Michael Anderson

Mechanical Design & Fabrication Intern at Deca Aero Corporation

Contributed to the full development cycle of a fixed-wing UAV pesticide carrier, including CAD design, hands-on fabrication, flight control programming, and flight testing. Designed and modeled key components such as landing gear and fuselage structure using SolidWorks and AutoCAD; supported iterative improvements for payload capacity and durability. Assisted with flight testing, system calibration, and troubleshooting to improve aerodynamic stability and control performance under varying load conditions. Applied fabrication techniques including woodworking, adhesive bonding, and shrink-wrap skinning to assemble airframes and prepare aircraft for testing.

Senior Design Engineer at MaxPran, LLC

Senior Design Project: Foldable Drone Frame. Led a four-person team to design, develop, and fabricate a foldable drone frame that reduces transport size from 72"×72" to 35"×32" and increases reusability. Collaborated directly with the CEO/COO to define requirements, document project scope, and maintain accelerated schedules and budgets. Machined components with a CNC milling machine (50+ hours), created a reusable CAD assembly, and mentored teammates on fabrication methods. Awarded 'Master Machinist' for advanced machining techniques and delivered a 22% size reduction.

Pill Filling, Caping, and Tightening Machine Lead Designer at University of Delaware

Led the Pill Filling, Caping, and Tightening machine project: designed and built an automated four-step system to dispense, cap, and seal 12 medication bottles. Created a conveyor system, integrated bottle placement, programmed dispensing to load exactly 30 pills per bottle, and fabricated a capping station. Implemented precise tolerancing, electronics integration, and multi-team collaboration to deliver a fully functional prototype; awarded Best Prototype for Pill Filling Sub-Component for innovation and efficiency.

Lifeguard / Emergency Medical Responder at Delaware State Beach Patrol

Certified Lifeguard and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) performing medical treatments, ocean rescues, and lifesaving procedures to patrons on public beaches (Ocean View, DE).

Senior Design Project – Expand Manufacturing at MaxPran, LLC

Expanded manufacturing details for the foldable drone frame, including CAD representations, FCs, and assembly documentation. Developed base connector designs, aluminum components, and carbon fiber integration; produced and documented multiple iterations to support scalable manufacturing.

Mechanical Design & Fabrication Intern at Deca Aero Corporation

Contributed to the full development cycle of a fixed-wing UAV pesticide carrier, including CAD design, hands-on fabrication, flight control programming, and flight testing. Designed and modeled key components such as landing gear and fuselage structure using SolidWorks and AutoCAD; supported iterative improvements for payload capacity and durability. Assisted with flight testing, system calibration, and troubleshooting to improve aerodynamic stability and control performance under varying load conditions. Applied fabrication techniques including woodworking, adhesive bonding, and shrink-wrap skinning to assemble airframes and prepare aircraft for testing.

Senior Design Engineering Project at University of Delaware

Led a four-person design team that manufactured a foldable drone frame to reduce transport size and improve reusability for Maxpran LLC. Worked directly with the CEO and COO to understand design limitations, define and document project requirements, and establish timelines to deliver within accelerated schedules while remaining under budget. Designed, developed, and fabricated the main components of the drone frame by manually and automating 50+ hours of machining precision parts using the SWI Track3 Axis CNC Milling Machine. Awarded “Master Machinist” for applying advanced mechanics and machining techniques. Created a complex reusable CAD assembly model in SolidWorks and designed the frame prototype to fold from 72in x 72in to 35in x 32in, reducing size by over 22%.

Junior Design Engineering Project at University of Delaware

Collaborated with nine engineering students, one project advisor, and three professors to build an automotive four-component machine that fills and caps 12 medication pill bottles. Lead designer on the pill dispenser component that was awarded Best Prototype based on innovation and efficiency. Assembled project components by 3D printing, laser cutting, and producing parts that exceed tolerances. Helped guide the integration and testing of all subcomponents to ensure a fully functional pill dispenser.