Robert W. C. STEVENS
Robert@WendyGamble.com | http://www.WendyGamble.com/RwcS/
INDEX:
EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
EMPLOYMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADDITIONAL COURSES
COMPUTER LITERACY
SOCIAL
KEY WORDS, for the electronic filters
EDUCATION
Degree: B.Sc. (Honours), Mechanical Engineering
Queen’s University | Kingston | Ontario | Canada
(1978 May)
Ontario Secondary School Honours Graduation Diploma (Maths & Sciences)
Mackenzie High School | Deep River | Ontario | K0J 1P0 | Canada
(1974 July)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Former Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick (APEGNB);
Professional Engineer; now retired
EMPLOYMENT
Position: Hired as Senior Mechanical Engineer; Subsequently titled Chief Engineer;
Now (from 2019-August) retired; but working on contract – there are still interesting and challenging projects!
Environment: Originally a consulting firm with expertise in
irrigation and drainage, but moved into design and production of custom sorting,
grading and manipulating machines using artificial vision and other automation tools.
Machines include ones:
- To identify rot, in green lumber, using x-ray imaging.
- To convert scrap from the cedar shingle making process into builder's shims –
stacked, labelled, strapped and trimmed – ready for marketing.
- To collect, strap and otherwise manipulate lathe bundles;
thus saving the customer's employees from repetitive stress injuries.
Also, to implement computerized production tracking.
- To pack sardines, using robotics developed in-house. (Additional detail available
on this separate page.)
- To gauge seam dimensions on round tins at rates above 1800 cans per minute.
- To identify defects in seams of round tins at up to 1200 cans per minute.
- To sort seafood products at five pieces per second per lane.
- To identify defects in seams on rectangular sardine tins at up to 500 cans per minute.
- To grade and sort potatoes at three pieces per second.
Work Description:
- Brainstorming, and other development methods, for generation of innovative ideas.
- Selection and buying of electrical and electronic components for most projects.
- Programming for all PLCs; Bringing a junior programmer up to speed.
- Assisting in design of mechanics and lighting.
- Documenting and writing user-manuals; and later, Proof-reading manuals produced by others.
- Field Installation, commissioning, and operator training.
- Maintenance and further development of Image Processing software.
- Development of Graphical User Interface (GUI) and management reporting program for vision inspection programs.
- Supervising design of custom video splitter used in ‘Mk ii generation’ products.
- Field-testing and reporting, as an independent third party, on the performance of a locally designed rock crusher.
- Design improvement, testing and proving of an in-field rock-crusher.
- Mechanical design control over various research projects, including a thermal treatment system for inactivating Colorado Potato Beetles.
- Aiding in calculation of return-on-investment for food processing plants proposed for India.
Experience Gained: Robotics; Visual Basic Programming; PLC Programming;
Lighting for Machine Vision; Machine-Computer Interface; Human-Computer Interface; PLC-Computer Interface.
Achievements:
- Aided in development of a robotic system to pack sardines.
This machine dredges pre-cut sardines from a hopper, singulates and orients them on a conveyor,
and grades them at rates on the order of 7 pieces per second.
Beyond the grading station are six robotic pick-and-place systems that, in less than one second,
move the fish from the conveyor into a can, ensuring proper belly-up and alternating head/tail placement.
- Developed a PLC algorithm to interpolate belt position based on a once-per-revolution signal,
replacing a rotary encoder and High Speed Encoder Card.
- Designed a custom electronic module (for ‘Mk i generation’ equipment) to condition a 10µs PC pulse for PLC input.
Recent innovations and advancements include:
- Sorting by targeted ejection of product in free-fall across the width of a conveyor,
or along a conveyor-to-conveyor transfer station. For this, I was instrumental in developing the protocols
for communication of targeting-data, from a PC running a machine vision program, to a PLC running the tracking and ejection logic.
This communication protocol overcomes the time-indeterminacy involved both
in machine-processing of images and in communication by OPC over TCP/IP.
artwork@wendygamble.com
1990 to Present
Position: Services (non-salaried).
Environment: Home-based artistic endeavours, including fine art and creative writing.
Work Description:
- Support, including critiquing and artistic advice.
- Maintenance of equipment, including computers and printers.
- Framing, including cutting of mat-board and frame stock.
- De-bugging faulty HTML code.
- Consultant and Beta-reader, for novels set in the MedSci universe.
Experience Gained:
- Social interaction.
- HTML coding.
Achievements:
- Years (and still counting) of happy marriage.
- Two growing children.
EAGLE AIR CONVEYING Limited
P.O. BOX 1299 | Almonte | Ontario | K0A 1A0 | Canada
+1 613 256 3798 (Voice and Telefax)
eagleair@cyberus.ca
1991 September to 1994 June
Position: Systems Engineer.
Environment: Design and installation of custom equipment for
the food and the plastics industries; specialising in pneumatic conveyors,
liquid delivery systems, weighing and metering systems, and the associated
batching controls.
Work Description:
- Office Work; bid preparation, purchasing, designing, drafting.
- Shop work; inspection and supervision of progress on shop fabricated assemblies.
- Field Work; inspection, supervision and problem solving.
- Start-up; trouble-shooting, baseline data collection.
Experience Gained: Bidding; Pneumatic conveying; Food processing plants.
Achievements: Provided various design innovations in mechanics and electronics.
R.R. #1 | Haley Station | Ontario | K0J 1Y0 | Canada
+1 613 432 3621
1984 May to 1991 August
Position: Project Engineer, reporting initially to the plant engineer,
and later promoted into the Corporate Engineering Department.
Environment: Producer of high purity magnesium, magnesium alloys,
calcium and strontium; in ingots, billets and extrusions;
utilising batch and continuous processing.
At full capacity, this plant produced 6,000 tonnes per year and employed 400.
Other plants in the TIMMINCO group, under the Corporate Engineering Department,
produced ferrosilicon and hot-melt adhesives.
Work Description:
- Engineering at two metal producing plants, and in budget preparation for
the corporation’s three metal producing plants and ten adhesive plants.
- Management of engineering projects at two metal producing plants.
Projects, spanning one month to 1½ years and costing up to $1 million,
covering plant modernisation and process improvement, equipment reliability,
safety of personnel and equipment, and pollution control.
Scope of responsibilities included equipment design, equipment and vendor selection,
specification writing, scheduling, contractor supervision, start-up, training
(of operations and of maintenance), and cost control and reporting.
- Process trouble-shooting and engineering advisor to maintenance.
- Assisting in budgeting for 13 manufacturing facilities; allocating the
corporate annual budget for capital expenditures (3 to 5 million dollars),
and generating monthly reports summarising and forecasting capital expenditures.
Experience Gained: Machinery installations. Electric motors.
Control systems (PLC and relay). Batching and continuous production.
Dust collection. Vacuum pumps. Air compressors. High temperature furnaces
(gas and electric-resistance heated). Explosion vent design. Size reduction.
Briquetting. Budgeting.
Achievements:
- Developed, designed and installed a circuit to continuously clean vacuum
pump oil. This reduced maintenance costs and doubled vacuum pump life.
- Saved 40% on cost of heat, and increased productivity by 20% in a Ministry
of Energy sponsored project to convert an electric furnace to gas-fired with
heat-recovery burners.
- Installed a system to increase the accuracy of batch formulation,
and to automate the reporting of inventory usage.
The improved scaling reduced losses by 25%.
BYTEC Incorporated
(Company now dissolved)
Nepean | Ontario | Canada
1983 February to 1984 April
Position: Engineer.
Environment: Design and assembly facility for personal portable
computers (The Hyperion), and related peripherals.
Responsibilities:
- Designer on a team developing new peripherals.
- Mechanical staff on cost reduction projects.
- Initiate and co-ordinate mechanical design changes required before volume production.
- Select and approve components and suppliers (custom plastic mouldings,
sheet metal stampings, electrical connectors, and hardware).
- Packaging-expert for the main unit.
Experience Gained: Plastics moulding. Design in sheet metal.
Electronics packaging. Electronic connectors. Shipping package design.
Achievements: Layout staff, and department representative,
on company newsletter. Organiser of company volleyball team.
580 Weber Street North | Waterloo | Ontario | N2J 5G5 | Canada
1981 August to 1982 December
Position: Engineer.
Environment: Design and manufacturing facility for Item
Processing Equipment (banking cheque-processing machines).
Responsibilities: Mechanical designer on a team developing
modules for use in NCR’s next-generation of products.
Experience Gained: Paper transport. Digital electronics.
Achievement: Designed a ribbon transport mechanism (patent
applied for).
BURROUGHS Incorporated
(now UNISYS)
51 Burmac Road | P.O. Box 861 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | R3C 2P7 | Canada
1978 September to 1981 July
Position: Assistant Engineer in Product Design Department.
Environment: Design and manufacture of disk drives for medium
and large computing systems.
Responsibilities: Advised on product changes to improve operation,
reliability, manufacturability, and cost, and to ensure operator safety.
Assisted in developing design concepts for Burroughs’ next generation of disk drives.
Experience Gained: Design of products for assembly-line production.
Plastics design. Electronics packaging. Vendor Qualification.
Laboratory techniques. Drawing checking. Tolerance stack-ups.
Achievement: Investigated and reported on modes and frequencies
of vibration in a gyroscope mounted in compliant bearings.
University and High School
Position: Part-Time Audio-Visual Technician.
Environment: Operation of A/V equipment, including 16mm movie projectors
(mostly B+H 556 and twinned B+H 566, but also other brands and models), and other A/V equipment.
Also operation of audio system for social events (at university).
Responsibilities: Selecting and moving appropriate equipment to and from presentation site.
Operating equipment on general direction from class (or event) leader.
Being as unobtrusive as practical.
Experience Gained: A grounding in: Responsibility and Accountability; Systems and Trouble-shooting; Maintenance.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADDITIONAL COURSES
Grounding and Bonding, By EPIC, 2000 Feb,
Grounding and Bonding of Electrical Systems for safety of personnel and equipment,
and for integrity of stored and communicated data.
1.2 Continuing Education units awarded.
Programmable Logic Controllers, By Allen-Bradley, 1996 June,
Maintenance, Trouble-shooting and programming for PLC-5 series controllers.
5.2 Continuing Education units awarded.
Programmable Logic Controllers, By OMRON, 1991 May,
Programming techniques and discipline.
Course completed.
Basic Vacuum Practice, By Varian Vacuum Products, 1988 November & December,
Rough, high and ultra high vacuum; pumping, gauging, and testing.
Certificate of achievement received.
Project Management, By Designectics, 1988 October,
Project management, team motivation, budget control, scheduling.
Two Continuing Education units awarded.
Accident Investigation Course, By MAPO, 1986 July,
Proper investigation and reporting of industrial accidents.
Certificate of achievement obtained.
Dale Carnegie Training, 1982 August,
Effective Speaking and Human Relations.
Received certificate.
Continued as ‘Graduate Assistant’ for three subsequent courses.
Geometric Drawing & Tolerancing, By Lowell W. Foster, 1981 May,
Three day seminar on datum dimensioning and use of associated signs and symbols on engineering drawings.
Received certificate.
COMPUTER LITERACY
PC Platforms:
- Familiar (at one time) with BIOS setup, as well as config.sys and autoexec.bat files.
- Knowledgeable (at one time) user of Windows (’7, 2003/XP, 2000, NT, ME, ’95 and 3.1) and various accessories.
- Knowledgeable (at one time) user of: DOS (1.25H for the Hyperion, Zenith 3.21, Microsoft 5.01, Microsoft 6.20).
(Experienced (at one time) user of version 2 and 4.) Still conversant with DOS commands.
PC Programming Languages:
- VISUAL C#, for Graphical User Interface design.
- C & C++, with threading, for image processing.
- VISUAL BASIC, including instructing on design of various operator-interfaces.
- BASIC, including having defined and written a printer driver.
- DOS batch programs.
PC Programs:
Fair and current experience using:
- RSLogix 500, (a PLC Programming package).
- Adobe CS5, a painting package.
- Text editors and word processors, including: Open Office (3).
- Outlook, Outlook Express (e-mail).
- Spell Magic.
- Number Crunching packages, including: Open Office (3).
Formerly well versed in:
- Adobe Photoshop (4 & 6), a painting package.
- Text editors and word processors, including: MSWord; Word Perfect (Office 10).
- Virus Protection, including: PC-cillin and AVG.
- Number Crunching packages, including: Microsoft Excel (5.0); Quattro Pro 10.
Moderate experience using:
- PC Setup tools, including BIOS Upgrade utilities and FDisk.
- Alpha 4 (Database management).
- Pegasus (e-mail).
- Visual C++.
- NetScape, Internet Explorer, Firefox (inter-net).
- Network Connections.
- McAfee, F-Prot, Trend Micro / PC-cillin (Virus detection and dis-infection).
- Text editors and word processors, including: PKWARE’s editor for Dos; InScribe; Edlin.
- Number Crunching packages, including: Lotus 123 (2.01), [including advanced techniques of programming].
- Turbocad (3.00), a drawing package.
Other Platforms:
- DVT SmartImage Sensors.
- Allen Bradley PLC-5, SLC, and MicroLogix Programmable Logic Controllers.
- OMRON Small Systems.
- Entertron PLCs.
- Peg-Board programmable lathes.
SOCIAL; Sports, Clubs and Associations:
- Karate: Shotokan style; An activity shared with family members, since 2003, September, currently at the Edmundston NB dojo
of Todokai International.
Black belt [Karate-do rank of Sandan].
- APAplexy: Contributing member, since its launch in 1984.
- OSFS (Ottawa Science Fiction Society): (Lapsed) Member.
- Mensa Canada: (Lapsed) Member
(including former Editor for newsletter covering Ottawa, Kingston and ‘Isolated’ areas of Ontario (1987 September, to 1991 July)).
- Bicycling: Now only as alternative transportation.
Former Activities:
- Volleyball;
Roller Skating;
Swing Bowling;
Fencing.
INDEX:
TOP
EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
EMPLOYMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADDITIONAL COURSES
COMPUTER LITERACY
SOCIAL
KEY WORDS, for the electronic filters
KEY WORDS, to be read by electronic filters
This section is offered as a machine-scanable listing of key words:
Mechanical Engineer, Systems Engineering, Machine Design;
Electrical and Electronics;
Food Processing, Mineral Processing, Material Handling;
PLC, RSLogix, RSLinx, Machine Vision, X-Ray, IR, UV, Area-Scan, Line-Scan.