“As a kid I was always curious about why things work the way they do,” recalls HP Labs summer intern Camilo Moreno. “Then in high school I discovered how we can understand our world through experiment and observation.” That interest in science led Moreno, who was born in the Colombian capital of Bogota, to study physics at the National University of Colombia before moving to the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte to specialize in optical sciences. After receiving his MS in the subject, Moreno is now a rising third year Ph.D. student in UNC’s optical sciences program.
HP: What are you working on at HP Labs this summer?
I'm working in the Print Adjacencies and 3D lab on a project aimed at improving the process of 3D printing with metal. To print with metal, you need a very powerful heat source, for which we use a gas-discharge lamp. We want to have the option of moving the heat source slightly further away from the metal, so I have been tasked with engineering a mirror that we can use to concentrate the light from further away and uniformly reflect it back on the metal.
HP: So, how is the work going?
I've been here around a month and things have been moving fast. In the first couple of weeks, I tried different geometries for the mirror using the background knowledge I have in optics and optical engineering. Now I'm running software simulations that allow us to study the light distribution that would be generated by different mirror designs.
HP: What’s up next?
So far, I've been running small scale simulations just to try some different geometries and see if they are viable. This week I’ll start running simulations that match the scale and the size of the actual mirror and lamp that we’d use. Things are looking promising, so I'm fairly confident that we will get to a design that gives us the uniform intensity that we need. Once we’ve optimized the design, we’ll fabricate it and test it to see if it performs as it should.
HP: How did you hear about the HP Labs internship opportunity?
There’s a university that lists internships and job opportunities in optical sciences online. I saw this internship mentioned and thought I could probably do it, so I applied and it turned out I was a good fit.
HP: Is this your first time working in an industrial lab?
Yes. My background is in academia and this is my first industrial lab experience. It’s been interesting because here you are more focused on the customer and what they need and on whether the project you are working on helps your company make a profit.
HP: How do you like HP Labs as a place to work?
I really like it so far. The people are exceptional. The 3D printing team is also very diverse, both in terms of origin and academic background – we have physicists, chemists, engineers. It's quite an experience.
HP: Do you think this work will influence your Ph.D. thesis?
My main research focus is on optical antennas in the infrared. So that’s not immediately related to 3D printing or illumination optics. But I’m hoping to work in an industrial lab after I graduate so this is a wonderful experience to have as a future optical engineer, whatever field I go into.
HP: Has the internship changed your idea of industry research?
Yes, it’s better than I thought it would be! Here at HP they have top notch facilities. They are doing wonderful work, not only in 3D print but also in biosciences. The research is outstanding.
HP: What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
I think you have to take some breaks in order to be productive. I like reading classic literature and biking and hiking. Travel is probably my favorite thing to do and it's amazing that my studies have taken me from Colombia to the East Coast of the United States and now to the West Coast – I’m so lucky to have the chance to travel and meet wonderful people.
