Tesla Injection Molded Part Design
During my internship from May 2024 and August 2024, I designed various injection molded parts for Tesla vehicle center consoles. Due to NDA restrictions I unfortunately can't include photos of what I worked on at Tesla. During this time, I took on responsibility for the airwave (a type of futuristic air vent) of a vehicle program. As a facet of design ownership for this part, I worked with stakeholders including injection mold suppliers in China and the materials team at Tesla. Through my
weekly meeting series, I was able to save over $100k/year of costs once these changes reach production. Additionally, we reached a consensus on the thermoplastics that would best synthesize studio design, rigidity, and cost goals while minimizing squeaking and poor haptics. My research into the squeak interactions as well as costs and dimensional tolerancing of these materials was critical to these decisions and will influence design decisions for years to come. Through this opportunity, I not only refined my knowledge of injection molding processes, CATIA V5, and 3DX softwares, but also gained a deep familiarity with decision making and change control processes when designing for large-scale production at the most influential EV automaker.