I’m a prototype development consultant with a background that spans mechanical design, CAD, traditional machining, prototyping, and embedded systems. My work sits at the intersection of engineering rigor and creative problem‑solving, the space where early‑stage ideas become functional, tangible hardware.
My path started early. Summer jobs in a plastic injection molding shop showed me how ideas become products and how much discipline it takes to make something real. I kept chasing that feeling. Through a willingness to work hard and learn whatever the job demanded, I moved through a series of apprenticeships: tool & die machining, prototype model making, and automation engineering. Each role required a different set of skills, but they all taught the same lesson, good work depends on clear, repeatable processes.
Working as an associate engineer clarified something important: I loved solving problems, and I was good at it. But I also saw the limits of experience without formal training. So I went back to school. I worked my way through community college, earned my mechanical engineering degree, and joined a research team that eventually led to my graduate work and a position as a laboratory instructor for upper‑division engineering courses.
After graduating, I committed to building the career I’d always wanted, one where I could help people bring ideas to life. I started refining my tools, my workflows, and my approach to product development. Two books shaped my thinking more than anything else: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership by Jeffrey Liker and Gary Convis. Ries’s “fail fast, learn faster” philosophy and the Toyota concept of gemba, going to the real place where the problem lives, became core to how I work.
In 2021, I launched Lean Lines LLC. I began by supporting people I already had relationships with while developing my own projects to refine my methods. Now it’s 2026. My tools are sharp, my processes are tested (especially by recent Ai advances), and I’m ready to help you build something real.
Please Note: While I have acted under an engineering title with prior employers and received my degrees in mechanical engineering, I am not a licensed engineer and do not offer professional engineering services.
Degrees:
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, UNLV 2018
Masters in Mechanical Engineering, UNLV 2020
Publications:
Burd, Dustin Walter, “Validation of Novel Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment with Silicone Gel Experimental Models” (2020). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 4043.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/23469713
Acknowledments of Support:
R. C.Wang, S.Shah, J.Moxley, E.Kubiak, and M. F.Shand, “Feasibility of Laryngeal Joint Replacement: A Proof of Concept Study in Cadavers,” The Laryngoscope135, no. 8 (2025): 2819–2823, https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.32120.