David Kolšek

Mechanical engineer. Composite additive manufacturing and digital fabrication.

Ljubljana, Slovenia dk11573@student.uni-lj.si github.com/DavidKolsek kolsek.pages.dev

Profile

I am a doctoral researcher in composite additive manufacturing. My subject is long-discontinuous-fibre (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.

Education

PhD candidate, mechanical engineering2025–2028 (expected)

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

Subject: long-discontinuous-fibre CF/PLA composites for FFF printing.
Work: fibre preparation, filament compounding, large-nozzle extrusion (1.0–1.5 mm), critical fibre length models, mechanical testing.
The feedstock (matrix pellets and chopped fibre) is substantially cheaper than bought composite filament, which makes larger test series possible.

MSc and BSc, mechanical engineering

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

Selected projects

ClaySlicer, parametric G-code generatorgcode.pages.dev

A browser tool that writes G-code directly 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.

Filament compound calculatorldfcalc.pages.dev

A research tool for PLA, PA6 and PC matrix recipes with chopped carbon or glass fibre and a SEBS-g-MAH compatibiliser. It converts between mass and volume fractions and scales a recipe to the capacity of the compounder. Source: github.com/DavidKolsek/fibrecalc.

ESP32 loggerembedded system

A battery-powered data logger. One record is 8 bytes and the CSV is made only at export. The firmware measures its own clock error during deep sleep and corrects it, so the data has no gap and no overlap, and it measures when the attached power bank switches itself off. Settings and data are served by a web dashboard on its own access point.

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. Source: github.com/DavidKolsek/marineVisionAlarm.

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.

TileGroove, tangible loop instrumenttilegroove.pages.dev

A phone camera below a glass surface reads printed ArUco tiles and Tone.js plays loops in time. The set includes a printed calibration sheet and original CC0 samples.

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.

What’s Up Ljubljana, automated daily bulletinljubljana.pages.dev

A Python pipeline collects events and weather, writes visitor notices and publishes a static bilingual bulletin every day with no manual steps.

Vibe coding, a practical guidevibecodeguide.pages.dev

Eighteen chapters on building software with language models, in Slovenian and English: choosing a model, the working loop, common mistakes, publishing, and handling sensitive data.

From salary to wealth, educational portalfinancnisvetovalnik.pages.dev

Costs, taxes and investment routes for a Slovenian investor, with sources given. Prices are computed in the browser on each visit, so the site stays static. Educational material, not financial advice.

Commissioned work

Beehive scalemeasuring device

Design, choice of sensing and fabrication of a device for monitoring the mass of a hive.

Lunar hammer replicaexhibition piece

A replica of the Apollo mission hammer. CAD model and technical drawings, manufactured on a manual lathe and mill, with materials chosen for what the exhibit had to do.

Robotic arm for an art installationmechanics and electronics

Mechanics and drive for a moving arm, control electronics with its software, plus assembly and support on site.

Engineering for an art installationmechanism development

Turning the artist's idea into a mechanism that works reliably for the whole run of the exhibition.

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, Illustrator

Vision and embedded: OpenCV, ArUco, segmentation, Raspberry Pi, Seeed XIAO, ESP32

Languages

Slovenian: native

English: professional working proficiency