This month we talk to Tim Last, Magicard’s Electronics Team Leader. Tim and his team have been instrumental in the development of the innovative modular electronics architecture which powers the upcoming Rio Pro 360 printer.
Tell us about your career history to date:
I’ve always worked with electronics. Initially as a technician then later as a Design Engineer, for many companies and with many types of equipment. I’ve repaired, designed and tested many products over the years but my work at Magicard has been a fresh and welcome challenge.
How long have you worked at Magicard?
A little over two years. In that short period, I have become the Team Leader in addition to being the Design Engineer. We now have three Engineers, myself included, and one Technician who is continuing with further education on a day release basis with a view to becoming an Engineer. I’m very happy with Magicard’s commitment to the next generation of Engineers because I have greatly benefited from this attitude myself previously.
What does your job role involve?
I want to provide the best electronics designs for our printers and to delight our customers with the things that we can do. Designing a printer is a complex task that requires specialist skills from several disciplines to be efficiently joined together. Therefore, I have to balance the needs of electronics designers with those of the software and mechanical design teams so that a consensus is achieved for the design as a whole, whilst still meeting the original customer requirements. Working to improve inter-disciplinary cooperation whilst facilitating a creative space for the individual designers in my team is probably the most challenging aspect of my role right now.
What are the biggest positives about Magicard as an employer?
As an employee, I’ve found Magicard to be flexible, helpful and approachable. It’s a friendly environment. There are some very talented people working here and more joining so it’s an exciting time to be working for Magicard. I really think the best is yet to come.
Is there a particular project you’ve enjoyed working on the most?
The current project to deliver the new modular LYNK architecture is very exciting – it’s going to provide a massive increase in flexibility, connectivity and features for new printer products and perhaps for other products that we haven’t even thought of yet!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I never look that far ahead, there’s always plenty to do right now.
