Image: (Example Kuka render, not indicative of digital twin simulation nor real hardware)

DESCRIPTION

WarpForge was an advanced robotic manufacturing company, which utilised a combination of industrial robots as well as custom-built, several-tonne robots which worked together to build cutting-edge products. The robotics facility was a unique design allowing the development of these products in rapid time.

These products had a wide range of use cases across multiple industries, and were stronger, lighter and more durable than their existing alternatives, as they were made of composites such as carbon fibre. The products were also rich sources of data due to the materials being embedded with smart IoT sensors - which meant we also worked on a digital platform to make this rich data accessible and insightful.

ROLE

After initially joining the company as a Robotics Simulations Analyst working on their 3D digital twin of the robotics facility (Unity), I was promoted to a Software Department Lead within a month.

I managed a team consisting of:
- PLC/Robotics Engineers
- Unity Developers
- Full Stack Developers
- Network Administrator

I also worked closely with the rest of the company to coordinate efforts, collaborating with:
- Mechanical Engineers
- Electricians
- Fitters

I reported directly to the CEO of the company. The Software department was at the time the primary team working hands-on in the facility with the robotic hardware - testing, commissioning, and running production. This experience taught me a lot about safety in physical workplaces, multi-department collaboration, time management, workplace culture, and startup challenges.

Additionally, I worked on the 3D digital twin of the robotics simulation, including creating custom "GCode" commands which the simulation would process and act as the interface to the real robotic commands. This involved trigonometric calculations for the inverse and forward kinematics motions.