QUALIFICATIONS
- BE Mech (Hons) – 1992
SOFTWARE
Design
- AutoCAD
- Creo (Pro/Engineer)
- NX;OnShape
- SolidWorks
Analysis
- SolidWorks Simulation
- MathCAD
- Excel (numerical method analysis);
Richard Coia
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Skills Overview
Richard brings over 25 years of diverse mechanical engineering expertise to the team. Throughout his career, he has excelled in engineering across various sectors, including consumer devices, medical devices, special purpose machinery, and general product development. Richard is a highly skilled problem-solver, leveraging his proficiency in CAD design to translate innovative concepts into manufacturable solutions. His expertise extends to project management, ensuring projects run smoothly and efficiently from conception to completion, and analysis with experience in finite element analysis.
- COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN – Richard is proficient in several CAD platforms, including Solidworks, Onshape and Creo (Pro/Engineer). He is capable in detailing complex shapes using surfacing techniques as well as standard methods.
- MEDICAL DEVICES – Richard has several years experience working with medical devices against FDA and European requirements. He can work within the requirements of design and document control.
- CONSUMER DEVICE DESIGN – Richard has extensive experience in the design of electrical and electronic products. He understands the fundamentals of user interaction, thermal management and Design For Manufacture of plastic and pressed metal components for medium to high volume production.
- PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Richard has overseen many New Product Development projects in the capacity of Project Manager.
- DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE & ASSEMBLY – Richard takes extra care in ensuring his designs are suitable for the manufacture and assembly, having been responsible in the past for getting new products into production. He has attended a Boothroyd & Dewhurst course on Design for Manual Assembly.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I’m an engineering graduate from Canterbury and enjoy a great career in engineering, mainly product development. I get a kick from coming up with innovative solutions to problems, small and big, and seeing them through to implementation. Outside of work I enjoy time with my family, now largely grown up, as well as motorcycle touring. Now that I’m back in New Zealand I’m looking forward to reconnecting with tramping and seeing all that this great country has to offer.
Project Experience
Product Packaging
Researched and designed a cardboard packaging system to replace the current method based on using MDF. Potential savings of weight of packaging of approximately 400 tons per annum.
DYNAMIC CONTROLS
Wheelchair Controllers
Designed and developed wheelchair controller products to medical device standards (ISO 13485), including a sealed joystick mechanism, custom connectors, and a light-pipe lens optimised by ray-tracing. Also provided FEA support and conducted internal quality system audits against ISO 13485 and FDA regulations.
TEAM CONSULTING
Medical Design
Worked within a medical device consultancy, developing concepts and prototypes across a range of projects including an intratumoral drug delivery device, a Covid test kit, and electromechanical rigs for medical diagnosis and microfluidics testing.
Six Sigma
Ran a Six Sigma project to reduce the number of customer returns. Successfully determined the cause of large numbers of returns of one of PDL’s flagship products.
OLYMPUS
Aircraft Engine Visual Inspection System
Worked within a multi-functional team on a project to create an automatic, non-destructive, inspection system for use on the Rolls Royce Trent 900 aircraft engine. Came to be responsible for all mechanical aspects of the design and build from concept to final implementation and installation.
DYNISMA
Racing Car Simulators
Designed assembly tooling and precision equipment assembly rigs for a racing car ride simulator. Later worked on the design of structural components and device wiring support structures for the simulator itself.
Augmented Reality Eyeware
Working within an adaptive optics manufacturer on a ground-breaking product utilising innovative actuation methods for a top-ten tech company. Used Solidworks to develop theoretical concepts and applied tolerance analysis to components used in proof of concept prototype. Generated concepts for liquid lens actuation methods and CAD models using macros and design studies for use by FEA engineer.
Aircraft Engine Laser Ablation Platform
Design, development and installation of a system to present a laser ablation head at the leading and trailing edges of compressor blades of the engine. Building on a previous Phase I stage, lessons were incorporated to make a new device to work in the same inspection port and a new device working in another port.
Conveyor Design
Provided engineering resource to the Conveyor team during a time of high workload. Designed and specified conveyors for the transportation of agricultural produce in large plant projects.
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
Industrial Plug Replacement Project
As project manager, led a team to successfully replace a 25-year old range with products that exceeded customer requirements while meeting cost targets. Introduced innovation and critical IP protection to prevent erosion of the company’s market share.
TEKNEK
Contact Cleaners
Designed and developed industrial contact cleaning machines from concept through to production, incorporating extrusions, machined and moulded components. Work also included risk analysis and the design of test rigs to validate key design elements.