Design responsibilities
At NLS Lighting, I worked across mechanical design, fabrication, testing, and production release. My projects included retrofit hardware, mounting brackets and adapters, concealed fasteners, gasket interfaces, and installation procedures.
I used SolidWorks for parts and assemblies, prepared manufacturing drawings and bills of materials, and worked with colleagues in engineering and fabrication to review prototypes and revise the hardware.
Expanding retrofit clamp
The DCPT retrofit needed a way to secure an LED tower inside an existing casting that had no mounting holes. I designed an expanding clamp that could be inserted through the opening, positioned at the widest part of the casting, and tightened in place.
The LED tower then locates over the clamp’s screws and is secured with nuts. This made the attachment sequence part of the design: insert, expand, center, and fasten. The hardware and its installation instructions were developed together.
Lens-ring gasket compression
For the Savannah fixture, the lens assembly needed to compress its gasket as the retaining screws were tightened. I modified the lens ring with a circumferential chamfer. A set screw contacting that sloped surface pushes the ring downward, turning screw tightening into gasket compression.
We checked the physical contact and fit after assembly. The contact marks helped us trace the screw’s movement along the chamfer, while dimensional checks and inspection of the gasket showed how the parts seated. The lens compressed the gasket without an added weight on top.
I tested the revised assembly with Christopher Wang on November 10, 2022. The internal water-ingress report recorded a pass for both the lens interior and driver compartment.
Water-ingress and thermal testing
My testing work covered more than one fixture family. I performed the Radian gasket and water-ingress test with Vincent Vuong, and later tested complete DCPT-G118 and DCPT-G192 fixtures with Frank Mata and Christopher Wang. The February 2023 DCPT reports recorded passes for the lens interiors and driver compartments.
I also conducted thermal testing and worked on static finite-element analysis of luminaire hardware. I worked with Kevin Lu on a long, curved mounting arm under wind-force cases of 90 N and 180 N.
Production and retrofit hardware
My VSS space-filler bracket work balanced material use, stiffness, and assembly. The design log records reducing material while using bends and screw inserts to support the part. Other assignments included an adjustable three-bolt arm arrangement, glare shields, custom baseplates and tenons, and covers for arm transitions.
At another interface, the VUE-4 could attach directly, removing the need for a separate adapter. I also worked through fit and assembly checks on the Value Series, coordinating prototype drawings and revisions with engineering and fabrication colleagues.
For a Sedona customer-review fixture, the work included adapter fitting, driver programming, a bill of materials, and fabrication drawings with the team. I carried design changes into SAP BOMs, engineering-change records, and shop-floor documentation.
This work involved close collaboration with Kevin Lu, Vadiraj, Dan, Pablo, Frank, and the co-testers named in the test reports. Design reviews and fabrication feedback shaped the final hardware.