Chanakya Thaker
M.Tech, Mechanical Engineering - Design, IIT Bombay, 2026
I am a mechanical engineer. I design things, build them, and make sure they actually work. Over the past 4 years of R&D at IIT Bombay, I have designed precision instruments, machined custom components, built test rigs from scratch, and coordinated with manufacturers across India, China, and the USA to bring engineering ideas to life.
Design and manufacturing are two sides of the same coin, and I work across both. From CAD modeling to CNC machines to CMM inspection, my work lives on the shop floor as much as it does on the screen. I am passionate about manufacturing excellence, getting the process right, the tolerances tight, and the yield high. Whether it is running a DOE on Al6061, debugging an assembly fixture at 2 am, or qualifying a process at a supplier site, I am hands-on by nature.
Project
Title: Precision CMM Scanning Probe Development
Industry-partnered precision instrument development funded by Department of Science & Technology (DST), India. Developed a cost-effective analog scanning probe for Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM), delivering equivalent measurement performance to imported Renishaw SP80 systems at 1/5th the cost through innovative compliant mechanism design and precision manufacturing.
Solely managing end-to-end development of a precision mechanical instrument in collaboration with PI at IIT Bombay, across the full product development lifecycle.
Mechanical design & CAD modeling of 30+ precision components
CNC machining, fixture design, and fabrication of custom parts
Assembly process development and functional validation through testing
Simulation & FEA-based structural analysis for design verification
Procurement, RFQs, BOM preparation, and supplier coordination across India, China, and USA
PCB design and electromechanical integration for sensor systems
Experimental setup
Rotary probe
Linear Probe