Axenics’ Engineering and Design Department

​The engineering team at Axenics is headed by Nelson Hernandez and Ernest Coolong, our resident “problem solvers.” The team works with customers and prospects on their designs; researches new parts and components; automates processes on the production floor; and repairs parts and builds assemblies from scratch.

Axenics’ engineering and design process

Customers provide an explanation of their component or part needs by sharing CAD drawings. Sometimes what they give us is a simple, hand-drawn sketch as their idea. CAD drawings are often clearly labeled with important details for the design process. That makes our process of engineering a solution relatively smooth. Of course we help customers fill in missing details, if necessary.

We believe the best solutions are built on strong foundations, so basic drawings mean there’s going to be some back and forth between us and the customer. For example, a customer sent a picture of a panel and asked if we could make it. The answer was,  “Technically, yes, but we need a lot of information to get there.” 

Nelson says he can tell right away if a drawing is in the company’s wheelhouse. Axenics has a systematic approach for handling engineering and design challenges. 

Both Nelson and Ernest have years of hands-on experience with Axenics’ areas of expertise, such as bending and welding. They suggest options for customers, such as using a CNC tube bending machine for parts instead of welding to avoid potential leaks and for creating longer-lasting parts.

A recent challenge

One recent problem was a piece of machinery that gets used daily and involves an expensive dye powder. The dye was manually added; excess dye collected at the bottom of the machine and clumped, which meant more dye got added and a lot was wasted.

“My favorite part of the job is problem solving,” Ernest said. “For example, the dyes clumping. OK, how do we solve that? And then it’s just going through the steps of how much volume of the dye does the job actually need? OK, a gram per gallon and we’re adding 10 per gallon. I created an automated process so the correct amount of dye is added. Then, I designed a light sensor for the inside of the machine so the computer sees exactly when we need to add additional dye for the process.”

Ernest’s role is more hands-on than some engineering and design professionals. He’s often on the production floor engineering solutions or fixing machinery so the technicians can produce more efficiently.

“What got me started was building devices or writing procedures to either improve manufacturing processes or speed them up,” Ernest said.

One of the larger engineering and design projects that has shifted into production is commercial hydrogen fuel dispensers. So far, the team has built three that are in use overseas.

“That project touches every area of our production,” Ernest said.

Ernest has a dream project he’d like to tackle this year, but the engineering and design team has to prioritize daily, depending on the company’s and customers’ needs.

“I was joking recently that during my drive in, that’s how I organize my day. But as soon as we walked in the door, somebody is waiting for us to fix a problem,” Ernest said. A day in the life of Axenics’ problem solvers is never the same.

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