Stuff

An Introduction to Flexure Design

This paper was written for the 47th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium and serves as a practical introduction to flexure design. It is intended for engineers who may have encountered flexures but aren't yet comfortable designing them. My hope is that it gives you the confidence and tools to begin creating your own. 

Mechanisms and Devices by Douglas Packard

I highly recommend this book. Doug was one of my mentors and one of JPL's most treasured mechanical design engineers. His writing style is conversational and practical, much like the approach I've tried to take here. He packs a tremendous amount of engineering knowledge into this book, much of it drawn from lessons he learned over a 50+ year career of designing spaceflight mechanisms. If you don't already own a copy, it's well worth a look. 

Laser Technology Program at Pasadena City College 

I've been designing opto-mechanical hardware for more than 25 years, but I've always been heavy on the mechanical side and fairly light on the optics side. When I learned about Brian's four-course Laser Technology program, I decided it was time to change that. If you're interested in gaining a practical understanding of optics and optical devices, and you're near Pasadena, CA, I highly recommend the program. I'm not alone—I've heard the same recommendation from many other industry professionals.