Industrial and Consumer Design

Trus Joist

I started with TJ after hurting my back, first as draftsman, then checker, designer, ad hoc engineer and finally project manager. TJ did not submit patents for process or equipment, it was felt that by applying for the patent, too much info was shared and available to competitors. It was rationalized that we could always have a 5 year advantage otherwise. Most of my work was in process improvements (better cutting, gluing and assembly). Some of the highlights include;

Web Glue Heads – this got me the TJ Innovator of the year award. An automation improvement that saved glue, reduced clean up time and eliminated one position on the floor.

Serrator – process improvement to cut fingers into TJI webs that increased quality and productivity.

TimberStrand Finger Jointer – create a unproven process to join small lengths of a large section timber that is as strong or stronger than original in order to reclaim waste.

Cutter Profile – find the best profile for maximum strength, creating unique cutter blades and testing joints.

Glue Application – develop glue heads that applied the right amount of glue in all the right places in a repeatable process.

Glue coverage sensing – develop a vision system to monitor glue coverage. We added a UV component to the glue, the vision system could then distinguish the area coverage threshold as well as the volume of the glue.

Proofloading – develop a process that would test each assembled board to110% of specified strength.

Auto-Driller - the early flagship product for TJ was the Open Web Joist, developed in the early 1960s, the technology did not change into the next century. it was labor intensive using pin settings, clamps and foot switches. I developed and commissioned a automated process that when a board was presented to the infeed slot, the machine read a color code and drilled and routed the specific sequence and combination with an accuracy and production rate to exceed the existing process.

Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser bought TJ because they couldn’t develop new products on their own. We kept the same facility, product and process support teams as before. Some of the highlights include;

Down-Pour- OSB Manufacturing – developed part of the profile and all of the process to cut drain features in flooring material so when it rained between framing and roofing, a puddle or lake did not develop and saturate the OSB. this process was designed to retro fit existing plants and operate at 1000 feet per minute. (This was an example of Weyerhaeuser cut throat culture where your proximity to the corporate hive allowed you to omit the contributions of teammates)

Flak Jacket – develop a process to coat TJI with an intumescent to resist damage during a fire in a house. The coating in per-cured form was a hazardous material requiring special protection to the workers.

Application of coating – develop a 2-part dispense system and spray system to evenly apply the coating.

Curing Station – develop a curing station to allow the coating to cure hard enough that the TJI could be stacked and bundled and wrapped for shipment.

SGW Designworks

This is a small (was 6, now about 20 people) engineering group started by people I worked with at TJ, I joined them when Weyerhaeuser left Boise. They have a diverse group of clients and projects. We generally let the client control the IP. Some of the highlights include;

Squeeze Lock tongs – patent issued. One handed locking tongs for food.

Ever Cup - patent issued. A coffee container with a twist lids to seal contents.

Cordless Coffee Grinder - patent issued, US and EU. A cordless rechargeable coffee grinder with Smart Base. GIR

Culvert Expander –patent issued but I was given no credit. Part of a trenchless culvert replacement system. This device will be placed inside a culvert and expand the culvert to allow a similar sized plastic culvert to be inserted as a sleeve. The device is about 4 feet long and can exert 500 tons of force outward. It is then moved and rotated along the desired path, up to 300 feet.

Culvert Cutter – part of the Expander patent. This a hydraulic saw that travels inside a culvert and split it prior to expansion.

Pusher Box – part of the Expander project. This a hydraulic device is placed in the ground, in a pit and will both protect the operator and force the Expander, Cutter, and new culvert into the old culvert.

Wave Cushion in Knee replacement. Application begun for patent. A feature of a new knee replacement system that adds a more robust cushion in the form of a wave washer. Additional constraints are included to prevent uplift and rotation.

Automated Sewing. This application to automate sewing porcine pericardium into a stint mesh, integrated 2 actuators for the sewing, a 5 axis robot for frame position, and two vision systems for sensing the frame to produce accurate positioning and inspection.

Bridge Inspection - A company in Idaho performs bridge inspection using shop built equipment. I designed a machine that is driven on tracks with three adjustable axis to allow for inspection and repair from a two person basket on the side and below the bridge.

Power Trowel Dynamometer - Company in Boise makes ride on Power Trowels for concrete finishing Ride-On Trowels (multiquip.com) . Their QA process requires each Trowel has the HP and torque documented before shipment. The machine needed to accept all sizes of trowels.

BBVR - Black Box’s patent-pending resistance exercise system can scale weights up and down elastically. It uses an AI algorithm to track every repetition and progressively increase the intensity. Each equipment system, accompanied by the HTC Vive wireless headset, comes with handles that translate to something in virtual reality, like shooting a gun. I designed the structure and drive system. https://www.blackbox-vr.com/the-hardware/

Ramper - I developed a next-generation cargo loading/unload tool, a compact, battery operated motorized folding conveyor system named TISABAS™, to help ramp agents mechanically move baggage and cargo within the belly of the aircraft.

Vineyard Sprayer - I led the development of a sprayer with precision spray technology that surrounds the vine and sprays from multiple angles while recapturing excess chemical, which is then recycled and applied to the next plant. Designed to improve; the "kill" rate, productivity, worker safety, reduce chemical waste and environmental hazards. The equipment is trailered behind a tractor and adjustable for row spacing, trellis height and plant width.