CURRICULUM VITAE

NAME ROBERT HITCHINGS

PROFESSIONAL Product Designer / Project Co-ordinator / Skills Training
BACKGROUND Instructor in Small Enterprise Development / Cottage Industries

CURRENT SPECIALITIES Workshop Facilitator/ instructor in metalwork, technical drawing, music instrument making and handcrafts. Metal work – small batch production / workshop equipment design and construction.

HISTORIC SPECIALITIES Equipment design, product development and skills training: metal -work, wood-work, technical drawing, innovation. Semi-skilled fitter / machinist. Music instrument building / furniture restoration.

DATE OF BIRTH February 10th 1950 NATIONALITY: British

PROFESSIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS BA (Hons) Industrial Design (Engineering), Leeds UK.

EXPERIENCE

1990 – 2007 Independent Consultant

2001-2007 Technical drawing instructor. Developed glass-fibre mould for papier mache solar cooker. Designed and built bicycle powered unit for various applications.

1999 -2001 Technical drawing instructor. Founder member of workshop venue on a small farm in W Cape, South Africa. Supervised upgrade of buildings, irrigation, and technical projects. (building alterations, plumbing, electrical, tractor and farm machinery repairs)

1996 - 1999 Ran furniture restoration business, building musical instruments and running music workshops both in disadvantaged communities and for tourists in Knysna, W Cape, S.A.
This involved using woodwork machinery, rip saw, cross-cut (radial arm saw), planer, sander. Making technical drawings and working from drawings.

1990 - 1996 Running community based craft development projects, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Supervising upgrading of workshop buildings, developing products and organizing staff.

1983 - 1990 Founder of engineering and product development consultancy (Registered charity) (NGO) based in UK : ApT Design and Development. Chief design engineer - developed a range of hand-operated machinery for small workshops: Sheet- metal shears, folding machine and rolls. Hand operated hole-punch, ‘Jenny’ for edging. Ran training courses in how to build this equipment in: BANGLADESH, BOTSWANA, INDIA, IRAN, KENYA, MADAGASCAR, MALAWI, PHILIPPINES, SRI LANKA, TANZANIA, UK, AND ZIMBABWE.

Produced construction manuals, training notes, technical artwork and annual reviews for the company. Machines designed included: (Self-build - Sheet-metal Shears, Rolling Machine, Bench Vice, Folding Machine [Brake-press], Hole Punch, rice de-huller + others).

Authorship of: - How to make a folding machine for sheet metal work.1981
- How to make a sheet metal rolling machine.1985
- How to make cutting shears for sheet metal.1985
Primary technical contribution - How to make a pipe bending machine.1986
"" - How to make a hand-operated holepunch.1986

SUMMARY OF SPECIALIST SKILLS


DESIGN: Specifically product design, but also small machine design, some graphics. Creative ideas - Sketching and technical drawing. (detail drawing as well as 3D technical illustrations)

ENGINEERING: All-round workshop skills. (None certificated) Welding: oxy-acet. Arc. Mig. Soldering. Copper welding. Bench fitting. Machining. Turning, milling, surface grinding, drilling tapping.

SHEET-METAL: Marking cutting, folding, rolling, riveting. Developing patterns.

PLASTICS: Some experience in machining plastics, injection moulding and rubber moulding.
Also zinc die-casting

GLASS-FIBRE: Have made moulds and produced small number of drum bodies.

SPRAY PAINTING: Semi-skilled. Have re-sprayed several vehicles as well as industrial machines.

ELECTRICAL: Basic practical understanding of single phase domestic wiring, some 3 phase. Fault finding. Some repair skills – such as motor governors. DC 12v vehicle wiring. Not electronics.

WOOD-WORKING: Hand tools: Accurate planning sawing, chiseling, Tool and drill sharpening. Drilling, routing. Use of machine saws, jig saw, planer/thicknesser.

ENGINEERING/TECHNICAL DRAWING: Limited drawing office experience, but can make working drawings – with tolerances if needed. No CAD.

TEAMWORK: Able to work alone (self motivated/confident) or as part of a team.

SUPERVISORY: Able to supervise others in a design or production setting.

INSTRUCTION: Able to design and run training courses in metal-work/wood-work/production or skills training.

HOBBIES: Include musical instrument making: Glass fibre drums, marimbas (African xylophones) Cycling and bicycle repair. Inventing and model making. Canoeing, camping, flying kites and microlites.
Amateur music/video recording . Restored old Bedford bus – including brakes and adding power steering