On this episode, Dr. Davood Askari joins the podcast. Davood, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Wichita State University, leads a research team that has created a breakthrough nanocomposite material. Engineered to significantly enhance the strength, durability, multifunctionality, and performance of lightweight structures, this innovation has broad applications across industries.

Their patent-pending technology offers a scalable solution to one of the most persistent challenges in composite design: strengthening weak interlaminar bonds.

On this episode, Guillaume Perben, CEO of Composite Recycling joins me to discuss their breakthrough new recycling technology that preserves the properties of the reclaimed oil and fibers, so that they can be used for producing high-quality, high-performance new composites. 

Their mission is to channel hard-to-recycle composite waste away from landfills and into new, high-value production that leverages the benefits and captures the value of virgin materials.

You can learn more about them by visiting https://composite-recycling.ch. 

On this episode, Tim Noonan, founder and CEO of Evertrak joins me on the show. Their
company is making some of the strongest, most innovative railroad ties in the industry.
Their ties are made with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) from recycled plastic, and are
engineered to perform reliably in-track for 50 years in high-rot regions, reducing replacement
costs, deforestation, and the use of dangerous creosote.

On this episode, Carmen Simon, PhD, joins the podcast to discuss her recent book
Made You Look. She is a cognitive neuroscientist, keynote speaker, and author who is
changing the way we understand attention, memory, and decision-making.

She’s the chief science office at CorporateVisions where she helps the world’s most
visible brands create memorable and actionable content using brain science.

Dr. Simon also teaches at Stanford University and speaks frequently to audiences
about crafting communication that is not only memorable but also sparks action!

Her latest book dives into the science behind why we notice some things and ignore
others. I’m thrilled to have her on the show to discuss how we can all design messages
that not only attract attention but also endure in the minds of our audiences.

On this episode, Derek DeGeest joins me on the show to talk automation and advanced robotic technology in the composites industry. 

Derek is the president at DeGeest Corporation, a leading resource for manufacturers looking for excellence in automation, and finishing. They've been helping manufacturers solve problems since 1976.

On this episode, Dan Neumann joins me to discuss the port strike called at East and Gulf Coast cargo facilities. Thousands of dockworkers from New England to Texas went on strike just after midnight on Tuesday. We'll be discussing what's being done in Washington and how manufacturing companies in our industry should prepare. 

On this episode, Kyle Jordan and Rob Germann join me to discuss the ACMA’s recent work with the US Army Corps of Engineers on a personalized training program located at Creative Composites Group’s facility in Dayton, OH.

The training is based on the CCT VIP program, and they’ll discuss how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leveraging composite materials and the CCT program in future projects.

You can learn more about the ACMA's CCT training program by visiting https://acmanet.org/education/certified-composites-technician-program.

On this episode, Cindy Squires and Rebekah Stacha join me to talk about CAMX 2024, taking place in just 3 weeks out in San Diego, CA (Sep. 9-12). It's the largest, most comprehensive composites and advanced materials event in North America.

You can still register by visiting https://www.thecamx.org. 

This week, Garrett Bernard joins the show. Garret is the director of business development at Specialty Materials, the world's leading supplier of the highest quality Boron fiber products. 

Garrett has spent his career in marketing and business development roles, growing specialty chemical and advanced manufacturing companies. He has a background in materials science and is an instrument-rated pilot.

You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.specmaterials.com. 

On this episode, Dr. Yasmin Abdin joins me to discuss her research work innovating a method to transform asphaltene, a byproduct of bitumen processing, into carbon fibers.

Bitumen which is typically restricted for use as fuel or asphalt, could now be transformed into more useful and valuable carbon nanofibres. Dr. Abdin and her
colleagues have now turned their research into a startup, Fibernx Technologies, to commercialize their innovation by the end of 2024. You can learn more by visiting www.fibernxtech.com.

On this episode, Josh Shires, CEO of Fyous joins me to discuss their latest technology for tooling. It's called Polymorphic Moulding, an automated rapid shapeshifting molding technology that allows users to create accurate molds for tooling and will reduce time to market for a huge array of products. 

Their technology uses 28,000 digitally controlled pins to create a shape from a 3D CAD shape in less than 20 minutes, achieving zero waste and enabling parts production 14 times faster than 3D printing.

It can be applied to a limitless number of products and sectors - including composites. Polymorphic Moulding is a zero-waste technology where raw materials are conserved and the molds can be used over and over.

Josh will be sharing the background of this technology on the show. You can learn more by visiting their website at https://fyous.com. 

On this episode, David Leach joins me to discuss the transition from thermoset to thermoplastic composites. David has been the director of business development at ATC Manufacturing, and a thermoplastic composites materials technology leader for over three decades.

ATC pioneers the adoption of continuous fiber thermoplastic composites in aero-structures. They supply more than a million parts per year, operating in a state-of-the-art facility in the eastern Washington, Northern Idaho region.

David will be presenting at ECCM21 next week on the topic of transitioning from thermoset composites to TPCs. ECCM21 (European Conference on Composite Materials) is Europe’s leading conference on composite materials and will provide a forum for access to the latest knowledge from both industry and academia in all areas of composite materials.

You can learn more about ECCM21 by visiting https://eccm21.org.

On this episode, ACMA consultant Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me to discuss technologies that are driving Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 is often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution and it represents a seismic shift in the way manufacturing and production processes are managed. 

With the advent of smart factories, the integration of cyber-physical systems, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and artificial intelligence, we are witnessing unprecedented levels of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.

We’ll also be featuring a previous interview with Brian Fitzgerald of Augury discussing how A.I. is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry with its ability to predict machine and equipment failure, enhancing efficiency and reducing downtime costs. 

On this episode, Paul Gloyer, the president of GTL, (Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, Inc.) joins me to discuss recent news involving validation test results from their LH2 Liquid Hydrogen Composite Dewar-Tanks for Aviation Applications.

GTL is an aerospace engineering research and development company headquartered in Tullahoma, TN with a second office in California. They specialize in providing transformational technologies to the aerospace and defense industry. 

They’ve won numerous development contracts with NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Navy, and others. 

Paul has 25 years of experience delivering technical solutions to solve the aerospace industry's most challenging problems. He has led efforts to develop a wide variety of aerospace systems including the PA-X suborbital rocket, the SPORT orbit transfer vehicle, and the Encounter solar-sail craft. 

You can learn more about GTL by visiting https://www.gtlcompany.com. 

On this episode, Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me as we discuss A.I. and technology advances in the manufacturing sector. 

The global marketplace is changing at an unprecedented pace, and technology is poised to play a significant role in supporting manufacturers to take on the challenges they may face in 2024 and beyond. 

Andrew Pokelwaldt is a regular guest of the show. He's a manufacturing consultant, with a focus on training, and workforce development. He's an industry leader, experienced in the composites fabrication and manufacturing process, and a military veteran. 

This week I welcome Kerry Drake, PhD to the podcast. Kerry is the Technology Manager for Greene Tweed, a leading global manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastics, composites, seals, and engineered components. 

Combining 160 years of technical expertise and commercial knowledge in a variety of markets, Greene Tweed collaborates with customers to develop engineered solutions that meet challenging performance requirements of the aerospace/defense, energy, semiconductor, industrial, life sciences, and chemical processing industries. 

You can learn more by visiting http://www.gtweed.com.

Kerry is an inventor on multiple granted patents in polymers, coatings, and elastomeric products, and has presented at several international conferences in Polymer chemistry and materials science.

His specialties include expertise in ultra-performance polymers and materials including, high-performance thermosets, elastomer chemistry and product development, and organic and inorganic coatings. 

He has led the development of multiple new products from concept through synthesis, pilot scale production, and commercial launch. 

On this episode, Kyle Jordan and Peter Hedger of the ACMA join me for a discussion on workforce development. Kyle is the director of certifications with the ACMA and Peter is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Membership. 

We'll be talking about a recent workforce development research survey that the ACMA completed back in October, and some of the data from it. The results were clear - the industry wants and needs more training. As we share some of the feedback from companies, we'll also discuss just how CCT training & certification can help improve employee retention. 

For more info on the ACMA's CCT certification programs, visit https://acmanet.org. 

On this episode, Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me to discuss some of the latest industry news including the New Vulcan Centaur rocket that successfully launched. 

The Vulcan Centaur rocket features the first use of Northrop Grumman’s Graphite Epoxy Motor solid rocket booster. At over 72 feet long and 63 inches in diameter, the GEM 63XL is the longest monolithic SRB ever produced for flight. 

On this episode, we share some interviews from CAMX 2023 in Atlanta last week. It was a great show and we had the opportunity to speak with several companies during the event. 

We'll be making these "CAMX interviews" a three part segment. 

For part one, we feature interviews with Paua, a UK-based material technology company, and CAMX award finalist. This episode also includes interviews with John Kehoe of Boaz Partners, Adam Harms, the founder of Modulus, and John Thoma of Gefran. 

This week Ryan Oner of AKPA Chemicals joins me to share some of the latest news from their company. AKPA Chemicals specializes in the production of organic peroxides & initiators. 

They'll be featuring at CAMX in Atlanta next week and will be located at booth T44. 

You can visit their website at https://akpachemicalus.com. 

On this episode, John H Moore of JHM Technologies joins me on the podcast. For over 30 years JHM Technologies, Inc. has provided closed molders worldwide with proven closed molding solutions. Known globally by their passion for the industry and assisting molders to achieve their closed molding goals. JHM Technologies'​ innovative approach provides molders with custom turn-key packages that are precisely tuned to meet their production needs.

John is the president of the company and he'll be discussing some new technology they've developed to assist open molders. This technology retrofits on to existing spray systems and helps resin & gel coat operators maintain proper catalyst levels during temperature changes inside the plant. 

On this episode, Cindy Squires and Rebekah Stacha join me to highlight CAMX 2023 taking place down in Atlanta at the end of October. CAMX is the largest, most comprehensive composites and advanced materials event in North America. 

It offers a robust education program with a massive exhibit hall showcasing hundreds of manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers. You can register today by visiting https://www.thecamx.org. 

You can check out a list of ACE and CAMX award finalists at:  https://camx23.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/#/searchtype/sessionkeyword/search/Award%20Entries/show/all. 

This week, Colin Mackinnon of PPSS Group joins me on the podcast. Colin is a specialist consultant in PPE options, workplace violence and staff security.

PPSS Group is an internationally recognized firm specializing in the development and supply of high-performance personal protective equipment, clothing, and workwear, offering protection from edged weapons, blades, hypodermic needles, blunt force trauma, and bites. 

Their stab vests body armor is made from an ultra high-performance carbon fiber composite, offering fully certified, operationally sound, and thoroughly field-tested levels of protection from edged weapons.

You can learn more about them, by visiting their website at www.ppss-group.com. 

On this episode, ACMA consultant Andrew Pokelwald joins me to discuss how the composites industry is meeting infrastructure challenges. In construction projects, many are seeing the cost-saving advantages of building with highly durable and innovative composite materials.

Composites offer the advantages of corrosion resistance and durability, leading to longer service life for structures.

We'll be looking at some of the biggest opportunities in infrastructure and how composite manufacturers are meeting those challenges.