# Matthew Eggers > Mechanical Engineering Location: Napa, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/mattheweggers Engineering is my career, hobby, and passion. My work spans the full product lifecycle, from CAD and FEA to PCB design, DFM, hands-on fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Past highlights include designing specialized tools for aerospace companies, co-founding a startup that built a rollercoaster for a 30M-view Mark Rober video, and building a 4-axis robotic camera system from scratch, just for fun. My journey has spanned diverse industries, from startups to giants like Tesla, Boeing, and NASA. I have a mechanical engineering degree from Cal Poly SLO and a machining trade degree, so I'm just as comfortable on the shop floor as I am behind a screen. I'm always looking to take on new challenges in Mechanical or Product Design Engineering roles. Feel free to check out my work at mattheweggersportfolio.com. ## Work Experience ### Manufacturing Engineer (Tool Design) @ Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero) Jan 2025 – Present | San Luis Obispo, CA I design and own production-ready tooling and fixtures end-to-end, from identifying problems on the production floor all the way through to released, manufacturable solutions. • Design and release production-ready fixtures end-to-end, owning the full process from initial concept and DFM through tolerance optimization and technical drawing release • Apply root cause analysis and formal design reviews to drive fixture quality, resulting in a significant reduction in localized assembly non-conformances • Dramatically improved rapid prototyping throughput and lead times by voluntarily taking ownership and increasing efficiency of 3D print operations • Serve as the engineering point person across multiple value streams to ensure production runs smoothly and efficiently ### Engineering Intern @ Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero) Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | San Luis Obispo, CA Came in as an intern, left with a full-time offer and a promotion in 7 months. • Designed production fixtures and manufacturing aids in SolidWorks PDM • Built a facility-wide tool tracking system in Excel with VBA scripting to enable future sourcing and standardization • Led a full 6S shadow board initiative for primary value stream assembly lines from concept to implementation, including make-vs-buy analysis, capital equipment justification, hand tool standardization, SolidWorks board design, machining fixture design, CNC machining, and documentation ### Co-Founder - Technical Director @ Magictecture Jan 2022 – Present I co-founded a rollercoaster startup and serve as the technical lead, turning wild ride concepts into engineered, buildable reality under tight deadlines and tighter budgets. • Led a team to design and build a functional 14,000W, 20-mph stunt coaster and modular track in 4 weeks for a 30M-view Mark Rober video. • Engineer self-contained ride vehicles featuring custom lithium-ion battery banks, remote activation safety interfaces, and onboard braking systems. • Built internal calculation tools for launch distances, motor torque, gear ratios, and rail geometry to rapidly customize builds for each client. • Architect conceptual ride systems including pivoting platforms, high-angle lifts, and turntables, producing CAD models, 3D renders, and cost estimates for investor and client presentations. • Worked on directing full production operations including rapid sourcing, BOMs, warehouse planning, and vendor coordination under extreme deadlines. ### Project Lead: Electrical Design/Installation and Metal Manufacturing @ Magictecture Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Napa, CA Managed the end-to-end metal manufacturing and electrical design for one of the most advanced backyard roller coasters ever built, successfully integrating complex mechatronics into a 1,000-foot track. • Oversaw the design and installation of all electrical systems, including a central PLC control panel, an interactive animatronic, an IR laser target system, and a 1.2G pneumatic launch. • Designed and implemented a comprehensive safety system utilizing over 30 sensor and solenoid modules to guarantee reliable, failsafe operation by opening day. • Directed a 3-person fabrication team to manufacture nearly 1,000 feet of track, custom ride vehicles, and all metal mechanical components within a strict 2-month timeline. • Managed cross-functional workflows, coordinating two teams totaling 9 personnel across simultaneous engineering and fabrication workstreams. ### Animatronic Designer @ Magictecture Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | Napa, CA Independently designed, fabricated, and automated a full animatronic Yeti for a 400-foot Matterhorn-inspired backyard roller coaster, bringing a mechanical character to life as part of a mid-ride theatrical encounter. • Designed and 3D printed the complete internal mechanical structure for the character's head and torso using Fusion 360. • Engineered a custom omnidirectional hinge mechanism utilizing precision servos to enable lifelike, multi-axis head articulation. • Automated heavy-payload torso pivoting using CNC machine ball screws and linear actuators, programming all motion sequences and sound cues in C++ via an Arduino microcontroller. • Collaborated with makeup and scenic artists to integrate the robotic chassis with the character's exterior for a reliable mid-ride performance. ### Engineering Intern (Extended) @ Entegris Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | San Luis Obispo, CA Tackled open-ended engineering challenges at a global semiconductor materials manufacturer, delivering custom-designed tools and systems that are still in active use today. • Designed and FEA-validated a multi-axis electrical panel lift featuring electric actuators, adjustable laser-cut stainless forks, and a custom control pendant, establishing a new facility standard for the safe, single-technician installation of 300lb panels. • Engineered an advanced vessel clamping mechanism with a spring-tensioned counterbalance arm, multi-size stepped compression fingers, and a backlash prevention system, directly supporting the production of over $70M of product to date. • Built a compact, 500lb-capacity gas vessel lifter by modifying a battery-powered platform truck with a custom, FEA-validated pivoting arm, enabling single-technician operation in confined cabinet spaces. • Sourced, commissioned, and optimized a CNC router for in-house fabrication, upgrading the system with a water-cooled spindle, VFD G-code integration, and a custom safety enclosure to reliably produce 100+ shadow boards per day. • Co-led a facility-wide 5S initiative, creating 30+ standardized technician toolkits complete with CNC-machined foam shadow boards and digital inventory tracking, reclaiming up to 25% of technician time previously lost to tool-searching. ### Equipment Engineering Intern @ Tesla Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | Fremont, CA Applied mechanical design and failure analysis within Tesla's Battery Manufacturing Engineering team, engineering hardware and predictive solutions to optimize high-volume assembly lines. • Conducted FEA and root cause analysis on a failing conveyor pulley shaft, redesigning mechanical tensioning specifications and maintenance protocols to eliminate a high-frequency line stoppage. • Designed and 3D-printed a custom condition monitoring prototype using a Raspberry Pi and accelerometers, validating a predictive maintenance initiative with significant potential to reduce unplanned downtime costs at scale. • Evaluated prototype scalability and managed the transition to a commercial vendor, overseeing CAD file sharing, NDA negotiations, and hardware integration for the final enterprise deployment. • Overhauled critical manufacturing work instructions by generating detailed CAD diagrams and visual aids, improving mechanical clarity and minimizing operator error on the production floor. ### 3D Product Designer Prototype Developer @ Clean-Clip Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | Napa, CA Recruited by a hardware startup holding 6 patents to serve as contract Lead 3D Designer, tasked with transforming their raw mechanical concepts into a stylized, ergonomic flagship consumer product prior to global manufacturing. • Led the mechanical CAD design for a new flagship fingernail clipper, seamlessly integrating patented hinge and shell mechanisms into a clean, consumer-ready form factor. • Developed and iterated multiple product variants and aesthetic styles through rapid 3D modeling, targeting the optimal balance of premium user ergonomics and functional performance. • Applied rigorous DFM principles to all prototypes, ensuring the final product achieves aesthetic perfection while actively driving down mass-production and assembly costs. • Bridged the gap between intellectual property and physical production, translating complex mechanical patents into highly manufacturable, market-ready consumer hardware. ### Prototype Developer @ Self Employed Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 Contracted for a rapid prototyping request that expanded into a full product development cycle, engineering a novel 4-way equestrian jump cup from concept to a manufacturing-ready deliverable. • Identified existing jump cup design limitations (reliance on gravity, single-side support) and engineered a two-piece clamping system accommodating post-size variations of nearly half an inch. • Designed a custom ratcheting quick-adjust mechanism requiring only 50 degrees of rotation for full clamping, eliminating standard thumb screws and enabling seamless one-handed operation. • Applied rigorous DFM and human factors principles to develop a two-piece assembly with no loose knobs or removable components, optimized for intuitive use by someone with zero prior knowledge of the product. • Fully optimized the design for injection molding with zero secondary operations, significantly reducing part count and production costs. • Validated structural integrity via FEA on the selected injection-moldable polymer, ensuring durability against repeated high-impact horse strikes and long-term UV exposure. • Delivered a comprehensive package, including functional 3D-printed prototypes, finalized CAD models, engineering drawings, and sourced vendor quotes for scaled production. ### Data Input Analyst @ Napa Valley Limited Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | Napa County, CA ## Education ### Bachelor of Engineering - BE in Mechanical Engineering California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ### Mechanical Engineering - A.S. in Machining Napa Valley College ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/matthew-eggers - Website: https://www.mattheweggersportfolio.com/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/mattheweggers JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/mattheweggers/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05