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John Francis
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Projects

From CAD to finished hardware — flight hardware, mechanisms, analysis, CNC machining, welding, and casting. Open any project for the full write-up and photos.

Assembled 3D-printed four-bar beam engine with green links and piston
Design · Build

Beam Engine | Control Arms & TPU Piston

ME 478 four-bar beam engine (four-person team) · my control arms and TPU piston.

Integrated ACS CAD and as-built hardware
Design · Build · Test

Notre Dame Rocketry | ACS | NASA USLI

Apogee Control System flaps — stopped within 5 ft of predicted apogee.

CAD payload design cutaway for NASA USLI
Design · Analysis

UAB Rocketry Club | Payload | NASA USLI

Founded UAB’s first USLI team · payload, TPU nose cone, CFD.

ANSYS plot of an aluminum billet barreling between steel dies
Analysis

FEA Forging Simulation | ANSYS

Showed that die friction drives barreling in a forged billet.

G650 cabin CAD render
Design

Flexjet Project LXi

G650 cabin — designed in CAD, then rendered (not AI).

HDPE Earth Moon Mars fidget spinner
Design · Build

Earth / Moon / Mars spinner

SolidWorks → Haas CNC → hand-finished HDPE.

Square wood block with branded figure logo
Build

Custom branding iron

Designed, welded, forged, and used on wood.

Apollo-inspired aluminum casting
Build

Apollo aluminum casting

Cardboard prototype → mold → cast aluminum.

Finished welded metal N emblem trophy
Build

Welded trophy

Cardboard mockup → steel → weld / grind.

© John Francis