Thermal Spray Coating Materials Expert

Technical Consultant #2417

Thermal spray coating.
Laser cladding, feedstock materials.
Additive manufacturing materials.
Alloy powder research and development.
Coating deposition.
Materials solutions for industrial and aerospace applications.
Raw materials, test data, specifications, and use instructions to commercialize cost-effective new products and methods.
Feedstock materials for PTA,(laser hardfacing), and additive manufacturing.
Materials specification writing, revisions for aerospace, power generation, and industrial.
Matching materials and processes to old and new applications.
Materials engineering - alloys, alloy powders, ceramics, and composites.
Technical writing and editing (Research and Development).

Undisclosed Company, Materials Consultant, 2003 - Present

Provide consulting services related primarily to thermal spray coating materials and their coatings, including feedstock material sourcing and development, coating development for applications, scoping out technical markets, and writing specifications and other quality assurance documents.
Other areas of interest include cold spray, laser cladding, laser additive manufacturing, and plasma transferred arc (PTA) powders and applications.

Eutectic Corporation, Falls, WI, Consultant Engineer-Coatings, 2016 - 2017

Provided materials engineering consulting support to Eutectic's North American manufacturing, marketing and sales teams, mainly for materials used in thermal spray and related coating processes.

Kennametal Inc., (Delora Stellite), Goshen, NJ, Senior Materials Engineer, 2008 - 2016

Responsible for writing alloy and product (powder, rod, wire) specifications and bills of material for weld surfacing, laser cladding, additive manufacturing, and thermal spray consumables.
Provided technical sales support to answer U.S. and foreign customer inquiries directly and through the sales team. Assisted purchasing department in identifying new raw materials or sources to meet manufacturing needs. Participated in materials research and development projects.

Belcan Corporation, Indianapolis, IN, Specification Writer, 2004 - 2008

Provided engineering services to Rolls-Royce Corporation aircraft engine plant in Indianapolis, to enable Rolls-Royce to outsource lab evaluations performed for repair engineering vendor qualification.
Tasks included drafting specifications and other work documents, acting as liaison between internal and external test laboratories, and assisting repair and research and development engineers in using the documents.

Praxair Surface Technologies, Indianapolis, IN, Concord, NH and Pearland, TX, 1995 - 2003

Senior Market Development Specialist, 2002 - 2003

Determined the nature, scope, and potential of new markets for atomized alloy powders made by Praxair and gained sales to those markets directly and through the sales force.

Materials Manager, 2001 - 2002

Sourced raw materials for the powder plant, maintained appropriate inventory levels, and sold recycle materials.
Wrote new powder specifications for raw materials and finished products added to Praxair's system after its purchase of TAFA.
Provided engineering services to Rolls-Royce Corporation aircraft engine plant in Indianapolis, to enable Rolls-Royce to outsource lab evaluations performed for repair engineering vendor qualification.

Senior Materials Development Engineer, 1998 - 2000

Sourced and purchased raw materials for production and research and development of thermal spray powders, evaluated supplier performance, directed QA testing and certification of raw materials and finished products.
Wrote powder specifications, and gave general support to research and development activities.

Manager, Materials Development, 1995 - 1998

Directed laboratory and spray test characterization of developmental and standard thermal spray powders and wires, wrote powder and wire specifications, and issued application recommendations to the field.

Sulzer Plasma Technik, Troy, MI, Product Development Engineer, 1988 - 1994

Developed and characterized gas atomized and composite thermal spray and vacuum brazing powders and assisted in scale-up to full scale production.
Advised sales personnel and customers on how best to spray the powders and developed detailed parameter sheets for newly introduced powders.
Investigated gas atomization processes using Design of Experiment methodologies, to improve product yields. Supervised the in-house chemistry lab.

Air Products & Chemicals Inc., Trexlertown, PA, Senior Development Engineer, 1983 - 1988

Applied Research and Development Department, developed novel applications for industrial gases.
Set up arc spray coatings lab with custom gas train and custom wire feed apparatus.
Organized testing of arc spray coating processes using inert or reactive gas atomization in place of compressed air, to improve coating integrity.
Initiated and helped to develop a patented gas-phase silicon diffusion coating process.

Metco Inc., Westbury, NY, Senior Materials Engineer, 1978 - 1983

Developed, characterized, and created standard parameters/methods for a wide range of thermal spray powders, wires, sealers, and spray processes.
Also advised internal and external coating users on optimum selection of materials and deposition methods.
Worked specifically on coatings for special applications, such as protection of black liquor recovery boilers and pulp digesters in the kraft paper industry.

Asarco Inc., South Plainfield, NJ, Research Metallurgist, 1974 - 1978

Developed and characterized non-ferrous (Pb- and Cu-base) alloys and applications, including studies of the Pb-Sn-Ca ternary phase diagram in connection with hardener alloys for maintenance-free battery grids.

Howmet Corporation, Whitehall, MI, Development Engineer, 1973 - 1974

Developed Hot Isostatic Pressing methods for healing defects in cast Ni-base and Ti-base turbine components and surgical implants.

Languages

Academic and Professional Affiliations

ASM International Thermal Spray Society - Member, Board of Directors and Chairman, Accepted Practices Committee.
Journal of Thermal Spray Technology - Member, Editorial Committee
American Welding Society - Member, A5G Subcommittee on Hardfacing
ASTM International - Member, F42 Committee on Additive Manufacturing

Publications and Patents

Author of papers and presentations on thermal spray processes and products published proceedings in various industry forums.
Eight U.S. Patents (Sulzer, Air Products, and Metco), covering powders and processes for gas turbine abradable seal coatings and other composite coatings, a metal-base bond coat for plastics, and a silicon CVD diffusion coating.

M.S. Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
B.S. Metallurgy and Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA