• You are in a Mechanical Engineer’s Lair, tread carefully!

    Welcome to the humble world of Keerthi Sepuri, feel free to explore and make sure you reach all the pit stops and cross that chequered flag.



    If you have any doubts or questions along the way, please feel free to contact me.



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About Me

WHO IS KEERTHI SEPURI?

Welcome to my world of mechanical innovation and design precision. I'm Keerthi Sepuri, a Mechanical Design Engineer with a passion for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in vehicle engineering. With a relentless pursuit of excellence and a keen eye for detail, I've been at the forefront of shaping the future of transportation technology.

My journey in the industry has been nothing short of exhilarating. From leading suspension design projects at Nikola Motors, where I orchestrated the dynamics of Class 8 Semi-Truck suspensions, to pioneering groundbreaking solutions at Tesla, including the intricate design of Cybertruck components, my career has been defined by innovation and excellence.

With a Master's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from New York University and a solid foundation from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India, I bring a unique blend of academic rigor and practical expertise to every project I undertake.

My portfolio is not just a showcase of projects; it's a testament to my commitment to excellence. Whether it's optimizing mass and cost for efficiency, conducting rigorous FEA analysis, or collaborating seamlessly across multidisciplinary teams, I thrive on challenges that demand ingenuity and precision.

But beyond the technical realm, I pride myself on my soft skills—my ability to communicate effectively, think critically, and foster strong team dynamics. I believe that true innovation stems from collaboration and diversity of thought, and I'm dedicated to fostering environments where creativity flourishes and boundaries dissolve.

In a world driven by innovation and fueled by ambition, I stand ready to embark on the next frontier of mechanical design. Join me on this journey, where every project is an opportunity to redefine what's possible and leave a lasting impact on the future of transportation.

Let's build the future together, one meticulously designed component at a time

Portfolio

Hood design BIW (Body-In-White)

Designed and developed the hood inner panel, outer panel BIW (Body-In-White) or body structures along with reinforcements for the latch and the hinges. The design was done with a draft angle of 7 deg for ease of manufacturability with a section modulus study and features for mastic sealants, stoppers, striker and hinge mounting with proper alignment using CATIA. The design was done to reduce and optimize weight and tooling investment while understanding the design intent of all the features involved in a backdoor BIW design.

Backdoor design BIW (Body-In-White)

Designed and developed the backdoor BIW (Body-In-White) or body structures along with reinforcements for the latch, hinges and the gas stays. The design was done with a draft angle of 7 deg for ease of manufacturability and features for sealing flange mounting, back glass mounting, wiper motor mounting, tail lamp mounting, hinge, latch and gas stay mounting in CATIA. The design was done to reduce and optimize weight and tooling investment while understanding the design intent of all the features involved in a hood BIW design.

Roof design BIW (Body-In-White)

Designed and developed roof closure, the front roof rail, rear roof rail, the bow roof, and the sun roof BIW components with proper mastic sealant features, a snow load study, heat distortion study and bow roof placement study using CATIA.

Front Fender BIW (Body-In-White) design

Designed and developed an automotive front fender design with drip area features and mounting features with ease of assembly and manufacturing considerations using CATIA.

Toyota design

At Toyota, I optimized the structural design of a skid that carries spare parts through an electroplating process using the skid conveyor system. The design and the mechanism that I proposed was estimated to bring in an ROI of 4.8 million, increase productivity by 100% and decrease daily manually handled weight by a single worker from 6350 lbs to 220 lbs.

BAJA SAE 2k18 Chassis design

As the chassis design lead for the university race team, I was able to convey other teams’ perspectives and set actionable objectives and lead the design direction. We designed the optimum chassis using CATIA and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for our ATV. I also helped accelerate the Body in White manufacturing and the final assembly process as the team’s lead welder

Automobile wheel mounting and dismounting mechanism slideshow

For my senior year project me and my team of four designed in CATIA, developed and manufactured a new patent-pending “automobile wheel mounting and dismounting mechanism”. Negotiations with suppliers and design for manufacturing were some of the core competencies I gained with this project.

Pensa Labs Air Bending Project

This project led to a lot of breakthroughs in the process of achieving the end result of improving the DIWire PRO’s (a 2D desktop wire bending machine) accuracy and resolution by 80%. Navigating the project from the early design requirements to the design of experiments along with my teammate, we were able to achieve what the previous three interns could not. We worked a lot of late nights and we enjoyed every bit.

Swarm Robotics Project

This is a project that I’m really proud of because I went into the course not knowing it was a Ph.D. level course and I was able to learn python and also implement what I learnt in controlling a swarm of robots to form multiple formations using decentralized command.
Fun fact: They used the same approach for the 1800 drone globe at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony. Yes, I know how to do that.

FEA (Finite Element Analysis) analysis

I performed numerous FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations and I can tell you that they are always interesting!

My Skills

3-D Designing Software

CATIA, Certified Solidworks designer
(by Dassault Systemes)

100%

Drafting Software:

AUTOCAD, Solidworks, CATIA,
Adobe Illustrator

100%

Simulation Software:

Solidworks Simulation, ANSYS, MSC Adams

80%

Programming Languages:

MATLAB, Python, CNC Programming, C language, JAVA

60%

Other Tools:

Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides

100%

Education

New York University,
Tandon School of Engineering,
Brooklyn, New York (Aug 2018 - Jan 2020)

Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Course work: Mechatronics, Swarm Robotics, Linear Control Theory, Additive Manufacturing of metals, CAD for Additive Manufacturing, Non-Destructive Evaluation, Solid Mechanics, Thermal Engineering.

VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Technology,
Hyderabad, India (May 2014 - May 2018)

Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Course work: 3-D Designing, 3-D prototyping, AUTOCAD Drafting, CAD/CAM, Finite Element Method, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering Design, Thermodynamics, Thermal Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Mechanics of Solids, Kinematics and Dynamics Of Machinery, Metallurgy and Material Science, Metrology and Quality Control.

Work Experience

Nikola Motors
Mechanical Design Engineer, Chassis Team

Phoenix, AZ
Aug 2022 – Present 

  • Led design and optimization of 45+ suspension components, achieving 12% mass reduction through CATIA and FEA implementation with physical testing
  • Launched FCEV (world’s first hydrogen truck), resolving production issues (8D, 5 Whys, Fishbone) and reducing scrap by 20% and line issues by 15% (FCEV) and 10% (BEV).
  • Drove next-generation suspension architecture development, leading DFMEA/PFMEA analyses and presenting strategic recommendations to leadership
  • Created and released engineering documentation (ESOW, BOMs, GD&T drawings), ensuring supplier alignment and on-time fabrication
  • Managed end-to-end component lifecycle including durability testing, PPAP approvals, and prototype builds
  • Developed company-wide engineering tools including bolt-sizing calculators and suspension kinematic models, enhancing design efficiency and mentored junior engineers in GD&T and tolerance analysis

Tesla
Mechanical Design Engineer, Chassis Team

Palo Alto, CA
Sep 2021 – Jul 2022 

  • Owned end-to-end design for Cybertruck brake lines/hoses and chassis harnesses, reducing part count by 40% and assembly time by 30% through innovative architecture solutions
  • Invented new plastic clips and brake fluid fill solution, improving assembly efficiency by 30%
  • Managed complex trade-offs across architecture, service, manufacturing and supplier requirements using DFMEA/PFMEA methodologies and GD&T for robust, cost-effective designs
  • Designed and validated critical components for Model 3 hydraulic and Tesla Semi pneumatic systems using virtual simulation and physical testing
  • Collaborated with international teams and suppliers while providing technical mentorship to Tesla Shanghai engineering team

Pensa Labs
R&D Mechanical Engineer

New York, NY
Mar 2020 – Sep 2021 

  • Managed $500K+ product manufacturing portfolio, optimizing supplier relationships and production timelines
  • Led design and validation of next-generation CNC wire-bending machine, improving precision by 40%
  • Implemented lean manufacturing principles, resulting in 25% reduction in production cycle time

Mechanical Engineering Intern

Jun 2019 – Dec 2019 

  • Improved desktop CNC wire bending machine resolution and accuracy by 80%
Get in Touch

Contact

keerthisepuri@outlook.com

LinkedIn

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