BAJA Off-Road

    • Design a suspension system for a completely new frame based on SAE regulation.

    • Develop a modular, parametric assembly.

    • Optimize for manufacturability and efficiency and generate detailed, itemized bills of materials to enhance production workflow.

  • Head of Brakes, Suspension, and Steering Systems – Led the design and development of high-performance vehicle subsystems, delegating tasks across the team and ensuring design integrity through FEA verification. Coordinated with manufacturing experts to implement Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles.

  • October 2024-May 2025

    • Onshape Enterprise

    • Computer-aided Manufacturing for 3-axis milling

    • Finite element analysis

    • Fusion 360

    • Frame tooling

    • Sheet metal manufacturing

    • Metalworking

    • Siemens NX Generative Design

  • Engineered a fully parametric off-road racing vehicle assembly, enabling real-time animation and automatic recalculations of suspension and steering geometry based on toe, camber, and compression variables. Successfully led the front hub carrier design, a component machined with precision 3-axis HAAS milling to withstand upwards of 4kN of force while holding the front wheels and allowing for high-range at high speeds. Led cost-saving initiatives, cutting $3,000 in expenses by optimizing manufacturability and fabricating parts in-house with CNC tooling.

Design Process

Originally, BU BAJA used drawings to coordinate frame and suspension geometry. I redesigned all Brake, Suspension, and Steering systems to be fully parametric and modular within a master assembly. This enabled fit testing before manufacturing, saving time and resources.Additionally, the master assembly generated a fully automated bill of materials, streamlining production.

2024

Season 

2025

Season + my design

Parametric design is crucial for rapid development and protyping. In the rear upper control arm, I designed the system so that inputting a camber angle automatically adjusts the length and angle to maintain proper alignment with the frame members. These parameters are then used for manufacturing of the component.

Rear

Steering

Front

Hub Carrier project

The team previously used a MacPherson strut, a design suited for highway driving but suboptimal for off-road performance. To transition to a more capable double wishbone system, I led the design and CNC milling of custom hub carriers compatible with our existing axle geometry, enabling improved handling and durability.

MacPherson suspension system

left-click/use 2 fingers to Interact with the carrier

During the initial design phase, structural finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted to ensure the part could withstand a reasonable load case of 5 kN. The final component achieves a safety factor of 4. Results were cross-validated using both ANSYS and SolidWorks.

3D prints were used for initial fit verification to ensure the final CAM is accurate.

CAM was completed in HSMWorks, with operations split into multiple phases to preserve a large rectangular section for initial fixturing, eliminating need for custom clamps. Toolpaths were validated against actual tool dimensions to ensure precision—particularly in the final bore, which requires an interference fit with the bearing.

Outcome

Two custom hub carriers were successfully milled and integrated into the vehicle. The parts achieved ±0.005" overall tolerance, with ±0.001" precision achieved on the bearing bore to meet tight interference fit requirements.