How SOLIDWORKS Turned Ernesto Mosqueda’s Life Around
Some people do not realize what they’re truly passionate about until much later in their lives. You might think you want to be in a certain industry or field for the rest of your life, until that back fires and you start to loathe your occupation. Fortunately for Ernesto Mosqueda, he found his passion for SOLIDWORKS as an adult, changed his profession, and now has new aspirations on what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
Starting at the ages of seven and eight, Ernesto Mosqueda would help his father assemble automotive parts in his garage. “Before I could go out and play, I had to put in a couple of hours helping out in the garage,” Ernesto stated in an interview with Cadalyst.com. He learned important life lessons in this garage, as his father taught him to never give up when he was struggling with a problem. He also taught Ernesto to value the importance of working his way up from the bottom, as that shows a persistent work ethic. These life lessons would eventually come into play for Ernesto.
Ernesto’s first experience with 3D design started when he was working as a self-employed designer for food processing equipment. That is where he learned how to draw first-hand in 3D and understand dimensions; however, there were a lot of difficulties he ran into that could not be solved on paper, such as seeing clearances and conducting motion studies.
Ernesto would finally be introduced to CAD software when he started working for Day-Lee Foods. “I saw my boss using SOLIDWORKS to design a conveyor system that would roll tortillas to make frozen taquitos… I had to know more about it. I was really curious about the software and its abilities.” After asking his boss if he could practice using it, Ernesto immediately became intimidated by SOLIDWORKS. Although he began to struggle using the software, his interest in the program propelled him to look up training courses on SolidProfessor.
“Within the first hour of watching the SolidProfessor courses, I was amazed to find out that I was actually able to draw a basic sketch, extrude the sketch and then rotate it… It was so simple and easy to follow that I proceeded to purchase the SolidProfessor membership,” Ernesto stated. After becoming more familiar with SOLIDWORKS, Ernesto started designing parts for his boss, then would eventually have to make drawings of different building parts for him.
After one year of training with the software, Ernesto was able to design a conveyor belt that transfers one gallon metal cans from room to room for labeling and packaging. Ernesto claimed that, “Before the conveyor was installed, the employees were doing double the work: loading the cans into a steel basket by hand, then moving them via forklift. We eliminated the forklift traffic, as well as the need for two or three people to handle each load.”
Even as he became proficient in SOLIDWORKS, he kept looking through SolidProfessor training courses to gain more than just an intermediate understanding of the software. Due to his continued persistence to improve his application skills, he was able to land a new job opportunity as a maintenance manager for Del Real Foods, in 2008. Right away, Ernesto started to modify the designs of the equipment that the company would use. “I came up with an alternative design… drew it by hand first, then asked the company owner to invest in SOLIDWORKS so we could create a digital drawing and send it to an outside machine shop for manufacture. The new cylinder lasted at least three years, and is probably on the machine today,” Ernesto stated.
Ernesto is now an outside machinist at Disneyland, working on restructuring current rides that need adjustments. He one day hopes to become involved with the Imagineering department at Disneyland, which deals with creating structures for new rides and attractions.
In the meantime, Ernesto is now working on his newest innovation in SOLIDWORKS; a lightweight exoskeleton. Ernesto explains the reasoning behind his design. “…My mother-in-law suffers from rheumatoid arthritis… So, I’ve started designing this exoskeleton glove that will help her to straighten her fingers and allow her to be able to grip simple things like a broom, a dust pan, or a chair. That’s something that one day I can finish and give her, so that she can use the function in her hand again.”
Ernesto has truly lived his life based off the advice his father gave him as a young child. Ernesto continued to progress his skills in SOLIDWORKS, as he would constantly look at training courses in SolidProfessor. He started as a food equipment designer, but eventually made his way to a maintenance manager position, and then on to Disneyland as a machinist. Now, Ernesto has bigger goals set in mind; and with his passion and work ethic, there is no reason why he can’t accomplish these goals. Ernesto is a perfect example of what it takes to work hard, and display courage by venturing out to explore new passions. We wish Ernesto the best of luck on his future endeavors!
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