Mechanical design.Manufacturing improvements.Aerospace applications.

I’m a senior mechanical engineering student at Florida Atlantic University with hands-on aerospace manufacturing experience. I design fixtures, improve production processes, and lead mechanical design for a seven-person NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge team.

Interested in the design and manufacturing challenges behind space exploration.

Fixture designManufacturing processesMechanical leadership
Kaitlyn Kahrim
Kaitlyn KahrimFlorida Atlantic University
B.S. Mechanical Engineering · Expected May 2027
01 / Selected work

Engineering in practice.

Design decisions. Analysis. Production impact.
Aerospace Technologies Group · Professional

Part-Marking Fixture

A better way to mark parts

Full production day → approximately 20 minutes

Replaced failing manual stamping with a handheld-printer fixture system. I led equipment research, SOLIDWORKS design, prototyping, and validation.

Fixture designSOLIDWORKSProcess improvement
Florida Atlantic University · Spring 2026

Heat Sink Design & Thermal Analysis

Cooler by design

48.7°C lowest modeled peak temperature

Compared three passive heat sink geometries in SOLIDWORKS and ANSYS for a 35W thermal load. Recommended rectangular fins using thermal performance and manufacturability.

ANSYSHeat transferDesign validation
Senior design · Aug 2026–Present

NASA HERC Rover — Mechanical Design

Built for the next challenge

Mechanical Lead · In progress · 2027 challenge

Mechanical lead for a seven-person senior design team selected for NASA’s 2027 Human Exploration Rover Challenge. CAD, design reviews, and deliverables are in progress.

Mechanical leadCADDesign reviews
Aerospace Technologies Group · Professional

Burn-In Support Fixtures

Small fixtures. Safer production.

Approximately 50 holders · Daily production use

Designed and 3D-printed holders to secure finished units during burn-in cycling. Approximately 50 holders support daily use, with 25 units at a time.

3D printingProduction toolingDesign for use

Leadership & Involvement

Engineering is a team effort.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Chapter President

Lead FAU’s 70-member American Society of Mechanical Engineers chapter, coordinating the officer team, speakers, meetings, and chapter events.

Society of Women Engineers

Secretary Former Marketer

Serve as Secretary for SWE at FAU, with prior experience as the chapter’s marketer. Helped revive the chapter through outreach and digital marketing, supporting a growing community of women in engineering.

Tau Beta Pi

Engineering Honor Society

Inducted in Spring 2026. Tau Beta Pi recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character. Academic eligibility includes the top eighth of the junior engineering class or the top fifth of the senior engineering class.

02 / Behind the work

Curious by nature.
Hands-on by choice.

I’m a senior mechanical engineering student at Florida Atlantic University and a manufacturing engineering intern at Aerospace Technologies Group in Boca Raton, Florida.

My work connects analysis with the realities of the production floor: designing fixtures, validating ideas, improving processes, and making solutions easier for people to use.

SOLIDWORKSANSYSMATLAB3D printingRoot cause analysis
From analysis to production

Fixture design · Process validation · Controlled procedures
IPC J-STD-001 Certified IPC Specialist

03 / Let’s connect

Good work starts with a conversation.

Have a project in mind or want to learn more about my work?

Say hello ↗
Project overview