David Kolšek
Mechanical engineer. Composite additive manufacturing and digital fabrication.
Profile
I am a doctoral researcher in composite additive manufacturing. My subject is long discontinuous fiber (LDF) composites for FFF printing. The goal is strong composite parts from standard, low cost hardware.
I also work with my hands. I have repaired and remanufactured hundreds of functional parts with CNC milling, manual milling, turning, FDM and resin printing, and CO2 laser cutting. I write the software for my machines and my projects. Eight of my websites are live today.
Education
PhD candidate, mechanical engineering2025 to 2028 (expected)
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana
- Research subject: long discontinuous fiber CF/PLA composites for FFF printing.
- Work: fiber preparation, filament compounding, large nozzle extrusion (1.0 to 1.5 mm), critical fiber length models, mechanical tests.
- LDF feedstock costs 15 to 25 times less than commercial composite filament. The matrix costs up to 60 times less.
MSc and BSc, mechanical engineeringadd years
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. add thesis title
Selected projects
Clay Studio, parametric G-code generatorgcode.pages.dev
- A browser tool that writes direct G-code for clay printing on the Delta WASP 40100. It builds vessels from stacked cross sections and adds weave, twist and corrugation textures. It shows the toolpath before the print. Vanilla JavaScript with no dependencies, plus a Python engine and tested slicer profiles.
TileGroove, tangible loop instrumenttilegroove.pages.dev
- A phone camera below a glass surface reads printed ArUco tiles. Tone.js plays loops in time with the tiles. The set includes a printed calibration sheet and original CC0 samples.
Marine Aid, obstacle alarm for a sailboatRaspberry Pi, Python
- A daytime safety aid for an 11 m cruiser. One forward camera does maritime segmentation. The system tracks obstacles, scores the threat in the image plane and raises an alarm.
XIANO, stylophone synthesizerhardware and firmware
- A capacitive keyboard PCB around the Seeed XIAO, with firmware, tests and a fabricated case. Full electromechanical product development at small scale.
Board Game Rules, bilingual rules archiveboardgamerules.pages.dev
- Rules for 24 board games in Slovenian and English, with original SVG diagrams. Games that I build by hand carry a permanent QR code to their page.
Ljubljana Bulletin, automated daily pageljubljana.pages.dev
- A Python pipeline collects events and weather, writes visitor notices and publishes a static bilingual bulletin every day with no manual steps.
Skills
Engineering: CAD, FEM analysis, mechanics of materials, technical writing in LaTeX
Additive manufacturing: FFF, LDF composites, resin, clay extrusion, direct G-code, slicer profiles
Subtractive and fabrication: CNC milling, manual milling, lathe, CO2 laser cutting, PCB design
Programming: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, embedded C++, G-code
Web and graphics: vanilla JavaScript, Three.js, Astro, WebXR, WebRTC, Canvas
Vision and embedded: OpenCV, ArUco, segmentation, Raspberry Pi, Seeed XIAO
Languages
Slovenian: native
English: professional working proficiency