In this role I am responsible for developing multiple production ready manufacturing processes used to produce NPI castings found in various Aerospace and Industrial Gas Turbines. An in depth understanding of how nickel-based alloys solidify is required in order to develop robust solutions for the various metallurgical defects that are encountered when producing these types of parts. I am also responsible for improving the manufacturing methods used with cold start castings as well as other legacy parts currently in production. I additionally help teach others how to use NX (i.e., Unigraphics) CAD software as well as use it to design various pieces of mold handling equipment.Finally, I am implementing a strong base from which future FEA solidification models may be constructed and interrogated by fellow engineers who are currently learning how to make some of the most difficult Ni-based super alloy investment castings in the world whether they be DS, SX or EQ in structure. Within the first 24 months of my employment at CPP, I have been able to use solidification modeling to solve or predict multiple porosity, SNG, hot tear and freckling issues.

MOPRETO was a family owned and operated small business that supplied precision, low-cost rapid tooling and other engineering services to the investment casting community and beyond. Tools supplied typically included wax setters, assembly fixtures, core setters and various other machined fixtures. Wax dies used to inject gates, sprues and other simple shapes were also produced. These injection tools produced wax components much faster and many times stronger than those produced using a rubber die for about the same price. CAD services in native NX and consultation in the use of FEA tools such as ProCAST and MoldFLOW were also available. I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to my many customers who had trusted me to deliver a quality product to them in a timely manner time and time again. It was quite the journey!

I had a variety of assignments while serving in this role. The assignments can be loosely broken into the following areas of responsibility: o Supported and trained simulation engineers at seven facilities within PCC Airfoils in the use of ProCAST and MoldFLOW software.o Designed and created the training materials which were used to establish modeling and result interpretation standards throughout the division as well as train new users.o Worked on multiple research projects using advanced additive manufacturing techniques and materials designed to print highly complex, thermally stable ceramic shapes.o Worked with ESI (ProCAST vendor) on a continual basis to implement software changes beneficial to PCC Airfoils.o Led a division wide team whose objective was to advance the tools and methods used to resolve flow related problems.o Simulated numerous production processes to determine the root cause of various casting defects.o Produced a fundamental change in the methodology used to identify the root cause of various injection related defects found both in wax and core injection, which led to the implementation of various solution strategies.

My responsibilities in this role were the same as those listed under the Principal Engineer position above.

In this role I had the opportunity to manage numerous and varied investment casting programs from product quote through to final shipment. I was responsible for hitting specific profit targets while providing castings that met the customer’s expectations for both quality and delivery. In order to accomplish this, I interacted on a regular basis with a wide variety of people both inside and outside of PCC including many vendors, aerospace customers such as GE, Honeywell, Siemens, Rolls-Royce and Rocketdyne as well as internal teams throughout the organization. I typically served as the lead customer contact for those projects in which I was involved. In retrospect, this experience greatly expanded my understanding of how to interact with customers and the importance of managing their expectations against my risk. In order to help manage the risk associated with making a new casting, I would often perform a series of FE simulations at the start of a new program. The results of these studies were then used to design a casting scenario with the highest likelihood of success in the first casting attempt. I would also use this tool in order to reduce scrap in existing product lines.In this role, I had significant interaction with all customers passing through “Barn School.” This was a 4-day hands-on training class offered to our customers where we provided substantial information about how investment castings are produced and what can go wrong in the process.

Upon being hired, I was extensively trained in the practice of producing accurate FE simulations using ProCAST software. The software used predicted the solidification pattern of an alloy in a mold and the casting defects that may result. Once trained, my responsibilities included: - performing casting simulations as assigned - expanding the use of finite element simulations throughout the division - establishing better input values used by the softwareIn support of establishing improved input vales, two research proposals were submitted to and accepted by Oak Ridge National Labs through their User Program. In addition, numerous tests were performed using PCC furnaces combined with theoretical work to establish improved ways of simulating a variety of conditions encountered during a typical investment casting event.

I served on various teams responsible for the design, testing and qualification of a wide variety of de-icing and specialty heated components used on both commercial and military aircraft. Such equipment included floor panel heaters, drain mast heaters, water heaters, a smoke detector heater, a camera pod heater and many other devices used to provide both localized heating and ice protection for aircraft. The primary customers included Boeing and Airbus as well as many past and present regional aircraft producers.