Danny Webb

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Skills Overview

Danny has built his experience in industrial machinery design, aerospace and R&D. He has primarily worked in development adn manufacturing and is capable of turning to any problem with an open approach. With a strong technical background and proactive attitude, he has become an efficient engineer across a variety of industries. Danny has a masters degree in mechanical engineering and an enthusiasm to learn.

FIXTURES & TOOLING – Danny has worked on the fixtures and tooling behind several innovative products. He is always keen to collaborate with technicians and manufacturing teams for real world testing and to engage with end users. Designing tools that work for the user is paramount to maintain quality. He is knowledgeable about a range of COTS parts and knows when to incorporate them to reduce development time. Example projects include hand tools for composite processing, adhesive bond tooling, motor assembly fixtures and collapsible fixtures for large water tanks.
PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT & MACHINE DESIGN – Danny has designed equipment for materials handling, packaging, heavy production lines and high pressure product testing. His designs have involved pneumatics, hydraulics, vacuum, belt conveyors and chain drives. He has designed new equipment by drawing on technologies from other industries and can think around problems with an open mind. Project examples include an accumulation system for a continuous heavy production line, dust extraction manifolds, roll unwind system and a heavy packaging machine.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE & ASSEMBLY – Experienced with a range of manufacturing methods including machined from solid, sheet metal, fabrications and moulding in metals, polymers and composites. He has designed and built several complex assemblies and has developed the tools to quickly assess every design against DFMA methodology. He has regularly worked closely with suppliers to realise robust designs that minimise risks and defects to create reliable parts.
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING – Installed and set up lots of manufacturing equipment and processes. Written and maintained operating procedures and maintenance schedules to ensure comprehensive operator training and service records to be used for external audits in a highly regulated industry. Solid experience in quality systems and the proper traceability.
DYNAMIC PROBLEM SOLVING – Never one to shy away from a difficult problem, Danny has worked on several cutting edge R&D projects where creativity and innovation are a must. Working in start-ups he has developed the skills to be competent in a dynamic environment and he is comfortable dealing with change and making quick decisions to keep projects moving.

Caliber has experience in the Aerospace industry

Caliber Design has experience in the Biofuel industry

Caliber has experience in the Agriculture industry

PERSONAL STATEMENT

My passion for engineering stems from an innate interest in how things work, I was forever taking apart household items as a child keen to understand the mechanisms inside. I have enjoyed working in R&D and start-ups where I have tackled a variety of engineering problems and technologies that I regularly draw on when solving problems. I have worked on projects from large support structures for manufacturing down to critical aviation components and tooling. I use a practical, holistic approach to overcome barriers and complete projects without delay for clients. Outside of work I spend my free time enjoying the outdoors, playing sports and pursuing a variety of practical hobbies.

Project Experience

Medical Devices – Manufacturing Engineer

Supporting the manufacturing team to set up new equipment and processes to enable the expansion of the Ossis product line to include two new product families. The work focussed on building up the quality management system and manufacturing systems to meet strict quality requirements as per ISO 13485 for medical devices. This included setting up manufacturing equipment, testing and documenting machine parameters and running process validations. Danny worked closely with suppliers to improve communication and uphold consistency across the machining and finishing steps. Technical work included investigating and reporting manufacturing defects using a 3D scanner and powerful inspection software which helped the design team to improve the designs for manufacture. Danny also researched and specified several inspection tools and has set up automated templates to maintain consistency and quality of inspection data.

Heavy Roll Packaging Machine

Managed the research and decision making over a packaging solution for a large composite rolled product. The final solution involved refurbishing and repurposing an existing baling machine to neatly package the product. Activities included organising demonstrations and testing, carrying out refurbishment of hydraulic parts and conveyors, designing and installing pneumatic modifications and working with automation specialist to reprogramme the machine before final installation. The final solution was cost effective and implemented faster than designing from the ground up.

Material Accumulator

Designed and built a large (6x3x2m) material accumulator for a heavy composite manufacturing line. Design activities included calculations for frame structure, bolted connections and drive train; sourcing pneumatics, gearboxes and drive train and issuing drawings for sheet metal and fabrications. Tracked all parts through procurement before building and installing the equipment myself.

Platform, Stairway & Support Design

Supporting the structures team to design supports for a range of equipment including conveyors, washers and handling equipment. I designed large access platforms and stairways to ASNZ 1657 and EN 14122 as well as ancillary pipe work. Inventor was used to design predominantly stainless steel structures either folded and bolted or welded.

OIL & GAS INDUSTRY

High Pressure Test Rig

Designed a high pressure and temperature test chamber for developing a new product for the oil and gas industry. Developed a bespoke test rig operating up to 180C and 700bar with external control room. Calculated theoretical loads inside the test rig to inform the seal selection for the critical end seal. Issued drawings for machined parts and tracked parts through procurement and assembly. Designed and assembled hydraulic circuit, hydraulic control panel, ceramic heating system and insulation box around the test rig. Worked within a small multidisciplinary team to test and develop the product whilst tweaking the test rig as necessary and managing the data collection.

Rotor Components for an Electric Motor

Designed rotor components for a new electric motor for aerospace applications operating up to 10,000 rpm. Communicated with suppliers to circumvent DFMA issues, generated parametric models and issued technical drawings for multi-op machined parts. Embedded components in large motor assembly model and issued assembly drawings for manufacturing teams. Key contributor to first rotor build for the company and organised first batch of destructive testing with successful results.

Motor Assembly Fixture

Managed subcontracted work for a final assembly jig for a new electric motor. Communicated design intent and criteria with the contractor to capture new design improvements and meet tight tolerances. Designed auxiliary tooling and jigs to deliver a full working product with documented instructions to help develop the SOP. Clear communication with contractors and technicians was essential due to high loads creating a complex operating procedure. Developed good working relationship with suppliers to turn around urgent parts on time.

GOOD BUGGER AWARD

January 2025

Danny Webb got the Christchurch award to acknowledge his impressive achievement of two NPS of 10 from two clients. The first was a medical client we’ve been wanting to work with for years and he was the first Caliber engineer to work there. Being medical, they have very high standards, and Danny blew them away and really cemented that relationship for future work together. The clients appreciated Danny’s attention to detail and the way he could tackle a bunch of tasks effectively, and the way he looked ahead at the start of the project and anticipated what could go wrong.