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Oliver Buchannon
Brad Hirayama
The chamfer looked fine. No tool could reach it.

Jun 16, 2026

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4 min read

The chamfer looked fine. No tool could reach it.

Joe Couitt on the design-to-machining conversation that almost never happens.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
One assumption equals one unit of risk

Jun 9, 2026

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4 min read

One assumption equals one unit of risk

The most consequential product decisions happen before the engineering team starts building.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Why winging a 30-year career is an engineering mistake

Jun 2, 2026

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4 min read

Why winging a 30-year career is an engineering mistake

Herschberg on why engineers mistake winging it for adaptability.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Your program is behind. Your team isn't why.

May 26, 2026

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3 min read

Your program is behind. Your team isn't why.

Decision latency, not individual pace, is what slows most engineering organizations.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
The rational manager doesn't take the innovation bet

May 19, 2026

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4 min read

The rational manager doesn't take the innovation bet

Steve Hinch spent 35 years watching why corporate innovation quietly dies.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Special Edition: How to Accelerate the Speed of Engineering (3-Part Mini Series)

May 12, 2026

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6 min read

Special Edition: How to Accelerate the Speed of Engineering (3-Part Mini Series)

Two engineers, 21 practices, one recurring blind spot that slows every team down.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
The habit that made you great is making your team weak

May 5, 2026

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4 min read

The habit that made you great is making your team weak

Danny Gledhill built medical device teams for a decade — and learned this the hard way.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Your patent is ammunition, not armor

Apr 28, 2026

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3 min read

Your patent is ammunition, not armor

Inventor coach Scott Putnam on why enforcement strategy matters as much as the filing.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Engineers are ruthless to each other

Apr 21, 2026

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4 min read

Engineers are ruthless to each other

An Army vet and engineering founder explains why that's both the problem and the point.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
A $5,000 task. A $1,000,000 failure.

Apr 14, 2026

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7 min read

A $5,000 task. A $1,000,000 failure.

Robert States has seen that ratio play out across 650+ projects per year.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Technical skill is the entry fee, not the prize

Apr 7, 2026

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8 min read

Technical skill is the entry fee, not the prize

Aaron Moncur distills 350 episodes into five career acceleration lessons.

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Title: Medical Device Validation and Manufacturing Quality: GD&T Drawing Gaps, Metrology Matching, and Critical Feature Elimination

Mar 31, 2026

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8 min read

Title: Medical Device Validation and Manufacturing Quality: GD&T Drawing Gaps, Metrology Matching, and Critical Feature Elimination

statistical process control IQ OQ PQ medical device validation GD&T CMM supplier quality design of experiments Minitab JMP metrology matching dock-to-stock gauge R&R critical features robustness testing

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Engineering Career Transitions: Self-Directed Learning, Discipline Shifts, and Full Lifecycle Design Thinking

Mar 24, 2026

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7 min read

Engineering Career Transitions: Self-Directed Learning, Discipline Shifts, and Full Lifecycle Design Thinking

controls engineering career path, mechanical to software engineer transition, self-taught automation engineer, machine serviceability design, technical manual reading, cross-discipline engineering skills, factory floor learning

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Life Sciences Manufacturing: Automation Timing, DFM Decisions, and Scaling Operations from Startup to Production

Mar 17, 2026

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7 min read

Life Sciences Manufacturing: Automation Timing, DFM Decisions, and Scaling Operations from Startup to Production

life sciences manufacturing scale-up, when to automate biotech production line, DFM in medical device startups, industry 4.0 data strategy operations, proactive maintenance life sciences, manufacturing tribal knowledge, operations engineering biotech commercialization

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Medical Device Engineering Leadership: From PFMEA to Empowered Teams

Mar 10, 2026

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9 min read

Medical Device Engineering Leadership: From PFMEA to Empowered Teams

FDA compliance, ISO 14971, PFMEA DFMEA risk mitigation, bearing preload, TE Connectivity catheter components, medical device startup recalls, engineering director leadership, technically broad career path, Nordson Medical, endovascular engineering

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Engineering Career Navigation: Taking Ownership Beyond Technical Skills and Passive Learning

Mar 3, 2026

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8 min read

Engineering Career Navigation: Taking Ownership Beyond Technical Skills and Passive Learning

Career development strategies for engineers, engineering leadership coaching, mentorship approaches, professional growth tactics, action-oriented career planning, technical career advancement

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Stainless Steel Surface Hardening: Colsterizing vs Coatings and Why Low-Temperature Diffusion Changes the Equation

Feb 24, 2026

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8 min read

Stainless Steel Surface Hardening: Colsterizing vs Coatings and Why Low-Temperature Diffusion Changes the Equation

Colsterizing process Bodycote S3P stainless steel galling wear resistance 70 Rockwell C diffusion hardening medical aerospace oil gas fastener treatment austenitic 304 316 surface treatment comparison

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Mars Mission Operations: Entry Descent Landing and the 90-Day Martian Time Experiment

Feb 17, 2026

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8 min read

Mars Mission Operations: Entry Descent Landing and the 90-Day Martian Time Experiment

NASA JPL systems engineering Mars Curiosity rover sky crane landing autonomous spacecraft operations deep space mission architecture Martian day cycle circadian rhythm adaptation flight director control room

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Ultrasonic Chef's Knife: Industrial Technology to Consumer Market and Quantified Testing

Feb 10, 2026

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7 min read

Ultrasonic Chef's Knife: Industrial Technology to Consumer Market and Quantified Testing

Six-year development journey, robotic performance testing, piezo crystal resonance, and 50% force reduction in food cutting applications

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
AI Engineering Tools: Planning Workflows, Model Selection, and Verification Requirements

Feb 3, 2026

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8 min read

AI Engineering Tools: Planning Workflows, Model Selection, and Verification Requirements

Claude Code prompt engineering strategies, Lindy automation platforms, vibe coding concepts, model cost optimization, and quality control methods for AI-generated code

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Software Development Culture: Paired Programming, User Research, and Fear-Free Project Management

Jan 27, 2026

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10 min read

Software Development Culture: Paired Programming, User Research, and Fear-Free Project Management

High tech anthropology, agile story cards, servant leadership, workforce flexibility, risk mitigation, joy in work, systems thinking, collaborative software culture, end user research, visual management

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Engineering Career Development: Five Progression Levels and Practical Tools for Intentional Growth

Jan 20, 2026

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9 min read

Engineering Career Development: Five Progression Levels and Practical Tools for Intentional Growth

Mindset shifts, work-life alignment strategies, genius zone identification, and career satisfaction frameworks for technical professionals

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Engineering Project Management: Two-Question Status Systems and Shop Floor Learning

Jan 13, 2026

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8 min read

Engineering Project Management: Two-Question Status Systems and Shop Floor Learning

Product development frameworks, machinist collaboration techniques, Kickstarter campaign lessons, career transitions in mechanical engineering, design for manufacturing practices, status meeting efficiency

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
Design for Manufacturing: Why Calipers Beat CAD Software and Career Lessons from 40 Years

Jan 6, 2026

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7 min read

Design for Manufacturing: Why Calipers Beat CAD Software and Career Lessons from 40 Years

Engineering fundamentals, product design tools, manufacturing process knowledge, career development, technical decision-making, bearing design, additive manufacturing limitations, engineering communication skills

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
FEA and CFD Applications: Reducing Prototyping Costs Through Virtual Testing

Dec 30, 2025

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6 min read

FEA and CFD Applications: Reducing Prototyping Costs Through Virtual Testing

Engineering simulation software comparison, ANSYS finite element analysis tools, computational fluid dynamics for medical devices, digital twin technology for predictive maintenance, machine learning applications in structural analysis

Brad Hirayama
Brad Hirayama
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