About Cometeer

Cometeer is revolutionizing the coffee industry by bringing specialty coffee to the average consumer by freezing perfected coffee extract at -321F. The frozen extract is then shipped direct to consumer over dry ice and is easily enjoyed by just adding hot water.

What I did at Cometeer

In the fall of 2021, I worked at Cometeer as a hardware engineering coop helping build out their first commercial-scale production line. I helped diagnose and design solutions for various problems at all levels around the facility. I used a wide variety of hands on and design skills to engineer solutions for production managers, other engineers, and the quality assurance team.

Projects at Cometeer

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Updated X-ray Rejecter

I designed and manufactured a drop-in solution to replace the single air jet rejecter system that was purchased along with the x-ray inspection machine.

The line manager requested the ability to reject product for two different reasons and have the rejects not be mixed. It was decided that modifying the current rejecter would be more efficient for space and cost then buying a second unit. To modify the rejecter, I designed a new upper half that included two solenoids for individual control while maintaining the need for only one air prep system. The individually controllable nozzles allowed the rejected product to be split into two bins reducing lost product and work for QA.

Skills:

SolidWorks sheet metal
Pneumatic components and design
Automation integration
Working with production teams on project objectives

Challenges:

Integration into existing systems
Working around production schedules

FIBC Liners

I worked with multiple manufacturers to design and produce liners for use with FIBCs during long term coffee storage. I trialed multiple designs and materials for optimal performance, price, and usability. The project concluded with an ongoing relationship with the selected manufacturer as they provided a superior product for 20% of the price of the originally quoted liner.

Skills:

Seeking out and creating relationships with vendors
Trialing possible solutions and iterating designs
Working with the supply chain manager to set up an order process

Challenges:

Working with multiple departments within Cometeer
Learning how companies approve purchases and manage purchase orders
Working to qualify the requirements of a project to reduce internal confusion and improve clarity with vendors

Other Projects at Cometeer

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Filter Cart

I designed and sent out for manufacturing a cart to be used in the coffee extraction process. The design utilized sheet metal and weldments. I also created all of the drawings for the design that were sent to the manufacturer. The cart arrived the day after my coop ended so I was not able to get any photos of it before or after its assembly.

Compressed Air System P&ID

I was tasked with tracing all of the compressed air in the production facility. I worked to trace and document all of the compressed air system from the compressor room to all of the drop locations throughout the entire facility. I also did some initial testing to determine the faculties compressed air usage and determined that it was a non-issue.

Fiber Laser Enclosure

Another coop and I were given CAD from another engineer to complete for a fiber laser enclosure. We were also tasked with making drawings to be sent to manufacturers. We decided that it would be most effective to redo the CAD and make drawings from our new CAD.

Safety System Install

I designed an updated mounting bracket using SolidWorks sheet metal and got it manufactured. I then installed the whole safety systems including the bracket I had designed.

Temperature Sensor Modifications

One of the packaging engineers was having problems with her sensors failing during testing. This is because the batteries in the sensor were getting cold enough to not supply enough voltage. I modified eight of her sensors, moving the battery to an external holder allowing it to be stored outside the dry ice insulation.

Tray Packer Troubleshooting

I worked with one of the packaging engineers to design an improved push plate for the production line one tray packing machine. This testing proved that the solution currently being perused needed a significant rework.

Tray Packer Troubleshooting

Accumulation Solution

I designed two iterations of a solution for accumulating boxes in the event of the case packer robot arm failing during a production run. I did not get a chance to build my solution.

Accumulation Solution