Layton Hern

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Skills Overview

Layton is a switched-on engineer who adapts quickly to new projects and fits in well with all teams. Most of his experience involves product design and cross team coordination, particularly with electrical, software and manufacturing teams. Layton excels on keeping an eye on the bigger picture, to make sure all the details align with the end goal.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – Layton has a history of joining projects at very early stages, when designs are only at the “hand waving” stage. He is able to quickly identify stakeholders, determine what is needed from the design and come up with his own briefs. This enables him to use sketches, draft CAD designs, and prototyping tools (such as 3d printing) to communicate ideas and help clients converge on great designs going forward.
INJECTION MOLDING – Layton has been a part of multiple projects that have taken designs to tool, where his attention to detail and good practice with plastic parts has been essential in achieving good results. This includes simple open shut tools to more complex tools with multiple moving parts.
CROSS TEAM COORDINATION – Often Layton has been in positions that require ensuring multiple teams work well together, this has seen him act as the glue between software teams, electrical teams, and project management teams. He keeps a good overview of projects and ensures everyone knows the critical information they need, when they need it.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE – Finding the right material and construction technique for each component is critical to result in a reliable cost effective design. This is something Layton ensures is considered in all designs by tracking information, such as the planned quantities and available manufacture techniques, to give a great outcome.

Caliber has experience in the Aerospace industry

Caliber Design has experience in the Biofuel industry

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I’m an engineer who just loves to make things better. I mainly specialise in product development, from concepts and prototyping, to detailed design of components. I aim to always understand a problem properly before jumping to solutions, as that can save a lot of time in the long run.

I have experience across a range of applications and industries, from medical devices through to fast paced start-ups and service robotics.

In my spare time I’m often found out on the water competing in sailing regattas (a great way to get cold and wet) or escaping to the mountains for some skiing (an alternative way to get cold and wet).

Project Experience

Electric Smart Panel

During an extended secondment at Basis, I was involved in a range of activities to help the team deliver an innovative new electrical smart panel product to market. At the start the design was just an idea and by the end of the project there were working panels, produced on a production line, ready for final checks before release to customers. I was assigned an area of the product to manage the development of, but also had to ensure this aligned with development within other areas. Early on there was a heavy focus on conceptual design, rapid prototyping, mockups and fast turnaround of new ideas. As the project continued the focus shifted to detailed design for injection moulding, and feedback iterations with toolmakers and suppliers. Throughout this time all stakeholders were engaged from industrial design through to electrical engineering, compliance and product teams to ensure the developments met all requirements. As the project neared mass production, work involved included detailed testing of the product to a range of standards as well as testing performance of a range of areas of the product. In such a small agile company the engineering team carries a large burden of work, and I was able to positively contribute and also guide the development of the product to help set Basis up for success in the future.

Evaporator System

NZ sugar approached Caliber to help support in the planning and design of a new evaporator system to reduce the energy required to refine sugar. I was able to get in and understand the process, and by leveraging the expertise within NZ Sugar I was able to complete the P&ID and come up with equipment lists. I also produced a 3D model of the process layout and piping , which enabled the project to move on to the next stage.

AEROSPACE COMPANY

Seconded to deliver a series of small projects aimed at improving the product, with a focus on pressurised fluid systems, seals, cryogenic systems, and sensors. Working with cross-functional teams, I identified root causes, developed solutions, and updated processes, parts, and assemblies to implement improvements. This involved close collaboration with manufacturing and quality teams to understand existing processes, leading to refined production steps, updated acceptance tests, and the development of custom jigs. I also made design updates where required, conducting performance testing and preparing reports to validate that changes enhanced product performance.

ROBOTICS COMPANY

Systems & Parts Design

I designed many systems and parts for a service robot, including many new ideas as well as improving existing concepts. I worked with software, electrical and other teams to ensure the design came together and worked reliably. Design for manufacture was a big part of this task, as well as seeing systems through from prototype stage to market release.

Production Facility Planning & Implementation

I planned and implemented a small series production facility at a startup to enable reliable production of service robots, independent from engineering prototype work. This also involved establishing an ERP system to trace parts from design release through purchasing, storage and production. Initially the production was mainly manual work to allow more flexibility, but steps to automate were also planned to enable upscaling. On-going support of this facility ensured new designs were able to be released to production smoothly and new technicians were trained as required.

Product Development

As a product development engineer I was involved in a range of projects that all had to pass the strict standards of the medical industry. From new concept generation and prototyping, through to verification and validation as well as market release activities at hospitals. With medical devices it has to be done right the first time, so there is a large amount of in-house development, paperwork, and testing to keep to this high standard.

The team I worked in was in charge of breathing circuit design, along with engineering systems work such as verification, validation, and market release activities. For example, one project started with researching the product use case by going into hospitals and getting to know the needs of the staff and patients. I then designed an injection moulded part, prototyped it by machining the mould tool and building a small run of parts to test the design. Finally I implemented the design into a high volume production tooling with a partner injection moulding supplier.

When the new product line was being released to new hospitals in Australia, I travelled to train hospital staff in proper use and benefits of the new product. While involved with this product line release, I carried out multiple investigations into root cause of problems and brought those back to design and process changes. This involved carrying out my own design updates and testing designs, as well as coordination across the production process and operations side of the business to ensure all went smoothly.

To help enable my colleagues, I was also in charge of maintainuing and improving my teams laboratory/workspaces. This involved carrying out 5S projects, creating tracking systems for hardware, establishing Kanban systems for commonly used supplies, and training colleagues on equipment use.