Underdog Automation – Rockton, IL
Owner of UnderdogAutomation.com
⮚ Development of control systems and operator interfaces.
LION ELECTRIC – Joliet, IL (2023-2023 (7 Months))
Controls Engineer (2023-2023)
⮚ Oversee the development of control systems for assembly line development and Implementation.
⮚ Provided technical and operational expertise for the day-to-day support of the controls systems and
manufacturing equipment, troubleshooting control systems hardware and software failures.
⮚ Train technicians on the maintenance and repair of the production process.
ACCURIDE WHEEL END SOLUTIONS – GUNITE DIVISION – Rockford, IL (2009-2023) (2023-2025)
Manufacturing Engineer / Controls Engineer
This role reported directly to the VP of Engineering & maintained a primary focus on the Rockford facility.
Additional ERP responsibilities were added to fully support the background automation and programming at
the Henderson, KY & Erie, PA facilities. Key activities & responsibilities include:
⮚ Providing service and support to R&D engineering equipment. This involves repairs, modifications, and
programming to all testing equipment. Developed & implemented new HMIs on wheel fatigue testers,
HMIs & ladder programming for slack adjuster durability stands, and programming for various fatigue
testing stations
⮚ Act as the primary programming resource for PLEX ERP back-end automation systems within
Rockford. Also, I maintain these systems at Accuride’s plants in KY and PA. This role is responsible
for programming the bridge of data allowing the plant PLC equipment to communicate directly with the
ERP system, eliminating the need for operators to manually consume inventory via the PC GUI and
instead performing the process automatically via I/O from the various PLCs in the automated cells
⮚ Worked for ~ 2 years to implement a plant-wide MES, transitioning away from WonderWare and
migrating to Allen Bradley’s Factory Talk software. This MES system not only displays visual machine
status, but also collects data involving foundry charge recipes, machine cycle time/downtime, OEE
calculations with internal schedules, etc., and stores this for use in the Historian function. This system
provides a web-based portal for managers to quickly and accurately assess plant performance
⮚ Plan, design, develop, direct, and implement projects to incorporate new manufacturing equipment,
facilities, processes, and technology, as well as drive continuous improvement within existing
manufacturing systems. Projects included vision system development in the slack adjuster automated
assembly line to identify and reject non-conforming or incorrectly assembled components, collecting
load & torque data on 2 dial machines to identify and reject non-conforming assemblies, developing
vision systems for barcode recognition on pallets in an automated banding cell to perform verification
and automatic transfers within the ERP system, etc.
⮚ Research, develop, recommend, and implement the application of new manufacturing technologies to
drive the continuous improvement of current operations and support corporate-wide strategic
manufacturing capability objectives. A recent project involved removing a barcode label sticker
applicator from an assembly dial table and replacing it with a hybrid laser for accurately identifying
parts, eliminating the issue of stickers falling off during the assembly process
⮚ Refine each automated machining cell utilizing Fanuc robotics cell to increase efficiency and decrease
cycle time. At times this involved re-programming the CNCs to deal with quality-related issues or cycle
time-related issues. At other times this involved modifying the teach-pendant programs to allow the
robot to better perform the material handling cycle
⮚ Manage engineering projects from specification development, quotation, vendor selection, design,
installation, debugging, to the production startup phases of projects
⮚ Assist skilled trades in troubleshooting plant equipment and processes in the foundry, machining, &
assembly areas
⮚ Analyze issues and opportunities, identify causes, and develop and implement corrective actions to
address both internal & external defects
⮚ Provide in-house repairs of various electrical mechanical devices used within the Rockford facility
⮚ Willing to travel internationally as needed. Several weeks were spent in Taiwan with a manufacturer of
a low-volume brake drum machining cell assisting in the troubleshooting, site run-off, & subsequently
the domestic launch process
⮚ Provide remote technical support to Rockford as well as the other Accuride plants relating to PLC and
equipment issues. This was often after-hours support for 2nd shift engineers & 2 nd /3rd shift maintenance
technicians
⮚ Collaborate with other engineering team members, acting as the resident expert on Fanuc robotics
programming as well as vision system integration
⮚ Ensure asset and facility compliance with corporate-wide safety standards
Manufacturing Production Supervisor (2010-2011)
Key activities & responsibilities included:
⮚ Provided oversight and direction for 30 + union production employees in the automated slack assembly
areas as well as hub sub-assembly & wheel end final assembly
⮚ Assisted maintenance staff for equipment troubleshooting in both my departments as well as the drum &
hub machining areas when needed
Manufacturing Production Operator, Level 3 (2009-2010)
Key activities & responsibilities included:
⮚ Operation of all CNC production equipment. This included manually loaded CNC vertical turning
centers and drills as well as fully automated robotic manufacturing cells
⮚ Provided training to current and new employees
WAUKESHA ENGINE – GE ENERGY – Waukesha, WI (2006-2009)
Machinist
⮚ Operation and setup of 4-axis CNC lathes, turning centers, drilling, and gear hobbing equipment
⮚ Manual operation and setup of gear hobbing machining.
⮚ Performed all essential quality responsibilities including SPC and CMM data collection.
ALCOA WHEEL PRODUCTS – Beloit, WI (1997-2006)
During my employment with Alcoa, I was an Environmental Health and Safety representative and a Medical
First Responder. I also held the Fatality Prevention Safety Chair for the Beloit location.
Tool Room Technician (2000-2006)
Key activities & responsibilities included:
⮚ Performed maintenance on all work holding and tooling for the plant’s CNC machines. This involved
teardown, setup, repairs, and modifications
⮚ Managed service and scheduling of CNC fixturing usage
Maintenance Technician (1997-2000)
Key activities & responsibilities included:
⮚ Provided service and support to all manufacturing and plant equipment. This included plant equipment
in the CNC machining area as well as the aluminum casting lines
COMPUTER/AUTOMATION/CONTROLS SKILLS & LANGUAGES
High Functional Proficiency:
Allen Bradley / Rockwell Automation: RSLogix 5, 500, and 5000 - Studio 5000 – Connected Components
Workbench – (can program from base 0 to a fully integrated ladder solution)
FactoryTalk View ME & SE (for plant-wide MES development)
AX Workbench (Background automation in PLEX ERP environment)
Tridium - Niagara v3
Keyence KV & VT Studio (Vision systems)
Kepware – KEPServerEX, Advanced Tags, & DataLogger.
DewesoftX DAQ
ZPL (Zebra Printer Language)
Igear Connect
SolidWorks 3D Modeling
Python
VB.Net
Cognex – Insight Vision, DataMan Barcode Reading, & Checker Basic Vision (Vision Systems)
Fanuc 0i CNC series Controllers
Fanuc R, LR, and M Robotic Controllers
Fanuc Ladder III PMC (PLC Programming within Fanuc robot architecture)
Fanuc MH Robot Programming (LR Mate models up to M-900i. Fanuc certified)
Fanuc iR Vision Programming (Vision programming within Fanuc robot architecture)
MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, etc.)
Functional Proficiency:
Mitsubishi. IQ Works - GX Works - GT Designer (PLC Logic)
Parker Interact Xpress.
Beijer Information Designer.
Visual Studio.
SQL Server Management Studio.
Siemens Step7 (PLC Programming within Siemens environment)
Marposs P7/E9066 Programming (Production gage & data retention programming)