3D Printing & Prototyping Engineer / Test Engineer
Summary
3D Printing & Prototyping Engineer with 2+ years of combined experience in designing and engineering products, CAD, R&D, rapid prototyping, components design, CMF, industrial design, small-scale manufacturing design, testing, optimization and validation, built on 10+ years of hands-on experience in CAD, prototyping, and 3D printing (FDM, SLA, MSLA, SLS, SLM, MJF, BJT, PolyJet) as a Maker.
Experienced in designing production-ready models in Autodesk Fusion and Shapr3D). Advanced expertise in designing, testing, validating, and optimizing a semi-automated, small-scale manufacturing using 3D printer farms (Bambu Lab, Prusa). Experience designing custom jigs, fixtures, assembly instructions, and assembly tooling for easy, repeatable, and scalable production.
Experienced in continuous improvement by stress- and structural-testing, quality validation, verifying dimensional consistency and tolerances of the of 3D-printed parts, as well as finding where the design and manufacturing process could fail, tracing failures back to what caused them, correcting the design, print parameters, and processes to improve reliability and quality. Skilled in testing 3D printed parts across different settings and parameters to find which produced the strongest, most accurate results. Experience working with different material types for additive manufacturing, and knowing their best applications based on physical, mechanical, and chemical properties.
Experienced in maintaining an organized, safety-conscious workspace with proper PPE use, labeled storage, clean equipment, materials and supplies inventory. Expert in 3D printer job setup, 3D printer maintenance, farm setup, parts versioning and tracing, slicer parameter adjustments, optimization, troubleshooting, and various post-processing techniques (sanding, tapping, heat-set inserts, support removal, curing, surface finishing, etc). Skilled in 3rd party materials, parts and components sourcing, getting quotes from vendors, tracking orders, and inspecting delivered parts.
Hands-on with the electronics and hardware: assembling and customizing 3D printers (replacing motors, wiring, PSU, mainboard, nozzles, thermistors, tuning motor drivers), soldering Raspberry Pi HATs and PCB assemblies, and designing and building Wemos D1 Mini, ESP32, and ESP8266-based sensors and IoT devices, designing and flashing firmware. Experienced across various fabrication and hands-on prototyping methods including working with X-Carve CNC machines, woodworking, resin casting, clay modeling, clay casting, sculpting, injection molding tooling, metal sheet bending, and laser cutting for small-scale production and rapid prototyping.
Senior Test Engineer with 4+ years of combined experience in hardware, software, and firmware testing across mobile devices, GPS navigators, VoIP devices, headsets, and consumer electronics. Experienced in DFU and FOTA validation, test case and test plan development, root cause and failure mode analysis, and defect reporting.
Additional background in consumer electronics, automotive platforms, and robotics hardware (HARMAN, Samsung, Neato Robotics).
At Neato Robotics, I collaborated closely with engineers to understand sensor integrations (LiDAR, bump sensors, cliff sensors), robot states machine, firmware, and hardware design constraints for autonomous vacuum robots. Gained understanding of SLAM navigation, robotics hardware, and manufacturing processes. Designed and 3D printed robot accessory and part prototypes for future product concepts.
At HARMAN (a Samsung Company), I tested software, hardware, DFU, and FOTA updates for Vertu, Nokia, HTC and other mobile devices. After fully pivoting into UX design role, designed and tested digital and physical interaction experiences for L3/L4/L5 autonomous electric vehicles, connected car devices and consumer electronics. Designed and 3D printed physical in-vehicle controls for demo cars, including rotary controls, and prototyped haptic feedback systems.
Senior UX Designer with 12+ years of experience leading end-to-end digital and physical UX (3D printed prototypes) and product design across automotive, AI, enterprise SaaS, robotics, mobile and web domains. Now pivoting to hands-on product engineering, 3D printing, and prototyping in robotics, automotive and health-tech domains. Always worked at the intersection of UX design, engineering, hardware and testing. Design QA was always part of my work as a UX designer, essentially System, Unit and Functional Testing in a design context.
Highlights
✦ Co-led product design. Led product development, engineering and components design. Designed, tested, validated, and optimized small-scale manufacturing using FDM 3D printing, and shipped water dispensing system for Elequatico, commercial product now available on Etsy, Amazon, Shopify storefronts.
✦ Designed digital (HMI, IVI) and physical human-machine interaction experiences for L3, L4, and L5 autonomous electric vehicles, showcased at CES Las Vegas, Geneva Motor Show, Shanghai Auto Show, and Detroit Auto Show.
✦ Discovered a critical security vulnerability where phone credentials (MDN number) were transmitted unencrypted during the client–server handshake, potentially exposing users of CDMA phones to misuse of credentials, relinking device to another account, account takeover, device cloning, carrier billing fraud/cramming, and premium SMS fraud. Detected the issue in the production environment after update rollout, initiated immediate update recall and patching before any fraud occurred.
✦ Published functional design models on Printables.com with more than 450 downloads.
Work Experience
Maker / 3D Printing & Prototyping Engineer
Personal Hobby • 10/2015 – Present
• 10+ years of hands-on experience with 3D printing, CAD, and various fabrication and prototyping methods. Experience with FDM, SLA, MSLA, SLS, SLM, MJF, BJT, PolyJet printers.
• Created production-ready models using Autodesk Fusion and Shapr3D CAD software.
• Assembled and customized FDM 3D printers (Prusa MK3S+, Anet A8) including replacing motors, wiring, PSU, mainboard, build plates, nozzles, heatsinks, thermistors, and tuned motor drivers using voltmeter.
• Designed and built Wemos D1 Mini, ESP32, and ESP8266-based sensors for Home Assistant system running on Raspberry Pi, soldered components, wrote and flashed firmware.
• Soldered Raspberry Pi HATs and PCB assemblies for electromechanical and electronic projects. Experience with breadboards, circuit design, and electronics troubleshooting. Built electromechanical projects integrating custom 3D-printed parts, gears, Bluetooth speakers, PCBs, soldering, and electronics assembly.
• Applied various fabrication and hands-on prototyping methods including working with X-Carve CNC machines, woodworking, resin casting, clay modeling, clay casting, sculpting, injection molding tooling, metal sheet bending, and laser cutting for small-scale production and rapid prototyping.
• Managed materials and supplies inventory. Sourced materials, parts, and components from vendors, obtained quotes, tracked orders, and inspected delivered parts. Experience working with different material types for additive manufacturing, and knowing their best applications based on physical, mechanical, and chemical properties
• Performed 3D printer job setup, 3D printer maintenance, farm setup, slicer parameter adjustments, optimization, troubleshooting, and various post-processing techniques (sanding, tapping, heat-set inserts, support removal, curing, surface finishing, etc).
• Maintained an organized, safety-conscious workspace with labeled storage, proper materials handling, proper PPE use, and clean equipment.
• Produced digital art, generative art, digital and analog VFX, animations.
• Designed 3D printable art models using 3D modeling tools (Blender, Nomad Sculpt).
• Designed and manufactured 3D-printable educational board games, and other functional products.
• Published free 3D printable models on Printables.com with 450+ downloads.
3D Printing & Prototyping Engineer
Independent Project • San Jose, CA • 10/2023 - 12/2024
• Co-led product design. Led product development engineering, prototyping, components design, CMF, testing, and validating. Shipped final water dispensing system for Elequatico, commercial product now available on Etsy, Amazon, Shopify storefronts.
• Designed, tested, validated, and optimized a semi-automated small-scale manufacturing workflow for 3D-printed and CNC-machined parts, including custom jigs, fixtures, and assembly tooling for repeatable, scalable production.
• Created production-ready models using Autodesk Fusion and Shapr3D CAD software. Optimized CAD models, collaborated with remote manufacturing engineers to ensure printability, parts quality and tracking.
• Performed continuous structural testing, stress testing, and visual quality validation of 3D-printed parts to ensure manufacturing reliability. Found where the design and manufacturing process could fail, documented the risks, and fixed them to improve product reliability.
• Performed studies to verify 3D printed parts dimensional consistency and tolerances.
• Operated and maintained a small-scale FDM 3D printer farm (Bambu Lab, Prusa). Performed 3D printer job setup, 3D printer maintenance, farm setup, slicer parameter adjustments, optimization, troubleshooting, and parts post-processing.
• Managed materials and supplies inventory. Sourced materials, parts, and components from vendors, obtained quotes, tracked orders, and inspected delivered parts. Experience working with different material types for additive manufacturing, and knowing their best applications based on physical, mechanical, and chemical properties
• Maintained an organized workspace with labeled storage, proper materials handling, proper PPE use, and clean equipment.
• Applied various fabrication and hands-on prototyping methods including working with X-Carve CNC machines, woodworking, resin casting, injection molding tooling, metal sheet bending, and laser cutting for small-scale production and rapid prototyping. Experience with FDM, SLA, MSLA, SLS, SLM, MJF, BJT, PolyJet printers.
Other Work Experience
Senior UX Designer
Independent Personal Projects • San Jose, CA • 02/2025 - Present
• Utilized AI-assisted design workflows, rapid prototyping, and emerging tools to explore innovative interaction models and deliver user-centered product experiences (Figma Make, Claude Code, Claude Design).
• Implemented front-end and back-end for responsive websites from my own architecture (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) using AI coding tools to accelerate build speed while owning all architectural decisions, reviewing, rewriting, and refining generated code for structure, performance, accessibility, and maintainability.
• Architected and built application logic in Python, defining the structure, data handling, and component organization myself before implementation.
Co-Founder / Lead UX Designer
Stealth Startup • San Jose, CA • 06/2023 - 02/2025
• Co-founded cross-platform, multi-user, AI-powered storytelling and educational apps for Pre-K children and their parents. Co-led competitor analysis, product management, planning, positioning, and roadmap.
• Designed UX around multi-modal generative AI models. Architected, tested and built reliable AI workflow: prompt engineering, Python scripts for automated assets (image, text, voice) generation via APIs, multi-layered safety architecture for children's content.
• Co-led data architecture, data base design, and backend setup on Google Firebase and Functions.
• Built key screens in Swift for iOS. Gained the knowledge and expertise in Xcode, Swift, and the iOS app development lifecycle. Customized Squarespace template for the marketing website with custom HTML/CSS. Tested MVP ready Apple TestFlight app builds.
• Led end-to-end product design, UX, information architecture, wireframes, illustrations, user flows, animations, and brand identity. Delivered interactive Figma and Swift prototypes. Rapid prototyping, AI-assisted ideation.
Senior User Experience Design Specialist
SAP SuccessFactors • Palo Alto, CA • 01/2022 - 06/2024
• Design QA, testing, and validation initiatives for enterprise learning platform (LMS) used by millions globally.
Senior UX Designer
Neato Robotics • San Jose, CA • 08/2021 - 01/2022
• Designed and tested robot behavior patterns and human-robot interaction UX patterns, including LED patterns and audible alerts, reduced support tickets by 38%, and increased user satisfaction by 70% in 6 months.
• Gained understanding of robot states machine, SLAM navigation, sensor integration: LiDAR, bump sensors, cliff sensors, and etc.
• Designed and 3D printed robot accessory and part prototypes for future product concepts.
• Collaborated with engineers to understand hardware and firmware design constraints for autonomous vacuum robots.
Senior Designer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Mountain View, CA • 10/2015 - 11/2020
• Designed, tested, and validated digital (HMI, IVI) and physical user experiences for L3, L4 and L5 autonomous electric vehicles, showcased at CES Las Vegas, Geneva Motor Show, Shanghai Auto Show, and Detroit Auto Show.
• Designed, 3D printed, tested, and validated physical UX interaction patterns and prototypes for in-vehicle controls including rotary controls, displays, haptic feedback systems and "force field" projection controls using SoftKinetics and Ultrahaptics devices.
• Gained hands-on understanding of CAN tools and IMU Calibration for connected car products.
• Gained exposure to medical device product development and testing while working on Proteus Digital Health digital pill platform, including familiarity with HIPAA compliance requirements and medical device user workflows.
• Worked on physical UX and interaction patterns for portable Bluetooth speakers, connected car devices, and IoT devices.
Senior Designer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Nizhny Novgorod • 04/2015 - 10/2015
• Design QA, testing, and validation initiatives for mobile operating systems, automotive IVIs and HMIs, enterprise and consumer apps.
Senior Test Engineer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Nizhny Novgorod • 03/2013 - 04/2015
• Tested mobile device connectivity, software, firmware, and hardware for Android-based mobile devices including Vertu, Nokia, HTC, and other OEM devices.
• Performed DFU (Device Firmware Update) and FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) testing and validation.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for mobile applications and hardware.
• Executed test cases in compliance with requirements and documented defects.
• Conducted failure mode analysis on mobile device hardware issues, identified patterns in defect data.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Developed testing process documentation and organized training for other employees.
• Reviewed design specifications and requirements from customers.
• Worked with development teams and customers to clarify design questions and ensure application functionality met requirements.
Test Engineer
MERA (Orion Software) • Nizhny Novgorod • 01/2013 - 03/2013
• Performed firmware and hardware testing for stationary IP telephony devices, USB headsets, and DFU Tools for Avaya, Cisco and Jabra.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for software, firmware, and hardware.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Analyzed test data and metrics to identify failure patterns and improve product quality.
• Collaborated with software, firmware and hardware engineering teams to resolve defects and implement corrective actions.
Information Technology Engineer
MERA (Orion Software) • Nizhny Novgorod • 10/2011 - 01/2013
• Tested software and hardware for GPS navigation systems for TCS, Telefonica O2, Verizon, and others.
• Used testing tools including SecureCRT, PUTTY, SQLdeveloper, software emulators (Android, RIM BlackBerry, QNX, BREW), hardware emulators (CDMA box, Faraday cage), SDK (Android, Samsung, QNX, BREW).
• Optimized server-side testing procedures for VZ Navigator's 3D Cities feature, reducing testing lead times by 55%, improving accuracy through systematic variation of test parameters and statistical validation of results.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for mobile applications and hardware.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Designed and executed experiments to validate test procedures and establish pass/fail thresholds for hardware validation, improving test reliability and reducing false failures.
• Analyzed test data and metrics to identify failure patterns and improve product quality.
• Developed testing process documentation and organized training for other employees.
• Collaborated with software, firmware and hardware engineering teams to resolve defects and implement corrective actions.
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Graphics
Lobachevsky N.I. State University of Nizhny Novgorod • 2011 - 2012 (partial completion, 1 semester)
Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics • Mathematical Software and Supercomputer Technology
Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology
Lobachevsky N.I. State University of Nizhny Novgorod • 2006 - 2010
Radiophysics • Hardware and Software Tools for Information Systems and Information Security
Certifications and Courses
Unity Essentials
Python for Everybody
Rapid Prototyping Using 3D Printing
IELTS General Training
IELTS Official • 8.0 Overall Band Score, CEFR Level: C1 • 04/2019
Patents
US Utility Patent, Application #63/680,853
Patent Pending • 2024
US Utility Patent, Application #63/651,164
Patent Pending • 2024
US Design Patent, US-D875106-S
Fiat Companion App and OnStage Pass UX • 2020
Skills and Tools
CAD: Autodesk Fusion (Sketches, Constraints, Solid, Sheet Metal, Mesh, Form, Components, Assemblies, Joints, Parameters), Shapr3D, Perspective Drawings, Cross-sectional Drawings, Assembly Drawings, Technical Drawings, Basic GD&T Symbols.
3D Printing: FDM/SLA/MSLA/SLS/SLM/MJF/BJT 3D Printing, Slicers (Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, UltiMaker Cura), 3D Printers (Bambu Lab A1, Bambu Lab A1 Mini, Bambu Lab X1C, Prusa MK3S+, Elegoo Mars 2 Pro), 3D-printer Farm Management.
Manufacturing: Additive Manufacturing, Small-Scale Manufacturing, Desktop CNC Machining (Carvera X-Carve), Design for Manufacturing, CMF (Color, Material, Finish), Manufacturing Process Design, Slicing and Print Setup, Post-Processing Techniques (Sanding, Tapping, Heat-set Inserts, Support Removal, Washing, UV Curing, Finishing), Production KPI Tracking, Dimensional and Tolerance Checking, Parts Inspection, Quality Inspection, Visual Inspection, Assembly Tools Design, Assembly Instructions Design, Materials Inventory, Storage Organization, Sourcing Parts from Vendors, Quotes, BOM, Per-Part Cost Analysis.
Fabrication and Prototyping: R&D, Rapid Prototyping, Soldering, Breadboard Prototyping, PCB Assembly, Jigs and Fixtures Design, Resin Casting, Clay Casting, Sculpting, Woodworking, Metal Sheet Bending, Laser Cutting, Foam Core, Cardboard, Modeling Clay, Functional Prototypes, Pen and Paper.
Hardware: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, Wemos D1 Mini, Breadboard, Chips, Electronic Components, Sensors, Automotive Platforms, Robot Vacuum Platforms.
Tools: DFU Tools, UART, Digital Calipers, Analog Calipers, Soldering Iron, Multimeter, Oscilloscope.
Research: Design Iteration, Testing and Validation, Data Analytics, Data-Driven Design, A/B Testing, Competitive Research.
Process: Agile, Kanban, 0-to-1 Product Development, Project Management, Cross-functional Collaboration, Mentorship.
Test Engineering: Test Cases Development, Test Plan Development, Black Box Testing, Manual Testing, Automated Testing, Hardware Testing, System Testing, Regression Testing, Smoke Testing, Performance Testing, Ad-hoc Testing, Unit Testing, Triage and Debug, Validation, Bug Reporting, WCAG, Version Control, Statistical Data Analysis, Structural Testing, Stress Testing, Hardware Testing, Root Cause Analysis, Failure Mode Analysis, End-of-line Testing, Attention to Details, Documentation.
Design and Visualization: Ergonomics, UX Design, Interaction Design, Motion Design, Product Design, Animation, Adobe CC Suite (XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Audition, Premiere), Figma, Axure RP, Unity, Sketching, Mockups, Storyboarding, Visual Design, Color Theory, Typography, Iconography.
Accessibility: Design for Accessibility, Human-centered Design, WCAG Standards.
Gen AI/ML Tools: Figma (First Draft, Make, Weave, Tools, Motion, Agents), Claude (Cowork, Code, Design), Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, DALL-E, APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI), ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering, TensorFlow.
Other: JIRA, Confluence, HTML, CSS, JSON, XML, SQL, APIs, JavaScript, Python, Swift, Git, GitHub, Cloudflare, Google Firebase.
Awards
Going Extra Mile Award
HARMAN Connected Services • Jan 2014
"We thank you for your remarkable commitment and outstanding contribution." - Tilman Bollmann.