Entegris

Entegris is a global leader in advanced materials science and manufacturing solutions, specializing in high-purity filtration, process-critical components, and contamination control for industries such as semiconductors, life sciences, and aerospace. I worked at the San Luis Obispo facility, which focuses on the design and manufacturing of air purification and gas filtration systems used in high-tech production environments. This facility plays a critical role in ensuring the purity and reliability of materials used in some of the world’s most advanced manufacturing processes, especially the semiconductor industry.

As an engineering intern at Entegris, I tackled diverse engineering challenges, focusing on improving efficiency, safety, and reliability in the manufacturing environment. My work spanned design, fabrication, and implementation, often involving custom solutions for unique production challenges. From developing lifting mechanisms for heavy equipment to optimizing tool organization and CNC machining, I worked on projects that directly impacted technician workflow, safety, and productivity.

At Entegris, technicians faced a major challenge when installing 300 lb electrical panels into cabinets for large machine purifiers. The openings of these cabinets were smaller in both height and width than the electrical panels themselves, meaning any lifting mechanism had to allow for multi-axis pivoting while ensuring precise control. This constraint made traditional lifting solutions impractical, requiring a custom-designed system to maneuver these panels safely and efficiently.

To solve this, I designed a custom lift mechanism using a scissor lift table as the base. Mounted to the scissor lift were heavy-duty industrial-grade cabinet rails, allowing an HSS box tube arm to slide in and out smoothly. To improve control and minimize technician strain, I integrated an electric actuator to extend and retract the arm with the push of a button. This system enabled precise maneuvering within tight spaces, ensuring that panels could be positioned without excessive force or risk of damage.

One of the biggest concerns with lifting such heavy panels was the risk of them falling during operation. To eliminate this risk, I incorporated retractable ratchet straps, allowing technicians to quickly secure the panel in place once it was on the forks. Additionally, I included a secondary tilting actuator that allowed for fine-angle adjustments, ensuring the panel’s top edge could clear the cabinet opening before being pushed into place. I also added a limit switch under the main extension arm to ensure that the cabinet rails were never overextended. The use of actuators and a remote for all primary movement of the panel ensures that the technicians can install the panel safely at a slight distance and avoid injury. This also allows what would have been the job of 3 technicians to be done by only 1 more safely with less damage done to the electrical panel. 

Because Entegris manufactures multiple machine models, each with different-sized electrical panels, the lifting arms needed to be adjustable. I designed custom laser-cut stainless steel forks, capable of adjusting in width to accommodate various panel sizes. These forks were designed to fit directly into pre-existing bolt holes on the bottom of the panels, providing a secure lifting point without the need for additional modifications. I added knobs with through bolts in slots that allowed for the arms to be tightened in any position. In the end, we didn't end up needing to go through the bottom bolt holes, since the ability to tilt the panel voided the clearance problem on the bottom of the cabinet.

A critical aspect of this system was ensuring it was easy to use. To achieve this, I redesigned the control pendant of the scissor lift, rewiring it to also operate the actuator’s forward and backward motion. This meant technicians could control both vertical lifting and precise horizontal extension from a single interface, significantly improving usability. The entire control system was custom-wired, including motor reversal capabilities and a voltage regulator to match system requirements, ensuring smooth and reliable operation. 

To ensure long-term durability and structural integrity, I conducted FEA analysis on all major load-bearing components, including the forks, sliding arms, and actuator mounts. The design was intentionally overbuilt to provide an extra margin of safety. Before completing my internship, I compiled a comprehensive documentation package, including electrical wiring diagrams, part sourcing information, and step-by-step operation instructions. This ensures that technicians and engineers can easily repair or modify the system if needed, maximizing its longevity and usefulness. This machine is now an integral part of the manufacturing process for all machines with large electrical panels.

When I first started working for Entegris, they did not have an effective purifier-vessel cap compression process, leading to inconsistencies, technician fatigue, and safety concerns. The previous methods were manual and imprecise, often resulting in misaligned caps and variable compression forces, which could negatively impact weld integrity and final product quality. My task was to develop a repeatable, ergonomic solution that would ensure consistent alignment and controlled compression for every vessel cap while minimizing strain on technicians. To achieve this, I designed a vertical clamp system using a linear rail, lever mechanism, and custom fixtures, providing a precise and user-friendly compression process that could integrate seamlessly into the production workflow. This Machine has been reliably in use for over a year and has participated in the production of over $35 million worth of products.

A major challenge in designing this system was the need to accommodate multiple vessel sizes and lengths while ensuring precise and secure cap placement. To solve this, I designed stepped compression fingers that allowed for seamless transitions between 3-inch and 4-inch purifiers, ensuring that the cap remained properly aligned and securely compressed. These fingers also featured strategic gaps, allowing technicians to tack weld the cap in place while under compression, ensuring flawless cap positioning before final welding.

To further accommodate different vessel lengths, I implemented an adjustable bottom cup that could move along the system’s primary linear rail, allowing for quick and tool-free height adjustments. This ensured that vessels of varying sizes could be properly positioned, making the system versatile and easy to use across multiple product lines.

It was important that the technicians did not have to manually support the compression arm, which could lead to fatigue and a longer process time to lock the arm each time. To solve this, I integrated a spring-tensioned leveling system that counterbalanced the arm’s weight. This allowed the system to remain at any height it was left at, preventing sudden drops and making repeated operation effortless. 

Additionally, to maintain the parallelism of the cups and eliminate unwanted movement, I designed a spring-loaded backlash prevention system. This mechanism absorbed any slight shifts in the compression system, ensuring that every cap was compressed with absolute consistency, even if the top and bottom of the vessel were not perfectly parallel

The next lifting challenge I tackled with another intern was the installation of heavy gas filtration vessels, weighing 500 lbs, into tight cabinet spaces. Each vessel featured two welded mounting nuts, which we leveraged as lifting points. By designing a custom lifting arm that attached directly to these bolt holes, I eliminated the need for cumbersome lifting straps or secondary supports. This approach ensured direct load transfer, improving stability and ease of alignment during installation.

Rather than designing an entirely new lifting system, we modified a battery-powered electric platform lift truck, with a 750lb weight capacity, ensuring that it could easily handle any vessel size. The original platform was removed, and a custom heavy-duty arm was mounted in its place, utilizing the existing bolt patterns for a secure fit.

To further improve usability, I designed the lifting arm with a pivoting joint, allowing technicians to manually fine-tune the height for precise alignment with the cabinet mounting points. This pivot also served an important safety function—if the vessel was lowered too quickly, instead of being forced onto the ground, the arm would pivot, gently setting the vessel down without applying excess stress. This pivot also allowed the machine to be stored easier by moving the arm into the vertical position.

Since the welded mounting nuts were not perfectly aligned, I designed the lifting arm with captive screws, providing built-in adjustability to compensate for minor misalignment. To ensure the arm’s strength, it was laser-cut from 1-inch thick steel and validated through FEA analysis, confirming that it could handle the load while maintaining rigidity and safety.

It was discovered that technicians at Entegris spent up to 25% of the time wandering around the facility, often just searching for tools, leading to significant inefficiencies in production. To address this, a manufacturing engineer and I implemented a 5S-based tool organization system and developed over 30 standardized toolkits. Each technician received a fully stocked toolbox containing the essential tools required for their work. These toolkits were meticulously assembled to ensure consistency in tool availability across all workstations.

To prevent tool misplacement, we established a color-coded system, assigning a unique color combination to each technician’s toolbox. All tools were marked with corresponding paint or durable tape, ensuring that each tool could be easily traced back to its designated owner. This system improved accountability and drastically reduced time spent searching for misplaced tools.

To further enhance organization, we used the CNC router to create custom foam shadow boards, ensuring every tool had a dedicated, labeled space. These shadow boards were precisely cut using DXF files traced from actual tools, allowing for high repeatability and professional-quality organization. This eliminated clutter and ensured that technicians could quickly identify missing tools at a glance.

We developed a detailed inventory system, tracking tool numbers, vendor information, and storage locations to ensure that every technician had the tools they needed when they needed them. To enhance organization, I used the CNC router to create custom foam shadow boards, precisely cut using DXF files for each tool, ensuring that each item had a designated place.

By implementing these tool organization improvements, we significantly reduced wasted time—which previously accounted for up to 25% of technician downtime. The combination of standardized toolkits, a color-coding system, custom shadow boards, and a digital inventory system resulted in a highly efficient, well-organized workspace, allowing technicians to focus more on production rather than searching for equipment.

As Entegris expanded its manufacturing capabilities, there was an increasing need for in-house CNC machining. I was tasked with sourcing, setting up, and optimizing a CNC router that fit within a specific budget while meeting operational needs. We selected the Shapeoko 5 Pro, a well-built machine capable of handling a variety of machining tasks. I sourced not just the router but also the necessary components, including tables, vacuums, and accessories, to ensure a fully operational setup.

To ensure operator safety and FOD (Foreign Object Debris) prevention, I built a custom Unistrut enclosure around the CNC. This contained chips and debris while protecting both the operator and nearby personnel. Additionally, I designed a custom control panel, integrating switches for vacuum systems, machine power, lights, and forced-air cooling. To make the system as intuitive as possible, I used a Microsoft Surface tablet as the interface, creating a touchscreen-based control system that made the operation straightforward for any technician.

The stock Shapeoko router came with a standard hand router, which was underpowered and not designed for long machining operations. To significantly enhance its capabilities, I upgraded to a water-cooled brushless spindle and a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive). This allowed for continuous operation at controlled speeds, expanding the machine’s ability to handle aluminum and even stainless steel. I had to program the VFD to accept G-code commands, ensuring that the spindle automatically turned on and off during machining, eliminating the risk of operator error.

Since an air compressor wasn’t available, I designed an alternative cooling system using an aquarium air pump. This provided a continuous forced-air stream, effectively clearing chips from the cutting area and improving tool life and cut quality. This system was particularly beneficial for machining aluminum and stainless steel, where chip evacuation is critical to prevent tool breakage and overheating.  I also integrated a quiet shop vac into the system to evacuate dust when cutting wood and foam applications  

To ensure that the CNC could be used long after my internship, I created a detailed documentation package covering everything from machine setup to advanced troubleshooting. The documentation outlined step-by-step setup procedures, wiring diagrams, and VFD programming instructions. I included a full troubleshooting section that summarized every issue I had encountered and how to fix it, preventing future users from having to dig through forums or experiment blindly. Additionally, I provided machining advice for aluminum and stainless steel, detailing the best feeds, speeds, and tool selection. The CNC was used extensively during my time at Entegris, machining over 100 foam drawers per day and handling a variety of metal and composite materials with ease. The system remains in use today, thanks to its intuitive design and well-documented setup.