This week Peter Hedger of Composite Applications Group and Anthony Vicari of Cleantech Group join me on the show to discuss the role of composite materials in the EV market.
On this episode, we'll have an in-depth discussion of the future of electric vehicles and battery technology and where the opportunities are with composite materials.
Peter is vice president of business development at Composite Applications Group, a company that has an extensive network of Composite technologies and materials and works to connect manufacturing companies to the necessary supply chain to bring their innovation dream into reality.
Anthony is a Consultant Manager at Cleantech Group. He has completed projects for global corporations across geographies and industries to understand the details, implications, and trends in emerging technologies, and to develop adoption and investment strategies, in order to grow their businesses while achieving their sustainability and emissions reduction goals.
This week I welcome Johanna Reiland on the show. Johanna is an engineer, innovation consultant, and circular economy expert based out of Barcelona, where she works for Bax & Company, a leading European sustainable innovation agency.
On this episode, Dr. Susan MacKay joins me to discuss her work at the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. Her responsibilities include managing operations and R&D programs with a particular focus on Additive Manufacturing programs.
She has 25 years of experience in materials chemistry, product development, and manufacturing at both large corporations and early-stage companies.
Prior to joining UMaine, she was the founder and CEO of Cerahelix, Inc. where she led the commercialization of their ceramic nanofiltration technology based on a patented DNA ceramic nanotechnology coating.
We'll be discussing some of the ongoing research around bio-based materials in additive manufacturing as well as ASCC's BioHome3D - the first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based materials.
The BioHome3D was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hub and Spoke program between the UMaine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The 600-square-foot prototype featured 3D-printed floors, walls, and roof made of wood fibers and bio-resins. This house is fully recyclable and highly insulated with 100% wood insulation and customizable R-values.
Construction waste was nearly eliminated due to the precision of the printing process.
UMaine is a world leader in forest-derived cellulose nanofiber (CNF) technology, including nano- and micro-cellulose reinforced thermoplastic composites through its Advanced Structures and Composites Center.
You can learn more about the work by visiting https://umaine.edu/biomaterials.
On this episode, we'll be discussing the topic of employee retention in the composites industry.
Industry expert and technical trainer Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me for the 1st part of the show to discuss how some companies are incentivizing employees.
On the 2nd part of the show I interview Lisa Ryan, author of the book Thank You Very Much: Gratitude Strategies to Create a Workplace That ROCKS!
On this episode, Dan Neumann joins me to discuss the ACMA’s Infrastructure & Sustainability Fly-In that's taking place in Washington DC this week(Feb 15-16). Dan is the Vice President of Government Relations with The ACMA, and he'll be filling us in on some of the activities and meetings from day one.
This week, I welcome Mike Graham on the show. Mike is the founder and president of Real Carbon, a composite engineering company with a long history of high-quality work.
Through 35 years of industry experience, they've helped their clients design custom carbon fiber products for all types of applications. These include the consumer, industrial, marine, medical, military, musical, recreational, and UAV industries.
Mike Graham is a chemist with a passion for all things composites related. He is originally from St. Andrews in Scotland and moved to the US in 1987.
You can learn more about their company by visiting https://realcarbon.com.
On this episode, Ben Gibbons of Circular11 joins me to share how their startup company is turning plastic waste into low-carbon building products that outlast and outperform traditional building materials.
In the UK, 75% of plastic goes to waste, and a significant reason for this is the cross-polymer contamination that is an inseparable part of the recycling system.
The mixture of plastics, and the range of chemicals in them, means that manufacturers can't achieve consistent product characteristics, and therefore don't buy the waste streams.
The team at Circular 11 has developed a process control system that dynamically adjusts our own sets of composite formulations to achieve a consistent, high quality output from low-grade variable inputs.
They currently manufacture and sell products to validate the technology, and will then license the process control system to other manufacturers, enabling the wider polymer processing sector to use low-grade plastic as a functional feedstock.
You can learn more about their company by visiting https://circular11.com.
This week Jeff Bassler, founder of Prodigm joins me on the podcast. Prodigm is a premier maker of production-focused filament winding controls and software solutions.
On this episode, Jeff will share some background of their company and a recent case study of helping Duoline Technologies improve their process. Duoline produces RICEWRAP®, a protective wrap of fiberglass epoxy externally applied and bonded to steel pipe for external corrosion protection on downhole tubing.
The team at Duoline had challenges with the current filament winding equipment used to produce this product line. Using Prodigm's open platform CNC controls and software installed on their filament winding fiberglass tubular product line Improved the quality of their parts.
Jeff started Prodigm back in 2008. Having over 13 years of experience in controls and software engineering already, Jeff was completely intrigued by the possibilities offered by filament winding different laminate structures and started developing the first algorithms.
Now, 13 years later, having customers across the continental US, Prodigm's primary focus has not changed. Getting a machine running is one thing; tailoring it to run for their customer's specific wants is the most rewarding part.
They've contributed to the manufacture of light poles, composite rifle barrels, ductwork, rocket fuselages, rocket fuel tanks, oil well-lining systems, and lightweight robotic arms—to name a few! You can learn more about their company by visiting www.prodigm.net.
This week Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me on the show as we discuss some of the expanded applications for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). CMCs are widely used in the aerospace and energy sectors but their ability to be used in extreme conditions (high heat) makes them attractive for other industries as well.
On this episode, I welcome Lucas Grimes and Arthur Kaplan on the show. Their company Imperium was born out of the desire to optimize the way energy is purchased. Using the power of AI and automation, they help manufacturing companies cut out the hidden fees and tell you the best time to buy.
The energy that fuels the composites industry and mfg operations throughout the US is a significant cost. Their new predictive artificial intelligence (AI) platform helps manufacturers lock in the lowest energy rates at just the right time.
On this episode, we'll be discussing how their technology is helping companies in our industry.
You can learn more by visiting https://thisisimperium.com.
On this episode, we feature an interview with Jen and Chris Hudak. They are the founders of Escapod, a fabricator of lightweight teardrop camper trailers and one of the fastest-growing manufacturing companies in the US. This company started back in 2016 out of a garage and now has over 70 employees.