equipment sectors.
- Acted as a program leader on major projects, which included electrical engineers, software programmers, manufacturing engineers, technicians, purchasing, prototype shops, domestic and foreign suppliers, and personnel from foreign assembly facilities.
- Outsourced analyses for Moldflow, warp, and inspection. Managed sourcing and qualification of plastics, castings, extrusions, wire harnesses, and components like connectors and fuses.
- Improved a magnetic hall-effect analog rocker's production yield from roughly 40% to over 99% through design enhancements, factory training, and process refinement.
- Qualified two products with four multi-cavity injection molds from Asian shops for domestic molding, enabling up to 1,024 assembly variations.
- Ensured designs met the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1455 standards at a minimum using Pro/ENGINEER and focused on manufacturability.
- Completed Six Sigma Green Belt training at the University of Michigan in partnership with ITT Corporation.
Mechanical Engineering Manager
VIA Incorporated
- Designed electromechanical packaging of wearable computer systems for military, industrial, and consumer markets. Managed mechanical engineering department, which included subordinates and outside mechanical and industrial design firms.
- Managed all plastic injection molding and magnesium manufacturing activities to deliver quality parts at a minimum cost.
- Managed prototyping activities valued at over $500,000 across diverse materials and technologies.
- Led initiatives in human factors, ergonomics, packaging, material durability, cables, electrostatic dissipation (ESD), electromagnetic interference (EMI), and thermal management.
- Finalized the mechanical design and prototyping of 30 magnesium enclosure sets for three SVGA liquid crystal display (LCD) products and oversaw production vendor selection.
- Designed and developed mechanical packaging for a voice-activated Bluetooth wireless-enabled, Intel Strongarm-based, Windows CE, WID computer using a Pro/ENGINEER system.
- Created mechanical components for a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) with microvias and micro BGA technologies comprising the WID's computer and graphics systems.
Product Development Engineer
Phillips-Medisize
- Crafted initial conceptual industrial designs for medical products, surgical instruments, lab equipment, sporting goods, and baby products for handoff to the customer design center for design completion.
- Designed and developed medical products, surgical instruments, sporting goods, automotive components, and assemblies, with most components being injection-molded internally using various CAD systems.
- Created a motorized precision lab pipette with 14 plastic injection molded components with unique mechanisms, flexible and rigid PCBs, LCD, and silicone buttons for Hamilton Company.
- Built a complex endograft system for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms for Guidant Corporation.
- Designed an interlocking assembly of plastic parts for anesthesia equipment for Datex-Ohmeda medical systems.
- Conducted training in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
- Completed advanced training in 3D CAD translations, covering CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER, IGES, STEP, and more.
Experience
Wrist Interactive Device
MC4 Connectors
Liquid Dispenser Assembly
A liquid filtering and dispensing system can be formed as an integral unit and configured for placement within an appliance compartment. The system can have a manifold with a filter connection, including inflow and outflow attachments for a filter cartridge, an inlet, and at least one outlet, forming a dispenser and a valve to control flow through the integral system.
The system can include a cooling reservoir fluidly located before the dispenser. It can also include a removable carafe and a carafe mount configured to receive liquid from the dispenser. The carafe mount can be configured to supply liquid from the carafe to a remote dispensing assembly, such as a refrigerator door dispenser. The carafe mount can be positioned within the refrigerator compartment or the refrigerator door.
Education
Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management
University of Wisconsin - Stout, Polytechnic Institute - Menomonie, WI, USA
Associate of Science Degree in Machine Design and Drafting Technology
Dunwoody College of Technology - Minneapolis, MN, USA
Certifications
Certified Water Specialist (CWS)
Water Quality Association (WQA)
Skills
Tools
SOLIDWORKS, Microsoft Project, Autodesk Inventor, PTC Windchill, Siemens NX, CATIA, Design Verification Plan & Report (DVP&R), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
Languages
HTML, Visual Basic
Paradigms
Six Sigma, Testing, Rapid Prototyping, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
Platforms
Oracle
Industry Expertise
Automotive, Lean Six Sigma
Other
3D CAD, Machine Design, Drafting, Design For Assembly (DFA), New Product Introduction (NPI), Operations Management, Safety, Industrial Safety, Plastics, PTC Creo, Design for Excellence (DFX), Electronic Packaging, Supply Chain Operations, Windows 10, Machine Shop, Global Project Management, Arena, Water, Filtration, Pro/ENGINEER, IQ OQ PQ, Microelectronics, Semiconductors, IT Networking, Micro molding, Surgical Instruments, Power Electronics, Quality Management, International Projects, Supply Chain Optimization, GPU Computing, Quality Management Systems (QMS), Electronics, Electric Vehicles, Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMA), Die Casting, Sheet Metal, Forgings, Quality Control (QC), Quality Assurance (QA), Value Added Value Engineering (VAVE), FDA, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, QA Testing, R&D, New Product Rollout, Yield Management, Data Analysis, Prototyping, Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBA's), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), PPAP, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Project Management Professional (PMP), MS Project Enterprise Training, Microsoft Project Server, Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T), Initial Graphics Exchange Specificationm (IGES), Unigraphics, CAMAX, Design for Manufacturing
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