composites materials

On this episode Thomas Lepretre, joins me again on the show to highlight JEC World 2024 coming up in less than two weeks.

This huge event brings together not only all major global companies but also innovative startups in the field of composites and advanced materials.

Thomas will be highlighting what attendees can expect on the show floor during the week of March 5-7, as well as some areas of focus at this year's event. 

This week, Alex Blum, CEO of Applied Bioplastics joins me on the podcast to discuss bio based thermoplastic composites. Applied Bioplastics has developed a unique technology that permanently bonds natural cellulose fibers and polymer to produce durable plastic for manufacturers.

It is the first alternative to be cost-competitive with commodity feedstocks, and requires no changes to standard injection molding equipment. In addition, it utilizes the most available bio-polymer on the planet - cellulose. About 1.5 trillion tons of cellulose is produced annually. 

On this episode Dan Neumann joins us again to talk about the Composites 2024 Fly-In taking place next week (Feb 26-28) in Washington DC. This event will provide a unique setting to meet with members of Congress and agency leadership to educate them on the valuable capabilities of composite materials.

You can learn more by visiting https://acma-org.my.site.com/flyin2024. 

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. 

Manufacturers in every sector are incorporating promising new processes and materials into product development and production—which often involve coating, sealing, and bonding. 

Because these molecular interactions are invisible, a host of unseen environmental conditions can compromise surface integrity during production, leading to costly flaws and breakdowns. 

On this episode, Lucas Dillingham of Brighton Science joins the podcast to highlight their company’s technology – a system that allows manufacturers to confidently assess surface readiness for bonding, coating, or sealing at the point of preparation.

More than 20 years ago, Brighton Science began as a development lab for plasma polymerized coatings. 

Through research and development work led by their Chief Scientist and founder Dr. Giles Dillingham, Brighton Science made great strides in the field of material science and adhesives in manufacturing. 

It was during this time that Brighton Science developed the Surface Analyst, the first hand-held contact angle measurement device used in the development of adhesive bonding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. 

You can learn more about their technology by visiting https://www.brighton-science.com. 

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, Brian Fitzgerald, the CRO at Augury joins me to discuss how A.I. is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry with its ability to predict machine and equipment failure, enhancing efficiency and reducing downtime costs. 

Augury is a Billion manufacturing tech company that is unlocking production capacity, predictability, and sustainability while transforming how manufacturing teams work. 

You can learn more about Augury by visiting https://www.augury.com. 

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 resins in combination with our proprietary high-pressure injection process.

We'll be highlighting the Creative Composites Group of companies as well as some of the work the team at CPI has been involved with. 

Dustin will also be presenting at this year's North American Pultrusion Conference in Chicago, IL May 16-18. This conference will bring together 200+ industry leaders, customers, OEMs, and suppliers from around the world for an unparalleled, three-day education and networking event in the heart of downtown Chicago. 

You can learn more about the conference and register by visiting https://acma-org.my.site.com/pultrusion2023. 

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 defense, and industrial applications. 

This new center is the company’s largest center for innovation and product development in North America. It showcases the company’s advanced composites technology, providing space for future growth and expansion in the years ahead.

On this episode, Cary will be highlighting some of the capabilities of this new facility that include a general lab, a prepreg lab, a chemical lab, an analytical lab, and a microscopy Lab. 

You can more at https://www.hexcel.com. 

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 professionals from all over the world.

This event brings together not only all major global companies but also innovative startups in the field of composites and advanced materials. 

My guests will be sharing not only the background and mission of JEC, but some of the highlights of this year's show. 

This week, I welcome Adam Harms to the show. Adam is the managing director at Ruhl Strategic Partners and one of the founders of Modulus, a new Social Community that 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 reasons for the developing Modulus was to cut through the networking noise and provide access to a more focused audience year-round within a dedicated community and connect with industry leaders, access curated content, and collaborate in focused industry groups.

If you are a composites and advanced materials professional, and just want to stay better connected, you can join Modulus by visiting https://www.onmodulus.com. 

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, 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. 

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.