My experience

Overview

First term - Getting used to logistics of Freestyle. Assigned a project to design an early warning system to inform customers when the diet drink sweetener (NNS) was low. This was part of an overall initiative for the release of a new version of a dispenser platform. My project was option C and it seemed as if they knew it would hold little value overall but was an applicable project for me. I used CAD to design the set up, using official CAD files of dispenser components. Built my design using materials in the lab and McMaster parts. Controlled and ran testing using an FPGA board to control the pumps. Second term - Freestyle is constantly looking for ways to simplify and/or improve the dispensers. A new type of pump was suggested that could operate with more viscous fluids, opening the possibility of more drinks to dispense. In the process of testing to evaluate the new pump, my project was to look into a specific metric - the internal piston range of position within the pump. This is directly related to the volumetric output of the pump, therefore we needed data to establish consistency, potential issues, max/min, etc. I was able to build a test setup at my home and collect data. This work seemed overall more meaningful and informative to executives, though I struggled to fully grasp the entire project due to communication issues. Third Term - The team was focused on a new dispenser platform with the goal to minimize costs. My project consisted of redesigning one part of the dispenser with lower cost components. I was able to CAD my design into the dispenser and 3D print my new pieces. With the help of employees in the office, I was able to get my new parts into an actual dispenser and run testing. I felt this project was the most helpful to the company because I was able to present an alternative system with significant reduction to price (~ $300 to ~$100)