Open to Opportunities · Auckland, NZ

Nathan Zhang

Senior Mechanical Engineer & Simulation Specialist

Mechanical Design · FEA & CFD Simulation · Thermal Engineering · 20+ Years

Highly experienced Mechanical Engineer and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional with 20+ years spanning consumer electronics, industrial product development, and electromechanical systems. Specialising in mechanical design, FEA structural/thermal/fatigue simulation, CFD flow analysis, and full-lifecycle product development from concept through mass production.

24+
Years Exp.
20+
Products
4
Countries
Nathan Zhang
Certified
SOLIDWORKS Pro
Specialist
FEA · CFD

// expertise

Technical Skills

Simulation & Analysis

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Stress / Fatigue / Buckling Analysis Thermal Design & Simulation CFD — Computational Fluid Dynamics SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Mechanical Integrity Assessment

CAD & Design

SOLIDWORKS (Certified Professional) 3D Modelling & 2D Drawing GD&T / Tolerance Stack-up Pro/Engineer (Creo) BOM Management DFMEA

Manufacturing & Quality

Manufacturing Flow Analysis Plastic Injection Moulding Metal Tooling Prototype Build & Validation First-Pass Yield Improvement Quality Inspection Standards

Project & Product Management

Full Lifecycle Product Development Cross-functional Team Leadership Supplier Technical Management Risk Management Schedule & Budget Control V&V Test Protocol Development

// portfolio

Projects

Selected engineering work and case studies

Grainfather G70 — Thermal & Hydraulic Redesign

Grainfather G70 — Thermal & Hydraulic Redesign

Led full mechanical redesign of the Grainfather G70 homebrew system at Bevie. Delivered significant improvements in thermal performance, hydraulic flow efficiency, product safety and manufacturing quality through SOLIDWORKS modelling and flow simulation.

Thermal Design SOLIDWORKS CFD Product Development DFM
Outdoor Payment Terminal — Thermal CFD Analysis

Outdoor Payment Terminal — Thermal CFD Analysis

Thermal management of an outdoor payment terminal under extreme solar radiation and high ambient temperatures. Conducted conjugate heat transfer CFD simulation (SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation) to identify CPU overheating and card-reader hot spots, then validated optimised airflow and heat sink solutions to restore system stability.

CFD Thermal Design SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Heat Transfer Failure Analysis
FEA Study — Magnetic Reader Head Movement

FEA Study — Magnetic Reader Head Movement

Comprehensive FEA study to diagnose critical mechanical failures: high resistance force during operation and FPC cracking. Performed full simulation workflow — geometry cleanup, meshing, boundary conditions and post-processing — to identify stress concentrations, then proposed and validated structural modifications to eliminate crack propagation and restore smooth kinematic movement.

FEA Stress Analysis Fatigue FPC RCA SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Sony L55t — Flagship Metal Frame Smartphone Sony L55t — Flagship Metal Frame Smartphone — structure view
structure view

Sony L55t — Flagship Metal Frame Smartphone

Led mechanical engineering for this flagship 5.2" Sony smartphone featuring a premium precision-engineered metal frame. Addressed structural challenges of metal chassis rigidity, antenna clearance and aesthetic finish. Directed tooling concept through CNC fixtures and successive manufacturing trials to meet Sony mass production quality standards.

Mechanical Design Metal Frame CNC Structural Engineering Mass Production
Sony J10 — Mobile Phone Mechanical Design Lead Sony J10 — Mobile Phone Mechanical Design Lead — structure view
structure view

Sony J10 — Mobile Phone Mechanical Design Lead

Served as mechanical lead for the J10 mobile phone programme, directing the team from concept through high-volume mass production. Defined overall structural architecture, designed major structural parts and developed an innovative keypad concept optimising tactile feedback and long-term durability.

Mechanical Design Consumer Electronics Keypad Design HVM Team Leadership
Sony K530 — Mechanical Architecture & Manufacturing Sony K530 — Mechanical Architecture & Manufacturing — structure view
structure view

Sony K530 — Mechanical Architecture & Manufacturing

Lead mechanical architect for the K530 mobile phone, managing the full lifecycle from concept to mass production. Engineered the structural framework using plastic injection moulding and metal insert moulding (MIM) to balance aesthetics with structural integrity. Conducted on-site troubleshooting during production ramp-up to maintain yield and quality standards.

Mechanical Design Injection Moulding MIM DFM Prototype Validation

// hire me

Work With Me

Available for senior mechanical engineering roles and consulting engagements.

FEA / CFD

Simulation & Analysis

Structural, thermal, fatigue and flow simulation consulting

Design

Mechanical & Product

Full-lifecycle design from concept to mass production

Manufacturing

DFM & Quality

Injection moulding, tooling, supplier management & DFM

Based in Auckland, New Zealand · Available globally for remote work

Consulting services offered through Vektor Engineering