Adhesives Technologist within Formulation, PVA Technology, Hot Melt, Acrylics, Epoxies & Expert Witness

Expertise

Summary

Skilled Adhesives Technologist providing 47 years of experience in formulating, designing and supporting the adhesives industry.  Polymer specialties include polyvinyl acetate, acrylics, pressure sensitives, elastomers, hot melts and epoxies.

• Adhesives Formulation
• Vinyl Acetate Polymer and Copolymer Development
• Adhesives Testing
• Polyvinyl Alcohol Technology
• Hot Melt Adhesives
• Epoxy Adhesives
• Solvent Borne Adhesives
• Contact Cements
• Insulation Adhesives
• Packaging Adhesives
• Wood Working Adhesives
• Radio Frequency Cure
• UV curable adhesives
• Acrylic Curable Adhesive technology
• Pressure Sensitive Adhesives

Expert Witness Experience

Selected Cases

• Undisclosed Paper Company: Failure of multi walled shipping containers due to rheological creep. Recognized by the Federal District Court of Western Tennessee as an adhesives expert and a rheology expert.
• Appeared and testified as an expert witness in the case for 2 days.
• Traced the shelf-life instability of a 2-part epoxy formulation sold to a major retailer to a basic formulation error.
• Investigated the failure of EPDM to Asphalt bond bonded by a two-part epoxy.

Experience

A.B.A., Technical Manager, 2011 - Present

• Developed and implemented the use of proprietary "Virtual Adhesives Laboratory" Software. Formulations are developed through Basic Principles with Software formulations going right to production.

Wacker Chemical, Allentown, PA, Senior Development Chemist, 2007 - 2011 

• Supported customer sales and technology for polyvinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer systems.

Air Products and Chemicals, (Polymer Adhesives Group), Allentown, PA, Manager, 1987 - 2011

Raw Materials Adhesives Section Manager

• Concentrated on water-based poly vinyl acetate and vinyl-acetate copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol and acrylic water borne adhesive systems including, dry powder adhesive formulation experience.
• Formulated and Designed polymer for raw material sales. Executed technical and sales support.

Activities,1998 - 2011

• Supported the development of Airflex 920, and Airflex 7200 into the raw material market.

• Supported VAE powder sales.  Patented a styrene acrylic based bottle labeling system for beer bottle labeling. 
• Co-inventor of the semi crystalline VAE patent.  
• Developed training programs for the ASC. 
• Became interested in mathematically modeling adhesive fundamentals from a computerized structure / property relationship.
• Developed a computerized virtual laboratory program.  This enabled us to develop over 200 formulations per year for customers over the past 5 years averaging 5 MM lbs of new growth per year.

Activities, 1987 - 1997

• Became Adhesives Section Manager, managing a group of 4 chemists and 4 technicians.
• Commercialized Airflex 323 to compete against PVAc homopolymer and specialty PVAc grades.
• Provided polyvinyl alcohol support to the industry.
• Traveled the Far East twice to technically support PVOH sales into Asia. Gave a presentation at a Singapore adhesives and coatings conference.
• Trained and provided technical support for a South Korean raw material polymerization acquisition.
• Developed the closed cycle wash water concept to promote the use of VAE powder. Wrote an article which was published internationally.
• Worked to investigate the raw material of South America to potentially locally produce polymers and penetrate the South American Market.

Activities, 1987 - 1990

• Supported of the Adhesives Emulsions group. Supported existing and future customers and grew their business by helping them develop and commercialize new high solids technology.
• Developed a two-part high solids water borne VAE/isocyanate adhesive system for replacing vinyl lamination.
• Received a European patent for the technology. Advanced the sales of a high solids (66%) for vinyl laminating and use within the adhesives industry.
• Through resin research developed an improved RF curable type 1, Two-part, self-crosslinking wood adhesive and received a patent for it.
• Commercialized the emulsion along with several formulations to achieve varied levels of performance for windows, doors, finger joints plywood and core bonding within the wood construction market.

National Starch and Chemical, (Henkel Adhesives), Bridgewater, NJ, Technician, 1973 - 1987

Senior technical Formulator

• Worked with solvent based- rubber adhesives, solvent borne and 100 % Solids adhesives for the automotive industry, water-based acrylics, curing monomer adhesives, and vinyl-acetate based adhesives formulations.
• Worked primarily in the building products / Construction group within National Starch dealing with wood, metal and insulation bonding systems and consumer products.

Activities, 1982 - 1987

• Worked in the water borne packaging adhesives area as well as the construction adhesives area.
• Developed Vinyl lamination adhesives, HPL to Particle board continuous lamination adhesives, Natural rubber envelope adhesives.
• Developed Polyethylene to paper PSA adhesives working with resin research and became familiar with polymerization techniques and variables.

Activities, 1977 - 1982

• Worked with commercial development to develop a product line of insulation adhesives.
• Commercialized a unique UL approved acrylic system to replace a neoprene adhesive for metal building roll goods, sold various vinyl acrylics for spray on insulation and rock wool compositions.
• Worked with ASTM. Developed an emulsified resin / SBR system for fast track to adhere fiberglass to metal housings for UL approved furnaces, air conditioners, boilers and other HVAC equipment.
• Developed a line of EPS to facing adhesives for exterior sheathing,

Chemist,, 1973 -1977

• Learned the essentials of solvent-based formulations for contact cements, solvented PSA, primers/ barrier coatings, epoxies, curable acrylic monomer systems and others.
• Modified existing contact cement formulations.
• Developed a water borne equivalent to solvent borne contact cements from Neoprene latex.
• Commercialized an early prototype of a 2-part primer Hypalon/acrylic monomer curing plastics bonding system. Worked on a vinyl laminating epoxy system.
• Patented a uniquely spray able, fast grabbing PSA acrylic latex. 

Other Professional Activities

• Settled Prior to Court. The patents of a company in the HVAC Industry that were ultimately disallowed. Prepared a findings report on examples of prior art which questioned the new and novel nature of the
• Deposed for a specialty flooring case, scheduled to be tried, a product liability case where I am retained by the defendants. The case was ultimately decided out of court. It became a substrate /asphalt performance issue.
• Prepared a failure analysis report following a severe hail storm and worked to train roof/hail storm consultants on adhesives and failure modes. 

Independent Projects

• Helped develop a novel Hot Melt for fish net bonding, supported a novel fire stop HVAC technology. Helped change polymers in a medical device production issue. Worked with Xerox on new copier concepts.

• Consultant for the PBS television show “Secrets of the Dead- Escape from Alcatraz,” which aired. Was given technical credit for the program.
• Consultant for the Department of Justice in a major adhesives company. v. United States, U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Supported the DOJ in their defense of their position vs the claimed patent infringement by plaintiff.
• Expert Technical Witness for a client in a product liability/product failure case, retained by the ICP group. Deposed and wrote a final expert report but the case was ultimately decided out of court.
• For a petrochemical holding company-Plaintiffs. and electronics company-Defendants; Provided expert consulting support for the defendants.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Primary Author of the Air Products Adhesives Manual; VA Based Polymers” 3& 4th edition
• 5 patents on a diverse portfolio of adhesive technologies;
• Sprayable PSA lattices
• Two Part RF curable wood emulsions
• Water Based Epoxy replacement for vinyl lamination
• Synthetic bottle labeling adhesives
• VAE heat sealing resins
• Over 10 Adhesive and Training Webinars for Adhesives and Sealants Council and Special Chem (Europe)
• Speaker on numerous technology issues at the Adhesives and Sealants council meetings.
• Recently taught the concluding segment of ASC Adhesives Additives webinar short course “The Basics of adhesives Formulating”, and other ASC courses.
• Author of Articles; ‘Closed cycle adhesive productions systems, next generation adhesive emulsion developments and adhesives fundamentals’
• Several webinars on various aspects of adhesives training for Special Chem and the Adhesives and Sealants Council.

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• President Omega Chi Epsilon - Honor Society
• Adhesives and Sealants Council

Publications and Patents

• Author of numerous peer reviewed journals, articles, educational text/manuals
• Webinars
• Presentations
• Inventor of numerous U.S. and World patents

Education

• M.S. Chemical Engineering, (Honors, magna cum laude), New Jersey Institute of Technology
• B.S.   Chemical Engineering, (Honors, cum laude), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ