Miroslav Mitrovic

Areas Miroslav Mitrovic is Knowledgeable in:

Miroslav Mitrovic's Problem Solving Experience:

1. Automated Urine Testing Machine - Manufacturer shipped their machines to a hospital, but they send them back because the machines couldn’t go through their (oversized) doors when assembled. I was brought on board to find a solution. Treys that holding the urine sample containers were sticking out and made overall machine width larger that door opening so I designed foldable trays (input tray and reject tray) that can be folded down with a single pull of a handle underneath and even removed if needed for cleaning. This was an elegant solution that solved the issue and significantly improved the overall machine not just aesthetically.
2. Oil Pump Performance Testing Machine - The Oil Pump Performance Testing Machine is a universal test stand capable of completing performance testing on automotive engine oil and transmission oil pumps. – I won the contract to design a new machine for a new manufacturing facility. The issue was that the machine was in demand 24/7. However, after speaking with the technicians who operate the existing machine made in Austria, I learned that flushing out the oil to thoroughly clean the machine in between oil samples was an 8-hour process. Although the project specs did not mention this issue, but my design addressed it, by putting the oil in a removable cart and specifying that one extra cart be built. This way there’s always a cart available for use with different oil and it can be swapped in a matter of minutes.
3. Locking Pin - A company that is in oil business produces large heavy duty plastic pads that are locked together to form solid continuous surface for use in a variety of military and industrial applications, such as helicopter landing and heavy equipment driving over. Uneven terrain creates a real challenge to insert a locking pin and secure it in place but turning it 90 degrees because it doesn’t pull the pads together. Over the course of 2 years multiple mechanical engineers at multiple companies had failed to find a solution for how to make this pin reliably work for installation in all types of terrain. I solved the puzzle in a matter of days. My solution didn’t even require mold modification which would have been a multi-million dollar expense.
4. Industrial Cleaning Robot - My unique design approach solved an engineering challenge that the company had not be able to solve in 4 previous design attempts. The industrial cleaning robot (track driven) had to fit through an 18” diameter manhole, and than be fully maneuverable once in place. To eloquently bypass 18” limitation while enabling full functionality on the other side of the manhole, my design for the cleaning robot quickly and easily splits into 3 main parts that can go thru a manhole and reassembles using just one bolt.
5. Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum Cabinet - The challenge: Create sheetmetal display cabinet that is water tight, bug proof and at the same time naturally vented! No electric fan and/or valve allowed. Nobody wanted this contract believed it is just not possible to do it. I found a workable solution which was quite genius.
6. Automated Inline Gauge Machine for GM V6 Connecting Rods - Main design challenge was figuring out how to get the connecting rods from the vertical position in which the conveyor brings them to the machine into the horizontal position needed for the inspection. Dedicated footprint for the gauge machine limited use of a robotic arm or similar device for such a task. My solution was to use gravity to lay the connecting rods down using special, but very simple sloped rails that is 100% reliable, very low cost, small footprint and maintenance free.
7. Industrial Cleaning Robot - My unique design approach solved an engineering challenge that the company had not be able to solve in 4 previous design attempts. The industrial cleaning robot had to fit through an 18” diameter manhole, and than be fully maneuverable once in place. To eloquently bypass 18” limitation while enabling full functionality on the other side of the manhole, my design for the cleaning robot quickly and easily splits into 3 main parts that can go thru a manhole and reassembles using just one bolt.
8. Oil Rig Filter Screen Cleaning Machine - Before I was brought in, the company had built a machine prototype for which the screen was clamped with a custom made clamping mechanism and then placed in a chamber that enclosed entire screen. The clamping mechanism posed problems. Each screen is different in terms of size, shape and thickness. I was brought to see if I could improve upon the design. Instead I offered a completely different approach. I avoided the problems that the company was experiencing with their two prototype machines by designing a tower that does not hold the entire screen at once that is appropriately 4’ long. This design doesn’t require clamping mechanism, it doesn’t matter the screen size, it’s shape or thickness, it doesn’t even require wearing the gloves when operate the machine. Machine footprint is significantly reduced, cleaning operation simplified and investors loved it and it is in production since.