John Hong
San Francisco, CA

I’m a product designer working at the intersection of hardware and software. Whether it’s a machine interface, mobile/web app, or a physical product, I design experiences that put people at the center of innovation.

My background spans physical and digital domains, enabling me to conceive and execute holistic solutions across mediums. I hold a BS in Product Design (HCI focus) and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, where I specialized in physical product design and manufacturing.

I was most recently at Sanas.AI as a Product Design Engineer, where I designed solutions for live language translation. Now, I’m prototyping the next chapter of my life.


About Me

Professional Work

Projects
· Physical Design & Manufacturing
· Digital UX Design (Web, Mobile, VR/AR)
· Jewelry Design
Bloom

Objective
Design and fabricate an injection-molded product.

Design & Fabrication
Design for inejction molding within the mold dimension constraints of 3”x5”x2”. Aluminum mold designed with Fusion and injection molding simulation, fabricated with a vertical Arburg injection molding machine. Polypropylene was used for material.

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May — Jun 2025



        
Quintessence

Objective
Design a mechanical system that allows the extraction of drinkable 9-bar espresso.

Design & Fabrication
Generative design (Fusion360) to model a portafilter that would withstand the calculated forces for pulling a 9-bar shot with safety factor of 2.5, SLA printing with Tough2000 resin from Formlabs, manual lathe for piston interface for food safety, OTS component from Superkop (polycarbonate brew chamber), FDM printing for custom PLA prints of accessories (dosing funnel, WDT, distributer, tamper)

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Jan — Mar 2024




Injection-Molded Magnets

Objective
Design and fabricate a 2” × 3” aluminum mold for overmolding a magnet, then injection mold the final design using the mold.

Design & Fabrication
CAD & CAM in Fusion, CNC machining (HaasVF2), injectin molding (ARBURG 375V)

Results
Produced a set of injection-molded green lily pads that adhere to magnetic surfaces and allow smaller magnets (frog) to attach on top.

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April 2025

Air-Bearing

Obective
Design a rotational air-bearing using graphite.

Design & Fabrication
Machining (Lathe & Mill) graphite and aluminum, 3D-printing

Results
My teammate and I designed a turntable-style air bearing with a graphite insert serving as both thrust and journal, using gravity as preload and a ~5 µm disc-to-graphite tolerance. 

We reversed the typical journal extrusion, integrating both surfaces into the graphite.

The bearing spins for over five minutes, with some visible runout due to loose machining tolerances on the aluminum disc.

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Jun 2024


One Micron Mechanism

Objective
Design a 1-degree-of-freedom mechanism guided by a metal flexure (prevent parasidic motion) to achieve translation with average position error ≤ 1µm and average repeatability: ≤ 1µm.

Design & Fabrication
Waterjet-cut aluminum (flexure), SLA-printed Durable resin (differential screw), FDM-printed PLA (body), other (laser-cut acrylic)

Results
RMS Position Error = 6.0951µm
Mean Repeatability Error = 7.2500µma

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To You in 6000 Years

Objective
Design a meaningful object for 3-axis CNC machining, involving 3 part flips and appropriate workholding strategies.

Design & Fabrication
Copper for material, 3 part flips (front, back, hole for necklace), wax for fixture, Fusion360 (CAD & CAM), CNC (HaasV2 & V2SS)

Story
In ancient Mesopotamia, people wore seals as necklaces, rolling them on clay to display their signatures. I made my own to pay homage to Mesopotamians and future people who'll study this seal in 6000 years, much like I do today.

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Mar 2023

Pharaoh’s Scream

Objective
Design a functioning whistle for 3-axis CNC machining within 1.6 cubic inches.

Design & Fabrication
Brass for material, 2 part flips for each component, Fusion360 (CAD & CAM), CNC (HaasV2 & V2SS)

Story
“Could a pharaoh have ever been ensnared alive within a sarcophagus?” is a thought that crossed my mind when I was brainstorming. After learning the mechanisms of Ancient Aztec death whistles, I combined the two ideas to design a whistle that echoes the cries of a confined pharaoh.

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Feb 2023




Machined Skateboard Truck

Obective
Design a product that uses at least 2 of the manufacturing processes available at the Product Realization Lab.

Design & Fabrication
Breaking away from conventional casting for skateboard trucks, I set out on a personal challenge to craft one entirely through machining. I meticulously created each component of this skateboard truck. This endeavor not only brought this aesthetically stunning piece to life but also allowed me to relish the exhilarating experience of riding it. I used Fusion360 (CAD), mill, lathe, steel, and aluminum for design and manufacturing.

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Sep 2021 — Dec 2021



Michelangelo’s Maze

Obective
Design a 2.5” x 2.5” maze for CNC-machining.

Design & Fabrication
The fingers of Adam and God never actually touch in The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. The elusive reason behind this detail has always intrigued me, yet it remains unanswered.

This maze conveys the undending human pursuit of God—a perpetual yearning forever confined within the boundaries of self.

I used Fusion (CAD & CAM), Figma, 3-axis CNC (HaasV2), laser cutting for design and fabrication. Jan 2023


Shape Optimized Luggage Handle

Obective
Design a product that utilizes both additive manufacturing and algorithmic modeling (generative design, shape optimization). 

Design & Fabrication
I designed and manufactured a spring-loaded luggage handle capable of holding 50 lbs in any orientation. Opting for shape optimization over generative design to better address ergonomic and use-case constraints, I used Fusion 360 for CAD, FEA, and optimization, and printed the final part on a Formlabs Form 3 in Tough 2000 resin.
Jun 2022

Wizard of Oz Geneva Drive

Obective
Design and fabricate a mechanism with SolidWorks and laser cutting. 

Design & Fabrication
One of the most memorable movie scenes from my childhood is where Dorothy and her crew encounter the great Wizard of Oz in Emerald City. 

Using Illustrator and laser cutter, I recreated this iconic moment in the form of a Geneva drive where Oz’s head is the rotating drive and driven drive are flames. If you look closely, you may even find more Easter eggs!
Jun 2019