Erik Norris
Mechanical Engineering Lead | Complex Physical Systems · Prototype → Production
// Structure the chaos · Index the decisions · Ship the hardware
eriknorris.com
erik@eriknorris.com
resume.eriknorris.com
linkedin.com/in/eriknorris
github.com/eriknorris
Redwood City, CA
eriknorris.com
erik@eriknorris.com
resume.eriknorris.com
linkedin.com/in/eriknorris
github.com/eriknorris
Redwood City, CA
Professional Summary
I lead hands-on mechanical and systems engineering for complex physical products, from ambiguous architecture through DVT, manufacturing transfer, and field recovery. I set the technical method, lead cross-functional decisions, and stay close to the hardware as it moves from prototype to production.
My work connects mechanism design, tolerance control, validation, supplier processes, and serviceability. The program accounts below show the decisions and measured results in their original scope. I now apply that same discipline to local-first AI-agent infrastructure for research and engineering operations.
Core Competencies
ENGINEERING
- Tolerance / Alignment / Load Paths
- Wear & Failure-Mode Analysis (RCA)
- GD&T · Stack-Ups (WC / RSS)
- DOE Test-Method Design
- FEA-Correlated Validation (ANSYS)
- Haptic & Kinematic Tuning
MANUFACTURING
- DFM / DFA for Automated Assembly
- High-Volume NPI (Tool Start → MP)
- Injection Molding · Die Casting · Sheet Metal
- Accelerated Life / Destruction Testing
- Yield Recovery & CAPA
- CM Management (Suzhou · Guadalajara · Taipei)
TOOLS & REGULATORY
- Onshape, Creo, Solidworks
- PLM Architecture (Agile / Arena / Windchill)
- Thermal Simulation (CFD)
- UL 1472 / UL 20 / FCC
- MIL-STD-1472G
- Class III Medical Standards
- Class-A Surfacing
Professional Experience
MECHANISTIC | Principal Mechanical Architect
2022 - Present
Consultancy: systems architecture, crisis recovery, and AI-augmented engineering operations.
- Conduct pre-production forensic audits for hardware startups - stress-testing thermal management, tolerance stack-up, and supply-chain fragility before tooling commitment.
- Built and operate EN-OS, a locally-hosted AI-agent infrastructure for research, root-cause synthesis, and decision documentation - the constraint methodology is identical to physical-systems engineering: fence the failure modes before assembly.
HYPHEN | Staff Mechanical Engineer → Principal Systems Architect
2021 - 2022
Lead mechanical architect, Augmented Makeline - cobotic food-assembly robotics developed for enterprise restaurant deployment. Co-inventor, US20240164588A1.
- Architected the gravimetric dispenser library (Types A-F) with de-agglomeration logic for adversarial ingredients (shredded proteins, sticky rice) - portion variance cut from ±15% to ±2%, food waste down 98%, at 350 meals/hour sustained and 99%+ order accuracy.
- Integrated 70+ actuators with the controls stack (Beckhoff C6030 IPC, TwinCAT 3 / EtherCAT) at millisecond precision; TwinSAFE zone passivation cut safety wiring by ~50%.
- Engineered a 15-minute tool-less sanitation breakdown with push-to-unlock food-contact components sized for commercial dishwashing.
MECHANISTIC | Senior Mechanical Designer
2018 - 2021
Product-development consultancy: micromobility, connected devices, lighting.
- Engineered a ruggedized IoT module for Lyft's Bay Wheels eBike fleet - system architecture through detailed part design for outdoor deployment - plus an eCargo-bike platform, concept through detail design.
NOON HOME | Head of Mechanical Engineering
2017 - 2018
Multi-SKU smart-home lighting ecosystem - four hardware platforms, concept through EVT/DVT. UL 1472 / UL 20 / MIL-STD-1472G. Acquired by Savant Systems.
- Led hands-on mechanical architecture and reliability across the four-platform lighting ecosystem while preserving cross-functional ownership boundaries.
- Recovered the Elvis extension switch from seven-of-seven floating-cap failures to 100% EVT2 yield by isolating a 0.1 mm molded-versus-CAD offset, correcting the geometry, and replacing fixed-thickness PSA with structural adhesive.
- Ran staged Room Director reliability campaigns that kept unresolved 1.3 m drop failures separate from a passed household-chemical exposure campaign.
AVEGANT | Senior Mechanical Engineer - NPI / DFM / MP
2015 - 2017
Glyph personal-display headset. I took responsibility for the whole mechanical bill of materials through tooling, validation and production ramp, including roughly 40 tools.
- I recovered the difficult outer-headband molding process through a hot-runner conversion and process tuning around as-molded part weight. I worked through cable binding and abrasion, dust contamination, fit and field failures.
- I designed assembly and inspection fixtures, created the master color, gap and graphics plans, wrote critical-part inspection and acceptance criteria, and designed and managed the product’s reliability testing program.
- I proposed, tested and brought Glyph’s optional headstrap into production, with Radius developing concepts and mockups. It shifted most of the load from the nosepiece to the top of the head. I developed the earpads to improve comfort.
KALEIDESCAPE | Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
2008 - 2015
Mechanical design, NPI, supplier coordination, and sustaining across a family of premium home-cinema hardware.
- Analyzed 3,000,000+ M700 field-cycle events to isolate dirty-roller friction loss compounded by carousel warp; redesigned the drive around force-dominant balance bars and eliminated dirty-roller slippage in validation.
- Recovered 100% of questioned M700 carousel inventory through measured inspection limits and a sister-rib tooling correction instead of scrapping it.
- On KSYSTEM-120, coordinated mechanical integration, authored the mechanical FAI procedure, and originated bounded part-level inspection records toward pilot and ramp readiness.
DIGIDESIGN (AVID) | Lead Mechanical Engineer
2003 - 2008
Flagship audio control surfaces - C|24, D-Command, SC48, ICON, 003; 12+ products shipped.
- I controlled C|24 board interfaces through Data Control Drawings. The June register lists 19 distinct PCBA designs; the MicPre8 I/O drawing records 12 revisions.
- Compared SC48 4U configurations with three 80 mm fans at 8.5 V and 12 V: left R69 rise differed by 9.9°C and absolute temperature by 11.6°C, with differing ambient conditions.
- I designed the field-replaceable C|24 headphone-jack unit that shipped, with Arndt Hufenbach and Manufacturing pressing for service access. The earlier recessed mock-up had been rejected.
EARLIER WORK | Consumer · Medical · Workstation Hardware
1986 - 2003
WebTV / Microsoft (Xbox, UltimateTV; Galaxy set-top: 150W in consumer plastics via a 28.3 CFM wind-tunnel chassis) · frogdesign (KaVo dental systems, Newscorp satellite, Vadem Clio convertible PDA) · SGI (workstation thermal-acoustic analysis) · EP Technologies (Class III cardiac-ablation catheter production - where the forensic methodology started).
Education
De Anza College
Associate’s Degree, Automotive Engine Performance
Recognition
- Patent US20240164588A1: Modular System for Food Assembly (co-inventor)
- Avegant Glyph: Best of CES 2016 (Senior Mechanical Engineer, NPI → MP)
- SC48 Venue Mix Rack: TEC Award, Sound Reinforcement Console Technology
- Kaleidescape Cinema One: CEPro Product of the Year
- Motorola MP3 Player: CES 2002 Design Honoree