Ajin Prakash

Project 1: Wide Field Optical Spectrograph (WFOS) for TMT.

• Team lead in mechanical design and finite element analysis of optomechanical systems and structural design.
• Communicate with mechanical and systems engineering team at Caltech.
• Cost estimation and budgeting.
• Analyzing and managing project risk.
• Managing reports and necessary documentation.
• Train junior engineers.

Project 2: Santa Cruz Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Studies (SCALES) for W.M. Keck.

• Cryogenic system working at 77 K.
• Design of optomechanical mounts and mechanisms.
• Cost estimation and budgeting.
• Risk analysis and mitigation plan.
• test procedure development.
• Prototype development.
• Vendor management.
• Managing reports and necessary documentation.

Was part of the founding team in this start-up. I was in charge of mechanical design team. Projects taken up are as follows.

• Development of star tracker for small and nano satellites.
• Finite Element Analysis of Schlieren window.
• Structural design and FEA of vacuum chamber for food processing industry.
• Finite element analysis of fiber reinforced polymer structure.
• Mechanical Design of Telescope Pointing System for balloon borne payloads.
• Finite Element Analysis of Hexagonal Mirror for TMT.
• Design of Gantry Crane to lift 16 tonnes load.
• Design of Filament Winding Machine.

Project 1: Lunar Ultraviolet Cosmic Imager (LUCI).

• 80 mm mirror based RC telescope for lunar mission (Tem Indus | Lunar XPrize)
• Complete design including manufacturing drawing preparation and feasibility study.
• Involved until flight model assembly in class 1000 clean room.

Project 2: Prototype Segmented Mirror Telescope (PSMT).

• Preliminary design of segment support assembly and structure for PSMT.
• Design feasibility study.

Project 3: Optomechanical Design of Spectrograph for High Altitude Balloon Experiment.

Project 4: Design of voice coil test bed for TMT.