Matched 27.5° dual U-joints cancel speed ripple; the wheel sits 3.5 in closer, 15° more upright than Mk.7.
Mechanical Lead / Olin Electric Motorsports / MechE @ Olin College '28
ArduinoTIG WeldingAutoCADTopology Study
SolidWorksMATLABFEACFD
CNC MillLatheWaterjetCarbon FiberTeam ManagementAI-Assisted Eng
Kefan Wu
I design, build, and test race-car systems, robots, and machined hardware — from load cases to finished parts.
Mechanical Lead
Olin Electric Motorsports
14
Engineering projects
18+
Technical skills
>30
Engineers led
01 / Selected work
Projects
22-lap MATLAB thermal model justified a 25% rotor mass cut at a 3.0 factor of safety.
Designed for 300 km/h — tail-sitter with zero control surfaces; every maneuver from differential thrust.
Composite shoulder-support shell designed for load paths and race-weekend repairability.
Cockpit fit validated across ~20 drivers; six-point harness on dedicated chassis tabs.
Independent front swerve modules for a 300 lb autonomous cart — waterjet, TIG-welded A36 steel.
LiDAR gantry scanner — 2,206 points, under 3% error after calibration.
Perfume-mixing vending machine; gantry and actuators designed, printed, and debugged in 2.5 days.
~$100 STEAM kit — 8th/9th graders build a playable guitar in about 45 minutes.
Walnut/maple body: glued blank, ShopBot CNC, multi-coat finish, working electronics.
Massachusetts Championship winning alliance — cone intake, string-driven lift, mecanum drive.
Surgical-tubing energy storage, adjustable pullback release, laser aiming, 2:1 chain-driven cue pullback.
Controller, drivers, sensors, and power packaged on a palm-size chassis.
Walk the studio
Every project above, as a 3D exhibit in a night-lit room. The resume is on the desk.
02 / Toolchain
Skill matrix
CAD & modeling
- SolidWorks
- AutoCAD
- Topology study
Simulation & analysis
- FEA
- CFD
- MATLAB
CNC & machining
- CNC mill
- Lathe
- Waterjet
Fabrication & composites
- TIG welding
- Carbon fiber
- 3D printing
Electronics & controls
- Arduino
- ESP32
- Embedded sensors
Software & leadership
- AI-assisted engineering (PyFluent, headless CFD)
- Python
- Team management
03 / Formula SAE
Motorsport
Formula SAE Electric
Mk.7 track validation and Mk.8 development
Role
Mechanical Lead
Leading 30+ engineers across suspension, chassis, aero, and drivetrain, while personally owning the brake, steering, and cockpit systems.
- Brake system
- 22-lap thermal model, 25 percent mass reduction, 3.0 factor of safety
- Steering system
- Dual U-joint linkage, yoke phasing, bearing cages
- Cockpit
- Driver sizing, seat support, pedal tray adjustability
Brake rotor
Thermal and structural analysis
Steering
Matched U-joints and chassis packaging
04 / How I contribute
Capabilities
Team management
Subsystem ownership, task breakdown, design reviews, fabrication planning, and cross-team execution.
See: FSAE program →Mechanical architecture
SolidWorks assemblies, exploded views, cockpit packaging, linkage design, and DFM iteration.
See: Mk.8 steering →Fabrication
CNC, lathe, waterjet, 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, wiring, fit checks, and assembly.
See: Telecaster build →Simulation and modeling
MATLAB thermal models, FEA, topology studies, parameter sweeps, and data-backed decisions.
See: FSAE Brake Sim →Controls and integration
Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, stepper drivers, LiDAR, sensors, shielding, and debugging.
See: 3D scanner →05 / Contact
Let's build cool stuff.
Seeking a Summer 2027 mechanical engineering internship — vehicle systems, robotics, or manufacturing. Email me and I'll reply within a day.
