Composites Weekly

This week Shannon Schutt, the marketing director at Research Casting International joins me on the podcast to discuss how 3D printing is being used to recreate missing pieces of prehistoric dinosaurs. Founded back in 1987, RCI is one of the world's largest providers of Museum Technical Services, which include specimen restoration, casting, mounting, exhibit fabrication, and transportation.   They...

This week I welcome Nick Castelucci to the show. Nick is the managing partner at  Prestige Tooling , based out of Elkhart, IN. Nick and his team have over 25 years of experience in mold making with over 6,000 completed molds.  On this episode, he'll share some of the history of their company, as well as some of the industries they serve.  Their company is also one of the first mold makers in North...

This week Andrew Polkewaldt joins me again along with Dustin Troutman, the corporate director of marketing and product development at Creative Pultrusions, Inc. Creative Pultrusions, Inc. (CPI) is the worldwide leader in pultrusion manufacturing with a commitment to continuous process improvement. They specialize in pultruding large custom pultrusion profiles, while utilizing high-performance resi...

This week Cary Martin, VP of research & technology with Hexcel for global fibers joins me to discuss Hexcel's new Center of Research & Technology Excellence in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The 100,000-square-foot building is home to a state-of-the-art laboratory where company scientists and researchers collaborate with customers on the latest composite technology developments for aerospace, space and de...

On this episode, Eric Pierrejean and Thomas Lepretre join us to discuss JEC , and JEC World 2023 . Eric is the president and CEO of JEC and Thomas is the JEC World Director.  JEC World is the only global trade show dedicated to composite materials and applications. It gathers the whole value chain of the composite materials industry in Paris every year and is "the place to be" for composites profe...

On this episode, Scott Stephenson joins me to discuss SAMPE 2023 taking place next week in Seattle, WA. Scott is the director of strategic initiatives and events at CompositesWorld , and also president & acting CEO of SAMPE North America.  This show is where the advanced materials community comes together for face-to-face meetings, top-level education sessions, and panels led by the industry's lea...

This week, I welcome Adam Harms to the show. Adam is the m anaging director at Ruhl Strategic Partners and one  of the founders of Modulus, a new Social Community t hat is 100% dedicated to the Materials Industry. This new  platform will offer a more focused materials network experience away from LinkedIn that allows deeper engagement, and industry advancement. Adam explains that one of the reason...

This week I welcome Fadi Abro , the global director of transportation at Stratasys.  Stratasys provides complete polymer 3D printing solutions for every stage of the product life cycle, across design, manufacturing, and healthcare. Fadi is responsible for leading the Automotive Vertical for Stratasys in North and South America. His focus is on providing 3D printing solutions to customers throughou...

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 Compos...

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.   Pr...

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, a...

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...

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 an...

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. T...

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. 

This week Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me for the final podcast episode of 2022. We'll be discussing some of the Best Innovations in Composites for 2022. In our discussion we'll reference some of the 2022 JEC Composites Innovations Awards finalists .   

On this episode, Weslee Washington and John Kehoe of Boaz Partners join me to discuss some of the work they do for their business partners in the composites industry. Boaz Partners is an executive recruitment firm providing companies with custom recruiting solutions in specialty chemicals and advanced materials markets. Their expertise is a result of a niche-specific approach which allows them to...

This week Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido joins me on the show to discuss their research in structural thermoplastics and smart materials. Dr. Lopez-Anido has more than 22 years of experience in the areas of mechanics of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for construction, durability analysis of composite materials, advanced experimental methods for composites, composites manufacturing, rehabilitat...

This week I welcome Douglas Gardner on the show. He's the professor and program leader of sustainable materials technology in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine. He's also a member of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and Forest Bioproducts Research Institute.   His research, teaching, and service activities focus on polymer and interfacial science aspects of woo...

This week, Bryce Anzelmo joins me on the show. Bryce is the director of product development for Lyten , an advanced materials company that invented Lyten 3D Graphene™. 3D Graphene™ is a platform of materials that has the potential to enable breakthroughs in energy storage, composite systems, and chemical & passive sensors. Composite system improvements enabled by Lyten 3D Graphene include increase...

On this episode, Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me as he does each month to discuss ways to improve quality control. Andrew is the director of certifications for the ACMA and also a manufacturing training consultant. It's always great to catch up with Andrew each month as he shares process improvement takeaways from his time spent in manufacturing plants.