People in the News
ITSA Appoints Vice Chair
Kirk Fick has been appointed vice chair of the International Thermal Spray Association (ITSA). Fick is an experienced engineering professional who has worked in the thermal spray industry for more than 30 years. His diverse experience extends across the land-based turbine, aircraft engine, medical, commercial, and on-site market segments in both manufacturing and R&D environments. He has been with Cincinnati Thermal Spray (CTS) for more than 20 years, starting as a product engineer and now working in senior leadership for the last 18 years. He currently oversees the operation of the CTS Technical Center, which supports all CTS locations with process development and improvement as well as external customers with projects spanning from R&D to pilot production. Fick has been an active member of ITSA for almost ten years and was instrumental in the organization of ITSA’s 2019 Aerospace Symposium in Springfield, Mass. As an industry subject matter expert, Fick also represents CTS in several technical organizations, including the Consortium on Thermal Spray Technology (Center for Thermal Spray Research [CTSR] Consortium), National Research Council Canada (NRC) Surftec Consortium, and ASME Turbo Expo, where he has participated as a Manufacturing Materials & Metallurgy (MMM) committee member, technical reviewer, and session co-chair.
McLaughlin & Associates Announces New Consultant
McLaughlin & Associates Thermal Spray Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a company providing products and services for all aspects of thermal spray coatings, has hired Raymond “Ray” Sinatra as a consultant for training, new application development, material specification, and metallographic lab testing. He will also provide assistance as a thermal spray shop business advisor. Sinatra has more than 50 years of experience in surface technology applications and has worked for companies such as Metco Inc., United Airlines, and Rolls-Royce. He has a wide ranging and in-depth knowledge of thermal spray equipment, tools, and processes including plasma spray, wire/powder combustion, and high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF). Additionally, he is experienced in coating parameter development to meet application requirements and has concentrated knowledge of thermal spray abradable seal coatings and new material formulations for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) as well as future engine applications that require higher temperature and longer on-wing service life. Sinatra holds eight U.S. patents.
Velo3D Hires Director of Solutions Engineering
Velo3D, Campbell, Calif., a metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, has welcomed Robin Stamp as director of solutions engineering to help grow the company’s metal additive manufacturing technology with new customers and in new industries. He will work with customers to understand their needs, expand the manufacturing capabilities of Velo3D’s solutions, and educate customers on how to fully leverage various technology improvements. He will also oversee the development of new standards with regulatory agencies, qualification of new metal alloys for use in the Sapphire family of printers, and collaboration with partners and agencies. Stamp has extensive experience leading teams in the R&D of additive manufacturing technology. He was previously a principal engineer at SpaceX, where he worked on developing technology for space applications. He also spent more than a decade at Stryker, leading the R&D team responsible for creating new additive manufacturing processes for medical implants.
Wall Colmonoy Welcomes Business Development Manager
Wall Colmonoy (USA), Madison Heights, Mich., a materials engineering group, has added Josh Gardner as its business development manager — Surfacing Products as part of the Alloy Products Americas’ sales team. He will be responsible for expanding product applications for new and existing surface coating customers. He will work alongside the sales team, performing technical inputs for surfacing and thermal spraying techniques. Gardner has more than 23 years of experience in thermal spraying; laser cladding; plasma transferred arc welding; high-velocity oxygen fuel; and sales applications for oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and aerospace industries. He has additional experience in training personnel and designing and installing thermal spray systems.