Benjamin Thomsen

Techniques Benjamin Thomsen Uses:

Benjamin Thomsen's Problem Solving Skills:

1. Java programming
2. Mechanical CAD (ProE)
3. Labview programming
4. Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio)
5. data analysis, report generation (Diadem)

Benjamin Thomsen's Problem Solving Experience:

1. The development of a low temperature 3D step-motor. We had a concept idea on how to do this, based on an earliere master project. So during my master project and my ½ Ph.D-study together with my supervisor I developed a prototype of a 3D step-motor which could move something like 20mmx20mmx20mm with a resolution in the nanometer range.
2. Due to new refrigerants, the systems needs to sustain a 50% higher pressure, compared to old refregerants. This makes the lifetime on the small thermostatic expansion valves too low. During a six month study together with a project manager, I came up with the idea of exchanging the existing diaphragm with two thinner diaphragms. The stiffness of these two diaphragms is approximately the same as the one, giving the valve the same properties, but the thinner diaphragm, can better take the strain and therefore providing a longer life time.
3. Team member in a Lean Production project in a SMD production. Assisted in increasing the productivity and the capacity of the production by means of production planning, canban storages, walk patterns, work routines etc.
4. A production in China of a variety of products, where the high runners is kept on stock in a warehouse in Denmark with a Leadtime of approximately 10 weeks and only 3 weeks of average sales kept on the stock, gave rise to problems. The warehouse frequently ran out, and on the single product, the production was in huge batches one week, and then 2-3 weeks with no production of the single product.
   
   The problem was of course the mismatch of the 10 weeks lead time with only 3 weeks kept on stock. I came up with a different control system for their production planning. So instead on looking on order points on the stock to control the production, they changed to produce a weekly average and changing sligthly on this weekly production by looking on the stock and in the pipeline (goods on the way on boats).
5. I have build up our test lab of our Electro-Active Polymer actuators for testing leakage current, force-strain curves and the like. This involved setting up the hardware as load-cells, LVDTs, translation stages, DAQ cards and building diverse custom electronics. Then I also developed the control and measurement software in LabView.
6. I have participated in building a variety of demonstrations for our Electro-Active Polymer technology. For Example, Push actuator demo, Pull actuator demo, Valve demo, Diaphragm pump demo, Speaker demo, Sensor scale demo.
7. together with two colleagues, I have developed our first version of our life time test set-up for our Electro-Active Polymer actuators. This envolved the mechanical fixtures and climate chambers, developing the high voltage electronics for excitation and measurements, and the LabView software for the control and data collection and analysis.