Christopher Karas Email & Phone Number

Sterling Heights, Michigan

Manufacturing, Welding Development, Corrosion, Paint and Advanced Materials

• Project management of advanced projects involving specialty materials and joining processes. Involved in overseeing manufacture of in-house and supplied components and assemblies for automotive and military vehicles. Other duties include technical documentation; quote preparation and bill of material (BOM) generation.• Welding research and development of high strength steels (DP ,HSLA, Martensitic) . Arc plasma brazing development of coated and uncoated sheet metal.• Coordinated projects associated with prototype aluminum chassis assembly of specialty components. Involved in prototype joining and assembly using various aluminum alloys such as 5083, 5052, 6061, 6063, 6111 etc. Also lead manufacturing efforts with sub-suppliers regarding forming and bending of these materials.• Process and manufacturing work that included preparing flow charts, plant layout drawings and cycle time assessments as well as documenting costs and maintaining project timing.• Integral in the Ford GT aluminum frame welding process development and frame production source on-site launch consultant. Involved in leading all manufacturing initiatives including Production Part Approval (PPAP) and quality related activities associated with specific parts supplied to the GT program.

Ford Scientific Research Laboratory

• Responsibilities included lead development of aluminum welding and manufacturing launch support for the Ford GT production sports car spaceframe that included over 450 individual welds joining extrusions and castings. Involved in integration of automated processing cells for aluminum robotic MIG welding of sub assembly structures, and representative aluminum intensive assemblies as well as the final frame welded assembly. Involved in design of tooling and fixturing to ensure quality. Familiarity with OTC/Daihen DR4000/350-DF Turbopulse MIG welding robot and Fanuc 120i /Lincoln Powerwave 455 MIG pulsewave power supply. Also was involved in research and development of automated manufacturing and assembly processes for representative front end assemblies in support of specialty programs such as Ford Th!nk community vehicle and Jaguar XJ.• Coordinated development of a robotic-automated adhesive bonding cell specifically designed for exterior body panel sheet molded compound (SMC) attachment (roof, body-side) • Manufacturing liaison responsibility with suppliers toward development of advanced composite materials and processes for application on niche specialty vehicles such as the electric Ranger pick-up truck, Ford VZW109, Indigo sports car, H215 medium truck (Brazil), Composite Intensive Vehicle (CIV), Z199 Low Cost Vehicle Concept and BX179 Electric Vehicle. • Lead responsibility in molding operations, experimentation and data acquisition, tooling coordination, fixture design and build, and prototype fabrication.• Strong familiarity with APQP and Six Sigma Quality Initiatives utilizing such tools as Design of Experiments (DOE), Reproducibility and Repeatability (R & R), Process Capability and Process Failure Modes Effects Analysis (P-FMEA).

Sterling Heights,Mi

• Duties included managing daily laboratory activities associated with development, fabrication and manufacture of advanced lightweight material components and armor for the M1A1 main battle tank and other military land vehicles.• Strong familiarity with resin transfer molding (RTM) (VARTM), filament winding, compression molding as well as autoclave, vacuum bagging and resin infusion (SCRIMP) manufacturing processes using carbon, glass and Kevlar® reinforcements and a wide range of resin materials. Also worked on low-cost composites manufacturing methods and tooling for manufacturing guidelines.• Involved in composites development including manufacturing and processing, mold/tool design and build, machining, hydro-abrasive water-jet cutting, assembly, adhesive bonding and testing.• Other responsibilities included material acquisition, capital equipment planning and materials characterization.• Projects worked on included: Airbox Plenum, Exterior Stowage Box System, Road Wheel, Drivers Seat, Full Up Power Pack, Mine Blast Floor, Singapore Offset Program, Sponson Tool Box Cover, Amphibious Assault Vehicle and Composite Armored Vehicle.

Detroit, Mi

• Responsibilities included research and development of fiber reinforced composite plastics used mainly in military vehicle armor applications. Also involved in mock-up and prototype of composite components.• Involved in fabrication and assembly of appliqué ballistic armor panels, as well as scheduling work plans and reporting technical data for government research contracts.• Involved in design, molding and fabrication of a prototype lightweight watercraft using Kevlar® aramid fabric as the primary reinforcement.• Working knowledge of tool shop operations; including machining, grinding and fabrication.

Troy, Mi

• Duties included development of thermoset composites using the elastic reservoir molding (ERM) process and squeeze/compression molding that utilized many different resins, core materials and fiber reinforcements. • Performed manufacturing process analysis of various high technology products used in both defense and commercial markets such as military ground vehicle ballistic door panels (HUMVEE), encapsulated laboratory table tops and EMI/RFI shielded test plaques.• Other responsibilities included resin formulation, physical, mechanical and ballistic testing, recording and interpreting test data.

Madison Heights, Mi

• Responsibilities included testing and evaluation of prototype zinc chloride electro-chemical battery modules used in electric vehicle and load leveling applications. Recording and interpretation of test data.• Worked directly with engineers in the design and set up of experiments and operation of various battery systems.• Instrumental in testing and development of battery technology advances enabling a 100-mile vehicle test run on a single charge.• Some time was also delegated to preparing electrolytic solutions; pump assembly and fabrication of non-corrosive plastic components.