About Me

Portrait of Tristan Hanford

A quick intro

I’m an engineer who likes turning ideas into something real. I thrive at the intersection of design and execution and I enjoy building things that actually work. Most of my work sits at the intersection of mechanical design, electrical integration, and testing. I like keeping systems simple, serviceable, and measurable. If it’s built right, it should make sense to the next person who touches it. Whether it’s refining a CAD model, creating a control system loop, or calibrating a mechanical setup, I’m detail-oriented, direct, and driven to leave the work cleaner and smarter than I found it.

I’m drawn to projects that reward precision and teams that value thoughtful design and who take pride in their work. I’m motivated by clean execution and steady improvement; the kind that comes from iterating, documenting, and learning by doing. Whether it’s restoring old hardware or developing something new, I aim for work that’s reliable, honest, and built to last.

How I Work

  1. Define The Problem

    Precicely determine end goals, performance metrics, and design constraints quantitatively

  2. Design With Intent

    Design for function, serviceability, safety, and manufacturing. Clarify additional intent, I prefer clear robust solutions.

  3. Build and instrument

    I execute with discipline, ensuring a thorough fitment/assembly process is adhered to.

  4. Validate Iteratively

    Test under realistic load and measure performance to shorten the loop & improve efficiency and reliability

  5. Document

    Produce prints, notes, BOM's, technical sketches, and procedure outlines that will form a strong foundation for future iterations.

Core Skills

Mechanical Design & Analysis

Create precision preliminary and final designs using graphical tools and CAD. Ensure strength & manufacturability via FEA and tolerance analysis.

Systems Integration

Integrate mechanical, electrical, and control systems as needed into a single functional platform, while ensuring adequate communication between subsystems

Prototyping & Fabrication

Validate design intent by translating models into real, testable components. Methods may vary but typically include machining & addative manufacturing.

Thermals & Fluids

Model fluid systems; heat exchangers & cooling systems to optimize performance.

Controls, Testing & Validation

Capture performance metrics via data measurment tools, and iteratively close the gap between intended design and real system behavior.

Interests

Continuous areas of engineering and design that fuel my projects and technical exploration.

Audio Systems Combustion Engines Workflow optimization Automotive restoration Vehicle systems diagnostics Prototype manufacturing Electrical architecture design Data acquisition & calibration Industrial design research