Jonathan Wells

Experienced and enthusiastic industrial/mechanical design consultant with considerable experience designing products across various industries, from one-offs to mass-manufactured devices. Expertise in electro-mechanical and consumer electronic devices, motorsport devices, scientific instruments, custom equipment, marine and more. Adept in concept sketching, design brief creation, prototype building, CAD modelling, and manufacturing drawing preparation.

Consistently delivered designs for volume manufacture with strong communication skills and the ability to work under pressure.

Industrial/Mechanical Designer at Jon Wells Design Ltd. (2004-09 – Present)

Provides industrial and mechanical design services on a consultancy/contract basis incorporating SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, SolidEdge, Rhino3D & Keyshot. Extensive knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials science, 3D CAD surfacing, and the design of parts for manufacture using injection and rotational moulded plastic, sheet metal, cast and extruded alloys, PU castings, SLA and SLS (additive) parts and machined metals. Owner of the product development process, and responsible for delivering on all key milestones from design through to delivery of final product.

• Client: Vision Illumination Ltd. Designed LED-based urban lighting products. Responsible for product concepts, detailing, DFM and supplier liaison.
• Client: Southgate Global Ltd. Contracted to the design & NPD departments working on products used in operational logistics and packaging consumables. Responsible for mechanical design activities including concepts, product renders, client presentations, prototyping and manufacturing drawings, including all internal detailing and components.
• Client: Clearview Intelligence Ltd. Designed LED-based intelligent road studs/illuminators. Responsible for all industrial and mechanical design activities including concepts, details, FEA study integration, DFM, manufacturing drawings (using Inventor), including all internal detailing and components assembly features, the method of manufacture and the delivery of fully constrained and robust CAD geometry.
• Client: Barista Verde Ltd. Responsible for the industrial design of innovative and ground-breaking coffee machine for the domestic market. Responsible for the external surfaces and structure. Supported the mechanical design team with the interaction between outer casework, ergonomics and internal mechanisms. Oversaw DFM reviews, prepared manufacturing drawings and designed coffee preparation accessories.
• Client: Airgain Inc. Responsible for the industrial design of custom wireless antenna devices. Supported the industrial/mechanical design team with the development of product enclosures (using Solidworks), including all internal detailing and components assembly features, the method of manufacture and the delivery of fully constrained and robust CAD geometry. Oversaw DFM reviews, prepared manufacturing drawings and supported the design team on other wireless antenna products in development.
• Client: McLaren Applied Technologies. Assisted in the design of a race ECU (engine control unit) for application to Nascar and Indycar and was responsible for leading research into new methods of fabrication and final assembly. As part of the mechanical design team I developed the product enclosure (using SolidEdge), including all internal interface and support components, the method of manufacture and the delivery of fully constrained and detailed CAD geometry. Designed final assembly jigs & fixtures, prepared manufacturing drawings and supported the design team on other race-derived products in development.
• Client: Fluidic Analytics Ltd. Assisted in the design of the Flow Mk-1, a ground-breaking lab instrument comprising disposable microfluidic chips and touch-screen equipped benchtop reader that provides users with highly accurate measurements of protein concentration and size. Reporting to the mechanical design team I developed the product enclosure (using SolidWorks), including all internal interface and support components, the method of manufacture and the delivery of fully constrained and detailed CAD geometry. Created product renders (using KeyShot) to assist in the communication of the finished product.
• Client: Kynesim Ltd. Designed enclosure and system integration for public transport fare platform. Worked as an integral part of design providing all industrial and mechanical design input. Prepared detailed designs of product enclosure for manufacture using multi-action injection mould tooling. Created product renders (using KeyShot) to assist in the communication of the finished product. Oversaw liaison with product manufacture partners in the UK and far East. Prepared manufacturing drawings for construction of injection moulded parts.
• Client: The Raspberry Pi Foundation. Designed 'flight case' enclosures for Astro-Pi computers that were deployed on the International Space Station in 2015 and again in 2021. Prepared designs of product enclosure that could contain the Astro-Pi computer PCB's, could dissipate heat in zero gravity and be as low-mass as possible. I created parts (using SolidWorks) which would be CNC machined in space-grade aluminium alloys and then oversaw the subsequent anodising and laser-etching processes (for product graphics). Supported the Astro Pi team at the Raspberry Pi Foundation in the subsequent customisation of the case design so that it could be reproduced using inexpensive 3D printing equipment.
• Client: Nuclera. Supported company with early access product and concepts for groundbreaking protein discovery technology, followed by the design of an evaluation instrument. Industrial design of the final product for volume manufacture. Supported the internal mechanical design team with product manufacture.
• Client: Limbalance Ltd. Supported small start-up with design & production of arm difference disability exercise tools.
• Client: Cambridge Sensotec. Supported internal team with the development of automated/robot test equipment.
• Client: Asymptote. Designed cryogenic transport devices.
• Client: Floodash. Design of flood-risk evaluation equipment.
• Client: PervasID. Support development of RFID equipment.
• Client: PDD. Supported design department with a range of products. Concepts and detailed CAD models for client presentations.
• Client: Corvia Ltd. Supported design department with transport payment equipment.
• Client: Narrative Studio. Designed range of baby bathing product concepts - surface modelling studies.
• Client: ErgStick. Designed enclosure and system integration for 'Ergo' rowing machine blue-tooth dongle.
• Client: 42 Technology Ltd. Supported design department on a range of projects.
• Client: Adder Technology Ltd. Design of hardware for Adder's range of products.
• Client: Round Peg Ltd. Supported design department on a range of projects.
• Client: Zoomer. Designed development model of child transportation device.
• Client: Sepura. Prepared concepts for wireless communications device enclosures.
• Client: Audio Analytic Ltd. Designed evaluation kit enclosure and internal integration.
• Client: Airedale Ltd. Supported marketing dept in creation of high-quality rendered images of product range.
• Client: Amino Communications Ltd. Designed internal structure and external caseworks for IPTV device.
• Client: English Harbour Yachts. Assisted in the design of the EH27/29 motor yacht.
• Client: Beagle Garden Products. Assisted in the design of garden mole trap.
• Client: Detectortesters Ltd. 4 month contract to mechanical design department.
• Client: IDC. Supported industrial design department on numerous projects.
• Client: Malvern Instruments Ltd. Designed caseworks for scientific analysis equipment.
• Client: Case New Holland (Tractors) Ltd. 6 month contract to design department.
• Client: Digital Vision TV Ltd. Designed Freeview set-top box & PVR equipment.
• Client: Fairline Boats Ltd. Short-term contract to design department.
• Client: Smart Control Systems. Designed a control box for off-shore crane operator installation.
• Client: Omega Laser Ltd. Designed range of laser treatment devices.

Industrial Designer at Amino Communications (2000-03 – 2004-09)

Responsible for delivering all industrial & mechanical design activities for mass-produced network and IPTV equipment, including set-top boxes, hand-held devices and custom connectors. Owner of the product development process, from initial sketch to sign-off of manufacturing drawings, forging partnerships with onshore and overseas manufacturers and suppliers, overseeing the transfer to production, and project managing new product development. My design for the AmiNET110 IPTV set-top box won the Red Dot Design Award in 2003.

BA (Hons) in Industrial Design (Engineering) – Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design (1988-09 – 1991-07)

BTEC OND in Industrial Design (Engineering) – Colchester Institute (1985-09 – 1988-07)

'A' Level in Art – Colchester Institute (1985-09 – 1988-07)

'O' Level in English Literature and Language, Graphical Communication, Physics – The Plume School (1980-09 – 1985-07)