Florian Kapsenberg

Principal Structures Engineer

Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area

About

Mechanical Engineer with experience in composite and metallic component/structural design and analysis, project management, experiment design and data analysis, and enjoy working in a multidisciplinary environment. I also have experience in supplier management, system level structural optimization and validation of structural loads in vehicle flight simulations.

Experience

  • Panthalassa (2 yrs 9 mos)
    • Principal Structures Engineer
      Sep 2024 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

      Development of device structural architecture, technical trades, structural analysis.

    • Sr. Structural Engineer
      Nov 2023 - Sep 2024 · 11 mos

  • Astra (3 yrs 9 mos)
    • Sr. Manager & Technical Lead
      Nov 2022 - Nov 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Lead Rocket 4 First Stage architecture development and technical trades: structure, plumbing, manufacturing, sensors, etc.

    • Sr. Staff Mechanical Engineer
      Jan 2022 - Oct 2022 · 10 mos

      Rocket 4 first stage structural architecture development and analysis.

    • Sr. Design Engineer
      Mar 2020 - Dec 2021 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Design, analysis, production support of pressurized and unpressurized rocket structures for high volume manufacturing. Launch operations console operator for first stage.

  • Makani (Alameda, CA)
    • Sr. Airframe Structures Engineer
      Apr 2017 - Mar 2020 · 3 yrs

      Lead development of Makani’s M600 successor airframe with outside vendor through the development of a multi-disciplinary airframe specification, visits with proposed manufacturers, and design reviews. Developed bottoms-up wing designer tool employing lifting line theory to auto-size wing structures for system level trades Handing off production of primary structure to 3rd party vendors including associated support, materials and processing management and quality auditing. Developed detailed specification handbook for the manufacture and assembly of composite structures. Validation and scoring of structural model of the M600 airframe in the simulator using Python. Design, analysis, procurement, validation and integration of metallic and composite structures, both primary and secondary, for airborne wind turbines, also known as "Energy Kites".

    • Airframe Structures Engineer
      Jun 2014 - Apr 2017 · 2 yrs 11 mos

      Responsible for design, analysis, procurement, and integration of metallic and composite structures, both primary and secondary, for airborne wind turbines, also known as "Energy Kites".

  • Design Engineer at Robinson Helicopter Company
    Aug 2013 - Jun 2014 · 11 mos

    • Analysis of existing engineering design/production practices; proposed improvements to management. • Developed a company drawing standard in SolidWorks 2014. • Created extensive CAD library of standard aerospace hardware.

  • Structures Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies
    Jul 2011 - May 2013 · 1 yr 11 mos

    • Responsible for design, analysis and procurement of structural components on Falcon 9 rocket payload fairings. • All designs are in production and have completed several successful flights aboard the Falcon 9 V1.1 rocket. • Development of a method of bonding structural components to large composite structures, reducing assembly time, part count, and cost by more than 50%. • Developed a methodology for analyzing 3D element meshes locally within large 2D element meshes in FEMAP, increasing the validity of the model compared to subscale models while minimizing the impact on analysis time. • Designed a high-pressure pneumatic actuator, quick release mechanism, and various bonded and bolted interfaces. • Reported structural margins and completed load case design and qualification of metallic and composite components. • Created GD&T-based assembly and component level drawings per ASME Y14.5. • Analysis and mitigation of tolerance stackup.