40 Under 40

22 News Chatter To Keep You Current

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Enjoy these 22 news items.

Equipment

  1. ROGESA Roheisengesellschaft Saar GmbH has commissioned SMS group to carry out a comprehensive modernization of blast furnace 4 (BF4), which will extend the service life of the blast furnace and ensure effective monitoring of the hearth lining. The contract includes the planning and delivery of the Paul Wurth hearth lining and multi thermocouple sensor probes (MTPs), as well as technical support during the installation phase at the in Dillingen, Germany, location. Additionally, Future Forgeworks, a steel manufacturer based in Brisbane, Australia, has commissioned SMS group to supply the nation’s first continuous mill technology (CMT® 350) mill. Future Forgeworks’ landmark project, the Swanbank Green Steel Mill Project, will produce rebar steel in an endless process for the Australian company, guaranteeing low carbon emissions and highly efficient production. 
  2. Piper Industrial Manufacturing Company, a Piper Aircraft, Inc., subsidiary, has acquired a Flexform™ fluid cell press from Quintus Technologies, expanding its equipment inventory to target the growing demand for low volume, high-complexity sheet metal forming. The company provides turnkey world-class manufacturing solutions.
  3. Steel producer Colakoğlu Metalurji AS, has placed an order with SMS group for the modernization of the laminar cooling section and the downcoiler in its 1,850-millimeter hot strip mill. With the completion of the laminar cooling system upgrade, the Turkish company plans to enter the market for wear-resistant steel grades. Additionally, Fujian Kebao Metal Products Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fujian Sanbao Group, has contracted with SMS for two tinplate continuous annealing lines (TIN CALs).
  4. A heat and energy management company that produces approximately 2 million complex parts per year has expanded with a custom-made VAB furnace for vacuum aluminum brazing. SECO/WARWICK has delivered the furnace to the company, located in the Czech Republic.
  5. Aluminum and renewable energy company Hydro has decided to invest in a new sow casting line at Husnes to increase its primary aluminum casthouse flexibility. The company’s primary plant produces low-carbon extrusion ingot for the European construction and automotive industries. The sow caster, which will have a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year, will give flexibility to produce sow ingots in periods of lower demand for the plant’s main products.
  6. Secat, Inc., recently announced the addition of the Alubin extrusion press to its Nicholasville Pilot Lab. The press was donated by Wagstaff, Inc., which manufactures direct chill aluminum casting systems. This equipment will elevate the company’s testing, development, and small-scale production capabilities.
  7. Tenova will supply a new hot dip galvanizing line for PT Tata Metal Indonesia. The flexibility of the new line for zinc aluminum magnesium alloys will enable production of three types of coated coils.
View of ROGESA blast furnace 4 from the water treatment plant
Cooling groups operating as part of the laminar cooling system for Colako
Low-carbon extrusion ingot for the European construction and automotive industries produced at Husnes
A new aluminum extrusion press installed at Secat’s Nicholasville Pilot Lab in Kentucky
Tenova and PT Tata Metal Indonesia

Company & Personnel

  1. Can-Eng Furnaces International, Ltd. has announced the promotion of two long-standing employees to new leadership roles in 2025. Jason Clay has been promoted to manufacturing operations manager, overseeing the future direction of the company’s manufacturing strategies. Adam DeCiccio has been promoted to purchasing and logistics manager and will focus on implementing innovative strategies and improvements within purchasing, supply chain, and inventory planning to support company growth.
  2. thyssenkrupp Aerospace, a logistics service provider for the commercial aerospace industry, and aluminum manufacturer Novelis have renewed their strategic partnership through a multi-year agreement.
  3. Kolene Corporation recently announced the promotions of Timothy D. Shoemaker and Peter L. Shoemaker, both to co-chief operating officers for the corporation. Tim Shoemaker is responsible for sales and has oversight of the company’s engineering, field service, and project management departments. Peter Shoemaker continues to lead the company’s chemical supply chain and order fulfillment departments, as well as its critical replacement parts revenue segment.
  4. Gasbarre‘s new 150,000-square-foot facility in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, recently became fully operational, with expanded floor space, upgraded infrastructure, and state-of-the-art equipment.
  5. JSW Steel Dolvi Works has selected SMS group for a major expansion of its steelmaking facility, increasing the annual capacity of the existing steel mill by 3.7 million tons per year.
  6. Watlow, a provider of industrial technology and thermal systems, recently expanded its executive leadership team by appointing two regional presidents to oversee operations in Asia and Europe. Shiyi Zhou will serve as regional president of Asia, and Klaus Aarestrupp as regional president over Europe.
  7. Ipsen announced the 2025 schedule for its comprehensive training course on vacuum furnace equipment. Ipsen U will take place on April 1-3, June 10-12, August 12-14, and October 7-9 in Cherry Valley, Illinois.
  8. CAN-ENG Furnaces International Ltd has formed a strategic partnership with Piotr Pelian, founder of Industrial Process Technology to expand its European presence.
  9. Hydro and Northvolt have signed an agreement where Hydro will acquire the remaining shares in the battery recycler Hydrovolt for NOK 78 million, increasing its ownership in Hydrovolt from 72 to 100 percent through this transaction. Hydrovolt is a raw materials company established in 2020 as a 50/50 joint venture between Hydro and Northvolt.
Jason Clay
Manufacturing Operations Manager
CAN-ENG Furnaces International, Ltd
Adam DeCiccio
Purchasing & Logistics Manager
CAN-ENG Furnaces International, Ltd
Timothy D. Shoemaker
Co-Chief Operating Officer
Kolene Corporation
Peter L. Shoemaker
Co-Chief Operating Officer
Kolene Corporation
Gasbarre’s new facility in St Mars, Pennsylvania
Shiyi Zhou
Regional President Asia
Watlow
Klaus Aarestrup
Regional President Europe
Watlow
Ipsen U training class
Piotr Pelian
Founder
Industrial Process Technology
Hydrovolt, one of Europe’s largest EV battery recycling plants in Fredrikstad, Norway

Kudos

  1. Solar Atmospheres, Inc. has been recognized as the industry leader in the Surface Treatment Services category of the 2024 Leadership in Medtech Awards.
  2. Phoenix Heat Treating has announced that their furnaces have received approvals from Pratt & Whitney and Bell Helicopter, increasing the company’s capacity to process orders that require specifically approved furnaces, ensuring compliance with stringent aerospace and defense standards.
  3. Steelhead Technologies recently announced the launch of the Tides of Steel Sweepstakes, in partnership with Calvary Industries. The contest offers an opportunity for job shops to win prizes that will accelerate 2025 growth and reward hard-working teams.
  4. The Otto Junker Foundation announced the winners of the Otto Junker Prize 2024, honoring outstanding academic achievements at the RWTH (Technical University of Aachen). The recipients are: Daniel Baggen, Moritz Diewald, Gerrit Ipers, and Jan Krusenbaum.
  5. Mark Thomason and John Blauser, both of Gasbarre, have received the 2025 Distinguished Service to Powder Metallurgy Award from the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF). The award recognizes individuals who have dedicated at least 25 years to the powder metallurgy (PM) industry and made outstanding, long-term contributions that have earned the admiration of their peers.
  6. The inaugural class of field service engineers recently graduated from the Ipsen FSE Academy, a next-generation training program building on the foundation of the former Ipsen Corporate Academy. This revamped initiative reflects Ipsen’s ongoing commitment to developing top-tier talent. These engineers successfully completed an intensive 20-week training program focused on mastering the complexities of heat treatment furnace repair and service
Left to right: Wolfgang Bleck, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the OJ Foundation; Jan Krusenbaum, award winner; Gerrit Ipers, award winner; Daniel Baggen, award winner; Moritz Diewald, award winner; Ulrich Rudiger; Udo von Berg. Source: Andreas Schmitter
Mark Thomason
Global Sales Manager
Gasbarre Products
John Blauser
Business Development Manager
Gasbarre Precision Tooling
Members of the inaugural class of field service engineers from the Ipsen FSE Academy

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The People of Heat Treat

/ PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in the September 2024 People of Heat Treat print edition.

Feel free to contact Doug at doug@heattreattoday.com if you have a question or comment. 

Nearly every month, in the pages of this magazine, avid readers learn about the technologies and products of the North American heat treat industry that help them and their companies be more profitable. Rightly so. As the industry’s leading technical and trade journal, it is our mission to provide timely and helpful technical content. We believe people are happier and make better decisions when they are well informed — that’s what drives us. We like seeing people happier, so we do our little part each month to make sure our readers can make well-informed decisions.

But, as we discuss periodically at our monthly team meeting, the focus is not the technical and timely information; the focus is the people.

As with nearly every successful business in a free economy, the key to success is serving people. If we are successful at meeting the needs of the people we hope to help, they’ll continue to do business with us. We both benefit.

In this edition of Heat Treat Today, we’re going to focus in not so much on the technologies and products like we usually do; rather, we’re going to focus on a number of individuals who are rising leaders in the industry — individuals who are honing their skills so they can be more helpful to others in the industry.

This is the seventh year of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 initiative. As of this year, we will have honored and recognized 280 rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry. Each successive year seems to be getting better and better. The quality of the candidates seeking recognition continues to rise, making the choosing of just 40 of them more and more difficult. Their stories vary widely. Some are owners of companies, some are accomplished managers or technicians, all are accomplished and have demonstrated their competence and leadership in the industry relatively early in their careers.

It is this group of people who are focusing their energies on developing the technologies and products that help the entire North American heat treat industry and those outside the industry as well. By and large, the people highlighted in this edition are “technical” people. A good and growing number of them are employed by manufacturers who have their own in-house heat treat operations (captive heat treaters). Others come from commercial heat treat facilities. And others come from industry suppliers. Nominees hale from Canada to Mexico. Both women and men are represented, which is so encouraging.

Most importantly, all these people have personal lives that are better or worse depending on how well they do their work. And how well they do their work is oftentimes dependent on how well informed they are. It’s our desire to make sure all these young people can live more enjoyable lives by staying well informed.

Being recognized as one of the top 40 rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry has proven to be quite a boon to many past recipients of this honor. If you’d like to hear more about past recipients, please search our website for “Heat Treat NextGen” and listen to our recent interviews with several past honorees, like Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath.

Doug Glenn
Pubisher
Heat Treat Today

I’d like to say a special thank you to the team at Heat Treat Today who coordinates this effort each year. Headed by Bethany Leone for the past several years, herself an “under-40” person, Bethany was this year assisted by Jayna McGowan and again by Evelyn Thompson. This team of three, together with some significant help from Brandon Glenn, have worked hard on this effort and are bringing a lot of smiles to faces with the release of this edition. Great work, Heat Treat Today Team!

To all this year’s 40 Under 40 recipients, congratulations on the well-deserved recognition you are receiving.

Contact Doug Glenn at doug@heattreattoday.com.

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The People of Heat Treat Read More »

Unveiling the Heat Treat Today 40 Under 40 Class of 2024

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS

For the seventh year in a row, Heat Treat Today shines the spotlight on a remarkable cast of rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry. Forty men and women who have already made their mark on the field through innovation, service, communication, and expertise. It’s an honor and a pleasure for us to present the Heat Treat Today 40 Under 40 Class of 2024, and we hope to see all of you at this year’s Furnaces North America Show in Columbus, OH, October 14-16.

To learn more about who these individuals are, visit the 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 page, and then click on each honoree’s photo, or view the Heat Treat Today September 2024 digital edition.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Unveiling the Heat Treat Today 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 Read More »

Heat Treat Radio #111: Heat Treat NextGen Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT RADIO, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT TECH

If curiosity were a person, Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath would be her name. Having risen at Moog, Inc. to the position of materials and process engineer, Brynna shares her early STEM interests and how she stays up-to-date on industry trends and ideas. In this highly engaging NextGen profile on Heat Treat Radio — with host and Heat Treat Today’s publisher, Doug Glenn — get to know this talented metallurgist.  

Below, you can watch the video, listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or read an edited transcript.

The following transcript has been edited for your reading enjoyment.

Meet Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath (01:00)

Doug Glenn: Let’s jump into today’s Heat Treat Radio episode with Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath from Moog, Inc. It’s a great pleasure to be here today with Brynna, who is one of our 40 Under 40 Class of 2023 award recipients. First off, congratulations on that award, and welcome to Heat Treat Radio.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Thank you so much. That was an honor.

Doug Glenn: Brynna lives just south of Buffalo, New York. As you know, this interview is to get to know you a little bit more — how you got into metallurgy, heat treating, and all that good stuff. Let’s start way back. Give us a little bit about yourself as a younger person, maybe high school age and moving on up through, and then how you got involved with heat treating and metallurgy.

Check out Brynna’s 40 Under 40 profile. Click the logo.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Sure. I grew up in a little town called West Falls, south of Buffalo, New York, and about 20 minutes from Moog. While I was in high school, I took AP chemistry and physics and fell in love with those topics. I knew from a younger age that I was going to wind up being an engineer eventually; I just didn’t know what kind. But I was pretty sure I wanted to be a chemical engineer, so I toured a couple of colleges.

At one of them, I met with a materials science professor to talk about the differences between chemical and materials science engineering. I was sold. I was all set and ready to go be a polymers engineer. I picked Purdue University, started going there, and was absolutely loving it.

The summer after my freshman year, I got an internship with Moog, which was right around the corner from my hometown. The internship was primarily metallurgical, due to the nature of Moog’s products, and I absolutely loved it. I was not expecting to like it, and it was just so great. So, I transitioned all of my coursework over to metallurgy, and I kept coming back to Moog for internships, and that was fantastic.

Learning from Industry Experts (03:32)

When I started off at Moog, it was right around the time when two of our subject matter experts in heat treatment were transitioning to retirement. I started learning as much as I could as fast as I could about heat treatment. There was obviously a lot to learn there, but it was a great time.

After working at Moog for a couple of years, I decided I wanted to go back and pursue my other passion, which was manufacturing engineering. So, right now I’m working on a master’s degree after work to combine metallurgy and manufacturing.

“When I started off at Moog, it was right around the time when two of our subject matter experts in heat treatment were transitioning to retirement. I started learning as much as I could as fast as I could about heat treatment.”

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath, Moog

Doug Glenn: Wow. You’re a classic overachiever. That’s pretty good. And you said Purdue, correct?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yeah.

Doug Glenn: Okay. And you did your undergrad there. Did you actually end up graduating with a materials engineering degree or a metallurgy degree?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Materials science and engineering.

Brynna shares how she got started in the industry.
Source: Heat Treat Today

Doug Glenn: All right. Good. You spent the summers back at Moog and enjoyed that. You know, we see a lot of the older generation retiring, so you’re filling the brain drain, as we say, which is great. Are there are many other young people at Moog?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yeah, their internship co-op program has been fantastic in bringing in a lot of students right out of college and getting them hooked on our product line and the sort of manufacturing we do. And we’re definitely getting more recent college graduates. But, you know, with people retiring, those are some awfully big shoes to fill.

Doug Glenn: For sure. What exactly does Moog make at your facility? They’re a large corporation; I know they usually make a lot of automotive, maybe aerospace, components but are you able to say specifically what Moog does there?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: We specialize in high precision motion actuation systems. From a metallurgical side, we’re working with a ton of really cool materials. So it’s not just steels or aluminum, it is a lot of aerospace applications, defense. The materials and process engineering group is physically orchestrated on our headquarters campus as well as the space and defense building, so we do get to see quite a bit of that. From the metallurgical perspective, there is a lot to see and work on.

Doug Glenn: You mentioned you were thinking about being a chemical engineer, but then you saw the materials. Do you remember what it was about that and metallurgy that attracted you? Anything specific?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I remember sitting through that talk with a materials professor at Purdue, and he was talking about what the day to day of a chemical engineer versus materials engineer looks like. I will not pretend that he wasn’t biased, because he was a materials professor. But the work he described for materials engineering was so diverse, and there were options for different settings and what you could end up working on — from being in a steel mill to working in a lab like I do. There are a lot of options, a lot of cool things. The slogan at Purdue was something along the lines of: you can’t make it without materials.

Brynna’s Family Background (07:30)

Doug Glenn: That’s really neat. So, I haven’t asked you about your family at all. What did they think when you told them, hey, I’m thinking about being a materials engineer or a metallurgist?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: My father is an industrial engineer, and my mother is a pharmacometrician, so they’re both in the stem field already. I think it was no surprise that I was going to pursue engineering and then, metallurgical engineering specifically. I think they were happy to encourage me to pursue any of my passions. And my father knew a couple of materials engineers and thought that it would work out for me. They were excited.

Undergraduate Research (08:16)

Doug Glenn: They were very supportive. That’s great. When you did your undergrad at Purdue, did you have to work on a final paper or any specific projects that were of interest to you?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I did some undergraduate research in the metallurgy realm. But my senior project for graduation was along the lines of characterizing shot for shot peening and the degradation of shot and the residual stress that it imparts. It was like a cool mix of FEA modeling with actually characterizing the material. It was a neat project.

Doug Glenn: Have you had to do any of that at Moog?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: There’s a fair deal of materials characterization. We have shot peening, but I’m not super involved with it.

Current Work at Moog (09:35)

Doug Glenn: Gotcha. That’s interesting. Can you describe what your typical day at Moog looks like now and what you’re working on?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Sure. My typical day is a good deal of talking with all types of engineers, explaining metallurgical concepts. Because we work on a lot of different materials, there’s a lot to understand there. A good portion of my role is talking with other engineers about how a heat treatment procedure works or what’s metallurgically happening, how to modify a manufacturing sequence, how to design so that the product’s going to work.

But then I also specifically work in a failure analysis lab. This could be anything from something’s coming off the manufacturing line a little bit wrong or something failed in the field. We’ve got a beautiful characterization lab full of all the toys that you could think of, including two SEMs and a chemical lab. There’s a good deal of analysis there, too.

Doug Glenn: You seem like a person who enjoys your work. Is there any specific story or instance of something happening, either in school or at work, that really made you happy that you were in metallurgy and heat treat?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Oh, goodness. That’s a good question.

I would have to say I’ve had a couple projects at work, without getting into too many specifics, where we discovered something new metallurgically that we didn’t know was happening before. And then working through that, how did we not know it before? What do we know about it now? And what are we going to do to utilize this new thing that we discovered and take advantage of it? From a heat treat perspective, sometimes that means modifying our procedures, modifying our fixturing, creating something new.

It’s neat to see the modifications happen and come up with the new parts on the other end. It’s been very exciting to work on interdisciplinary teams like that.

“My typical day is a good deal of talking with all types of engineers, explaining metallurgical concepts. Because we work on a lot of different materials, there’s a lot to understand there. A good portion of my role is talking with other engineers about how a heat treatment procedure works or what’s metallurgically happening, how to modify a manufacturing sequence, how to design so that the product’s going to work.”
Source: Heat Treat Today

Doug Glenn: Yeah. I’m curious about this. You’ve been out in the work world for how many years?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Three and a half.

Doug Glenn: Okay. So, you’ve been out of school and working four years, and the amount you know about metallurgy and heat treating now is four years’ worth. Does it kind of amaze you the amount of stuff we don’t know?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Absolutely. Metallurgy is an old science, but you know we’re still [developing] the tools and technology and it’s great to find out new things.

Doug Glenn: Right. A lot of people get involved and say, “Well, I don’t want to go into metallurgy and heat treat because it’s a mature industry,” but I was curious if you felt the same way.

It’s really quite fascinating because there is a lot that happens. Like you were saying at Moog when you discovered things, a lot of stuff that’s happening and we really don’t know why. The more we can discover about it, the better.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Absolutely.

Top Industry Resources (12:58)

Doug Glenn: Let me ask you this. You obviously come from a smart family; you’ve got parents who are well educated, and you are as well. What are some of the metallurgical/heat treat resources that you use to stay current?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I think the best resource that’s out there is people. The network that I’ve been growing comes from a variety of different sources. I’m part of a few industrial committees, and it’s just a great way to meet people from all ends of the spectrum of metallurgy — from those producing the material to those making something out of it to the people who are going to use it all the way down the line.

Finding other metallurgists in those realms, and also through venues like ASM and our local Buffalo chapter — meeting people who have more experience than I do and have seen it before. If I’m seeing something for the first time, there’s definitely someone who spent their whole career on that. It’s really great to tap into those resources. That’s my number one.

And then my second choice would be the ASM handbooks. I’ve always got at least two open on my desk.

“I think the best resource that’s out there is people.”

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath, Moog

Doug Glenn: Those are great resources. ASM over the years has pumped out some very, very good stuff. Is there anything else about your work or your schooling that is of interest or excited you that you’d like to share?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I really liked working at Moog because it’s a cool application where I can use my metallurgical knowledge along with this new manufacturing knowledge that I’m building up. That was my favorite intersection with my undergrad degree. And now I get to actually try that out in a working sense. That’s been great.

Doug Glenn: And you’re doing a master’s in industrial engineering?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Manufacturing engineering.

Doug Glenn: Where are you doing that?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: The University of Michigan.

Doug Glenn: Remotely, I’m assuming?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yes.

Doug Glenn: Very nice. And how far along are you, and how much longer do you have to go there?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I’m hoping to graduate in December, so I’m coming closer to the finish line.

Doug Glenn: Congratulations. That’s really good.

Rapid-Fire Round (15:44)

Doug Glenn: I want to move off of metallurgy and heat treat just to learn a little bit more about Brynna. All right, so these quick questions are what I call the rapid-fire round. Brace yourself. Are you a Mac or a PC person?

Digital vs. print?: “I prefer digital. I like to have all of my work life very organized by topic, and it’s way easier for me to organize everything if I have a digital copy of it.”

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I am a Mac person through and through. I love my Mac.

Doug Glenn: Do you use a Mac at work?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I wish, but no.

Doug Glenn: We have an ongoing debate here. We had a couple people that came into the organization with Macs, and I’ve always been a PC guy. So, anytime there’s a computer problem, we tease each other, “Well, that’s because you’re working on a Mac/you’re working on a PC.” Well, that’s good to know. And for your phone: Are you an Apple phone person?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yeah, I’ve got an iPad. And I just got a new MacBook Air the other day.

Doug Glenn: You’re hardcore. Very good.

So, we’re a publishing company here at Heat Treat Today. And I like to ask this question: When you consume media, do you prefer hard copy or digital?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I prefer digital. I like to have all of my work life very organized by topic, and it’s way easier for me to organize everything if I have a digital copy of it. So even if it’s a print copy, I’ve been known to scan and file it the way that I file everything else.

Doug Glenn: Okay. Now what do you value more in work — a flexible work schedule or high pay?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I’m going to go with flexible work schedule. I’ve had some people close to me who have the high pay but no flexibility. And they’re the ones more jealous, so I’m going to go with that. I’ll take the flexibility.

Doug Glenn: That’s a great answer. Here’s one: Would you rather work remotely or in an office?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: In an office 100%, I am definitely of the variety that likes to be around people. I would rather have people to talk to face to face than doing it over Teams.

Doug Glenn: I kind of assumed you were like that. How did you handle all the isolation that came with the recent pandemic?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I was still in college at that time for most of Covid. Purdue was only remote for half of one semester. It was a reasonably short time. And then the rest of the time we had limited capacity in classrooms and things. But when I was coming back for my internships, our department was classified as essential. We were coming into the office every day, and that was good, I enjoyed that.

Doug Glenn: So, you didn’t necessarily really have a lot of the isolation or as much as you might have had.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yep.

Doug Glenn: That’s good. Okay, I won’t keep going down that road. I think that whole time period has been very impactful on our society. And I’m curious how people feel it has affected them.

I know you love working at Moog, but if you had a dream job, what would it be?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I don’t know. I think someday down the line, it would be cool to have my own manufacturing business. I don’t have a product in mind at the moment, but in my thoughts it has to do with metallic components and heat treatment, because that’s my passion. That would be great.

Doug Glenn: Very interesting, owning your own company and manufacturing something metal. You know what? That’s where it starts. You’re three and a half years out, and you’ve got time to develop more specificity over time. But that’s good to even know that you’re moving in that direction.

I assume you don’t work all the time. What do you do? What do you do in your free time? What do you like? What are your passions outside of work?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: The number one time consumer at the moment is that master’s degree. But then, you know, on a pure fun basis, my husband and I are avid golfers. And all of the very short Buffalo summer we’re trying to be out there on the golf course.

“But then, you know, on a pure fun basis, my husband and I are avid golfers. And all of the very short Buffalo summer we’re trying to be out there on the golf course.”
Source: Richard-7 / Getty Images Signature

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I’m also a bluegrass fiddler. I play in a couple bands. And that’s pretty fun, too. It’s almost Saint Patrick’s Day.

Doug Glenn: You’re a musician? You know, I’ve heard that there are some engineering schools who don’t ask you if you play an instrument, they ask you what instrument you play because there is a correlation somehow or other between music and engineering. Maybe it’s the methodical-ness, the orderliness, and all that stuff.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Neat, I didn’t know that.

Doug Glenn: If you’re playing bluegrass fiddle, I assume you play some by ear. I mean, I assume you’ve got some sort of natural talent there. Is that safe to say?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Yeah, I started that at a decently young age. And now my husband and I are learning piano as well, so it’s been fun.

Doug Glenn: What does your husband do by chance?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: He’s a software engineer.

Doug Glenn: Two engineers in one house. That’s got to be interesting dinner time talk. That’s wonderful.

Okay. Last question for you. I give people an option here. You can answer any one of these three. What would be your favorite app, movie, or magazine?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: The first thing that came to my mind when you asked that question was Audible. At the moment, I’m hooked on reading, or listening, to a lot of books. I consider it reading in the little bits of downtime here and there grocery shopping and driving in the car and things like that. It’s nice to spend that time a little bit more productively.

Doug Glenn: I’m with you. I think that’s great. I assume maybe you can even do some of your school reading on Audible?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I haven’t tried that yet. Honestly.

Doug Glenn: Sometimes people learn better by actually reading. But other people learn better by listening, so that’s fine.

If you were to encourage young people to really look into metallurgy materials, what would you tell them? What would be your encouragement to them?

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: I think the most impactful thing for me at that age was actually getting to see what they do. At Moog, I act as a tour guide for a lot of high school students. I try to show them as closely as possible what we do and what a day looks like. Because it’s great to think about the theory, but at the end of the day when you graduate with that degree, you’ve got to go work. I encourage high school students to get out there and see as many jobs as possible. Shadow people — I guess that would be my advice.

Doug Glenn: That’s good. Well, Brynna, thanks so much. Congratulations again on being awarded 40 Under 40 this last year. And thanks for taking some time to chat with us.

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath: Thank you so much.

About The Guest

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath
Materials and Process Engineer
Moog, Inc.
Source: Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath

Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath received her bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Purdue University Honors College. She is currently working on a master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Brynna conducts metallurgical support for day-to-day heat tree issues and non-conformances across several divisions within Moog, Inc. She was recognized in Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2023.

Contact Brynna by visiting Moog, Inc.’s website: www.moog.com.

Search Heat Treat Equipment And Service Providers On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Heat Treat Radio #111: Heat Treat NextGen Brynna Keelin Kelly-McGrath Read More »

Alumni Spotlight: 40 Under 40 Stars Still Bringing the Heat

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS

Each year, the 40 Under 40 initiative at Heat Treat Today recognizes 40 rising young leaders (ages 40 and younger) in heat treat who are going above and beyond in the industry. The 40 Under 40 initiative gives names, faces, and words to the next generation of heat treat professionals.

To learn more about what makes someone a quality candidate for this honor, read below to hear from the individuals themselves — alumni of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 — as they share personal updates and industry insights.

Click this link to nominate yourself, or someone you know, by June 28, 2024.

David Cunningham

At the time of David’s nomination for Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2019, he was working in Process & Mechanical Design as a heat treating furnace engineer for L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc. Here he shares an exciting career (and company) update: “The biggest change since I was nominated to Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 is that I have taken over ownership of L&L Special Furnace Co. I became full owner of the business in January 2023.” 

David Cunningham
L&L Special Furnace, Co., Inc.

Something David finds most fascinating about the heat treat industry is the number of markets it serves. He says, “I am always surprised looking through our list of customers and knowing what their processes are. I never considered how many industries utilize heat treating.”

David’s advice for the incoming 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 is to “Keep learning . . . there is so much more to heat treating than just making things hot. There are so many niche markets out there. One of the things that fascinated me most was learning how the glass for the Hubble was heat treated.”

Read more about David here.

Kevin Norton

An alum of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2023, Kevin describes how he rose “through the ranks” in the heat treat industry starting in 2008: “[I] started out in the field on the ground as a helper and . . . worked myself up through the ranks . . . to Level 1 technician, to Level 2 technician . . . all the way up into management.” He currently works as operations manager of heat treating at ProQual Inspections.

Kevin Norton
ProQual Inspections

To Kevin, the most intriguing thing about the heat treat industry is the advancements in technology, reducing manpower and improving safety. He states that, “different processes in heat treating will go far and beyond what we currently have . . . I’m looking forward to that.”

Kevin’s advice to anyone looking to do something different in their work is to “Be inquisitive; ask questions.”

Read more about Kevin here.

Miguel Zempoaltecatl

Previous to Miguel’s nomination for Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2023, he worked as a process engineer at Nexteer. Miguel shared an exciting career update that took place soon after: “This kind of recognition gave me a plus to be considered . . . [for] the new position I have had since last year as an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer (AME)” at Nexteer.

Miguel Zempoaltecatl
Nexteer

Miguel describes what he enjoys most about working in the heat treat industry, “As a good friend . . . told me, metallurgy is the oldest of the arts but the newest of the science[s], and this relationship between metallurgy and heat treatments, gives me the opportunity to learn more every day . . . I enjoy work[ing] in this area because every day [there] are new challenges.”

Read more about Miguel here.

 

Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Authors

Check out some of the technical content that 40 Under 40 alumni have published with Heat Treat Today over the years:

Chad Beamer – 40 Under 40 profile

Michelle Bennett – 40 Under 40 profile

Alberto Cantú – 40 Under 40 profile

John Chesna – 40 Under 40 profile

Heather Falcone – 40 Under 40 profile

Humberto Ramos Fernández – 40 Under 40 profile

Brian Flynn – 40 Under 40 profile

  • Heat Treat Radio #84: Heat Treat Tomorrow — Digital Security with 4 Industry Experts

Scott Fogle – 40 Under 40 profile

Ben Gasbarre – 40 Under 40 profile

Josh Hale – 40 Under 40 profile

Mike Harrison – 40 Under 40 profile

Kyle Hummel – 40 Under 40 profile

Caleb Johnson – 40 Under 40 profile

Trevor Jones – 40 Under 40 profile

Don Marteeny – 40 Under 40 profile

Jonathan McKay – 40 Under 40 profile

Aniket Maske – 40 Under 40 profile

Ellen Conway Merrill – 40 Under 40 profile

Shawn Orr – 40 Under 40 profile

Alberto Ramirez – 40 Under 40 profile

Justin Rydzewski – 40 Under 40 profile

Humberto Torres Sánchez – 40 Under 40 profile

Justin Sims – 40 Under 40 profile

Bryan Stern – 40 Under 40 profile

Ryan Sybo – 40 Under 40 profile

Sasha Tupalo – 40 Under 40 profile

Andy Wilkosz – 40 Under 40 profile

Nic Willis – 40 Under 40 profile

Ben Witoff – 40 Under 40 profile

Víctor Zacarías – 40 Under 40 profile

Erika Zarazúa – 40 Under 40 profile

Search Heat Treat Equipment And Service Providers On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

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Heat Treat Radio #98: Heat Treat NextGen Sasha Tupalo

/ HEAT TREAT RADIO, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Sasha Tupalo, the manager of Thermatool Labs at Thermatool Corp., was recognized in 2019 as a 40 Under 40 rising star, and she has more than lived up to this award; she answers the call of leadership through educating others and managing a variety of projects. In this Heat Treat NextGen series (formerly called “Metallurgical Posterchild”), we join Doug Glenn, publisher of Heat Treat Today and host of this podcast, to learn what brought her to metallurgy, her training and leadership initiatives, and more.

Below, you can watch the video, listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or read an edited transcript.


The following transcript has been edited for your reading enjoyment.

Meet Sasha Tupalo (01:08)

Doug Glenn:  Welcome. I’m looking forward to the conversation.

Contact us with your Reader Feedback!

Sasha Tupalo: Thank you so much for having me, Doug. It’s a great honor and pleasure.

Doug Glenn: Yes, great. And we should start off by mentioning that Sasha was in the 2019 class of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40! Congratulations on that.

Sasha Tupalo: Thank you. That was a huge honor, as well.

Sasha Tupalo
Manager of Thermatool Labs
Thermatool Corp.
Source: LinkedIn

Doug Glenn: I want to get a little bit more about your background; we’re just getting to know you a little bit better because you’re one of the younger, rising leaders in the industry.

Where do you work right now? What’s your title, and what do you do?

Sasha Tupalo: I work at Thermatool Corporation, located in East Haven, Connecticut. We manufacture high frequency welders, heat treating equipment, as well as cutting equipment for the pipe and tube industry.

Doug Glenn: You guys are part of the Inductotherm Group of companies, correct?

Sasha Tupalo: Correct. Inductotherm Group consists of over 40 companies.

We have different divisions for melting and heat treating.

Doug Glenn: For those in the heat treating industry, we might be a little more familiar with companies like Inductoheat Inc., Radyne Corporation, Lepel … there are a number of them.

You are the manager of the lab?

Sasha Tupalo: Yes. My current title is manager of Thermatool Labs. Thermatool Labs is a characterization laboratory here at Thermatool where we do studies from heat treating, weld sample analysis, any R&D projects involving welding of new materials (perhaps with high frequency welding), creating heat treating recipes for our customers for post weld heat treating of seams or full body, annealing and heat treating. I have the most fun here!

Thermatool Corporation located in East Haven, Connecticut.
Source: Thermatool Corp.

Doug Glenn: Yes, good — every day is exciting!

Sasha, I want to go, very briefly, through your upbringing, from where you were born, where you were raised, what your education was. Can you give us the, “I was born in _____” and up through college?

Sasha Tupalo: Absolutely. I was born and raised in Ukraine in the town of Dnipro. It’s kind of centrally located, right on the river. I went to high school there, and went to undergraduate school in my hometown, as well. Then I moved to the U.S. to pursue my master’s degree. Both my undergraduate degree and my master’s degree were in Material Science and Engineering.

Doug Glenn: And your undergraduate degree was from Ukraine, or did you get it here in the States?

Sasha Tupalo: It was from the Ukraine, my bachelor’s degree.

Doug Glenn: What year was it that you came to the U.S. for your master’s?

Sasha Tupalo: It was 2014. I had a gap year, actually. I got my bachelor’s degree in 2013, and then I had a gap year. When I was studying in undergrad school, I’d had an opportunity to come to the U.S. for two summers. There used to be an exchange student program, so I participated in that. After I received my bachelor's degree, I thought it would be really neat to get my education somewhere overseas.

Doug Glenn: So, where did you go for your master’s degree?

"I thought it would be really neat to get my education somewhere overseas."
Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Sasha Tupalo: For my master’s, I went to Worcester Polytech Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Doug Glenn: At WPI with Richard Sisson and that crew.

Sasha Tupalo: He was my professor!

Doug Glenn: Yes, we know Dr. Sisson very well. He’s a nice man.

Sasha Tupalo: We collaborate on things, but he will always be Professor Sisson to me.

Doug Glenn: It’s difficult, once you know someone by their title, to call them by their first name.

Since you’re from Ukraine, it’s incumbent upon me to ask: Are your family and others all okay, that you know of?

Sasha Tupalo: That I know of, yes. My mom’s been fortunate enough to be staying with me for a little while. The rest of my family is still over there. Thankfully, they are okay. I mean, you know, it’s war, but it is difficult.

Doug Glenn: Well, as you know, a lot of people in the United States have our thoughts and prayers with the folks of Ukraine. They’re certainly taking it on the chin.

Sasha Tupalo: I would like to say, from the all the Ukrainian people I know, a lot of people are very, very grateful for your support.

Beginnings in Materials Science (06:10)

Doug Glenn: Thank you; I appreciate that.

Let’s talk about how you got interested in metallurgy. Here you are, a young high school student or so — what intrigued you with materials and metallurgy?

Sasha Tupalo: This is kind of funny, but it’s true: It was pure curiosity. I was graduating high school, and I was 16 at the time. I really had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, so I started going through majors. I had a list of things I knew I wasn’t as interested in — I knew I didn’t want to go into the medical field. My grandma was a doctor, but that’s just not for me. Law, also, was not for me.

My dad is an engineer. I was always good at math and sciences, so I considered engineering. I just didn’t know which kind of engineering. I started looking through lists of majors, and looking through different leaflets, and I found something that was called “materials engineering.” I was like, “Hmm, I’m curious.”

As I’m reading what it’s about, in a leaflet from the undergrad school where I went to, the first sentence was: “Just look around you. Everything that you see is made out of materials and this is what we study.” I thought, “Wow, that’s fascinating!” I started reading more, and I leaned more into metals — that was my choice of materials.

Doug Glenn: Any reason why metals?

Sasha Tupalo: No, not really. It’s just what fascinated me. As I started reading more and getting more into it, I said, “Wow, I want to study this. This is very, very interesting and unique.”

Doug Glenn: It’s an interesting and healthy perspective: you look around and you see, like you said, everything is all materials! So many people today want to go into computer sciences and similar things, stuff that you really have a hard time getting your hands on. But there is a real world out there made up of real things!

You mentioned that your grandmother was a doctor, and your father was an engineer. And your mother?

Sasha Tupalo: She is an English teacher, actually.

Doug Glenn: What did your family think when you said, “You know what? I think I’m going to go this materials/metals route.” Were they supportive, or did they say, “What were you thinking?”

Sasha Tupalo: My dad was very excited. He was, like, “Oh, another engineer in the family, that’s great!” He actually went to the same undergrad school as I did. For him, that was a very proud moment. My mom was supportive, but she was kind of scratching her head. She was, like, “If that’s what you want to do, just do it well. You’ll succeed.”

"At WPI, we actually had a pretty diverse group for our master's degree."
Source: Unsplash.com/thisisengineering

My grandma, she’s older, and she expressed, “I don’t think girls do engineering.” That was kind of the mindset. My grandma is 82 now, so, at the time, she just thought, “That’s an odd choice.” And really, when I went to school, there weren’t a whole lot of girls, especially in materials engineering.

Doug Glenn: It’s still relatively true.

Sasha Tupalo: Yes, it’s still true. At WPI, we actually had a pretty diverse group for our master’s degree; but once you get into metallurgy and the heat treating industry, it’s still predominantly a male industry.

Doug Glenn: The very first interview of this type that we did, in fact, the very first podcast that Heat Treat Today did, was with a female graduate from WPI. Her name was Hayley Sandgren (now Hayley Sandgren-Fox), and she was the very first podcast that we ever did.

Sasha Tupalo: That’s amazing!

Doug Glenn: It is. Years ago we did a survey of the thermal processing market. It was basically 98% male and 2% female. That was quite a few years ago, but I doubt that it’s changed significantly. If it’s 10–15% women, I would be surprised.

Sasha Tupalo: I think the latest research from the census bureau, that I’ve seen — in the workforce and STEM careers, it’s around 27–28% women.

Doug Glenn: Is that right?

Sasha Tupalo: Yes, something like that. And then, they have further distinguished between computer science and engineering; and the engineering numbers are quite low.

Sasha’s Experience in Heat Treating (10:55)

Doug Glenn: When you got to WPI, what did you study, specifically? What was your master’s thesis?

Sasha Tupalo: I had a master’s independent project. It was actually about heat treating: It was the microstructural and grain growth kinetics of 8620. It was a pretty neat project. It was very hands-on, which a lot of people who go to WPI will tell you that we really appreciate the projects the students have. They’re very involved; they’re hands-on. It gives you a better perspective of how to actually take what you’ve learned and bring it to the real world or to your job.

Doug Glenn: So, what is the application? I mean, is there a practical application of what you studied, or is it more theoretical?

Sasha Tupalo: It was pretty applicable just to the heat treating industry — austenitizing, quenching and tempering — grain growth kinetics, hardness variations, microstructural evolution. It’s actually all of the things I do now, so that was really helpful!

Doug Glenn: Workwise, specifically, what are some of the projects with which you’re involved?

Sasha Tupalo: I am very heavily involved on the high frequency induction welding side. That was something new to me, as I was graduating. I did a lot of continuing education in terms of welding, welding metallurgy, and now I’m the expert of high frequency induction welding.

Now, as far as the heat treating side goes, I am now involved in and looking into new 2-step, post-weld heat treating for high frequency induction welds to improve their toughness performance, especially for pipelines. Low temperature pipelines seem to be the trend these days, so we’re trying to help our customers to improve their Charpy properties.

Doug Glenn: Did you enjoy WPI?

Sasha Tupalo: Yes, absolutely. I had a really good experience.

Doug Glenn: What did you enjoy most? Was it the technical part, was it something outside of school, what was it?

Sasha Tupalo: Just the school itself, the campus. There’s a real sense of community at WPI. I had very good classmates and had a lot of, as I mentioned before, hands-on stuff, and practical training and seminars. It was very involved. It was nice to be in that atmosphere — where everybody is striving to do their best and learn something new.

Doug Glenn: After you got out, have you enjoyed the industry?

Sasha Tupalo: Yes. I enjoy industry very much so! There is something about putting your knowledge to actual, practical solutions that I really enjoy.

Doug Glenn: Do you get to go out into the field much? I know that you do R&D, but are you out in the field?

Sasha Tupalo: I do.

Doug Glenn: Tell us about that a little bit.

Sasha Tupalo: When I started at Thermatool, my first title was applications engineer, so I was traveling quite a bit. I would mostly visit our pipe and tube mills of our customers. They don’t differ much from steel mills.

Doug Glenn: You started as application engineer, and you are now lab manager? What was the progression there?

Sasha Tupalo: Applications engineer, materials engineer, senior materials engineer, and now lab manager.

Doug Glenn: You’ve been “climbing the corporate ladder.”

Industry Tips (15:50)

A couple other questions here: You mentioned that you continue to grow in your knowledge. If you were to recommend one helpful tool, for people similar to you in the industry, some sort of metallurgical resource or materials resource — do you have anything that’s a favorite?

Sasha Tupalo: I’d have to go with ASM. They have vast knowledge; they have classes and webinars; they publish books. There is just pretty much anything you might need, and you can find it. I have taken a couple of the classes myself because they were very niche; that’s not something you learn in school. I think if someone was looking for some resource, that’s a great resource.

Doug Glenn: Is there anything you would say, in way of encouragement, to younger people (I don’t know that many young people will be listening to this that aren’t in the industry already) but would there be anything you could say that would encourage people to say, “You know, you really ought to look into this industry”?

Heat Treat Today's 40 Under 40 Award
Source: Heat Treat Today

Sasha Tupalo: Yes. There are a lot of opportunities — and I’m sure you’ve heard it from other people too — we’re having a really hard time finding new workforce, especially younger people. There are lots of opportunities for growth. It’s fun. It’s a really fun industry — for me, it is, at least. If it’s something that interests you, I say go for it!

Rapid Fire Round (17:38)

Doug Glenn: Very good. This has been great, Sasha, we appreciate it. I want to wrap this up with maybe some stuff a little bit more away from business and education; just kind of some fun things to show people that, you know what, materials engineers are people too.

I’m going to give you a couple quick questions and you can give me a one-word answer, or you can give me an embellished answer. This is the “rapid fire round.”

Doug Glenn: Are you a MAC or a PC user?

Sasha Tupalo: I would have to go with PC. I’ve been a PC user since elementary school.

Doug Glenn: When you consume media (any type of media), what do you prefer — print or digital, both?

Sasha Tupalo: I would say both. I really enjoy getting email digests, either weekly or daily or whatever they are, but there is something about reading through an actual magazine, in print, that I prefer much better.

Doug Glenn: Very interesting. That’s great.

Which do you value more — I’m going to give you two options? Flexible work schedule or high pay? If you had to give up one or the other? Would you rather be paid high and have a rigid work schedule, or do you like the flexibility and maybe you’ll take a little pay cut for the flexibility?

Sasha Tupalo: I would probably say flexible schedule. It’s a tough one but . . . . I wonder if you would ask me that maybe 5 years from now if my answer would change. But, as of right now, it would be flexible schedule.

Doug Glenn: I ask that question because I’m a “baby boomer”; I was born in 1961, so I’m one of the old-timers, supposedly. I don’t feel like it, but they tell me I am. The stereotype is that we tend to be out for the higher paying jobs, but that the younger generation tends to be, “You know, money is not that important. I’m more interested in flexibility.” It has been interesting:  Almost everybody, all of the younger people that we interview, most of them do say they’d rather have the flexibility. It’s not that money is not important.

Sasha Tupalo: Right. But if you have to choose one . . .

Doug Glenn: Yes, right, one or the other. It’s kind of an unfair question, but that’s okay; nobody said the questions were going to be fair.

The people at Thermatool, I’m sure, know that you love your job and that you’re not going anywhere. But, if money were no object whatsoever, what would be your dream job? If you didn’t have to worry about money, and you just did something you really enjoyed doing, what would you do?

Sasha Tupalo: I’ve never thought about it because I enjoy what I’m doing.

Doug Glenn: Yes, it could be that this is it!

Sasha Tupalo: Yes, this might be it for me!

Doug Glenn: So, nothing else? You’ve never thought, “You know, if I could just do this, that would be really interesting.”

Sasha Tupalo: No, I really haven’t, to be honest with you. I really enjoy being an engineer, working on solutions and being challenged.

Doug Glenn: Good for you. It’s good to be content.

So, outside of work, what occupies your time? Are you an outdoor person, or what do you do?

"[M]y husband and I are trying to visit all the national parks in the U.S."
Source: Unsplash.com/Jeremy Bishop

Sasha Tupalo: Yes, I am. I really like hiking and camping. In fact, my husband and I are trying to visit all the national parks in the U.S. We’ve got a ways to go, but when we first started, there was 59 or 60 of them and now it’s up to 63. But we’ve got 20 on our list, so far.
Doug Glenn: That you have been to? You’ve been to 20 so far? What’s a highlight? What’s the best one (or two), so far?
Sasha Tupalo: The most recent trip was actually last year — we went to Utah — Zion National Park and Arches National Park. It was absolutely gorgeous.
Doug Glenn: I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s outstanding.
Sasha Tupalo: If you get a chance to go, I would highly recommend it.I like being grounded, being next to nature; that’s how I relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Doug Glenn: What does your husband do? What is his work?
Sasha Tupalo: He is actually also an engineer. He is a chief engineer at a hotel — more of maintenance and building engineering.
Doug Glenn: That makes for interesting dinner conversations, I’m sure. “So, dear, what kind of calculation do we want to do tonight?”Last question, Sasha. It’s been really enjoyable talking with you.

Again, this doesn’t have to be technical, but can you tell us your favorite app, phone app, movie or magazine? Or you can give us one of each, if you’d like.

Sasha Tupalo: Favorite app? I guess I would go with the one that I use pretty much daily:  I use Audible a lot lately.

"I've found that audiobooks work for me . . . ."
Source: Unsplash.com/distingue

Doug Glenn: For audio books?

Sasha Tupalo: Correct, yes. I do so much reading for work, so when I do get a chance sometimes, I’ll do that. A lot of people do podcasts, and I do listen to some podcasts, as well, but I’ve found that audiobooks work for me too. And I can combine it if it’s commute or if I’m working out, I can do both.

Doug Glenn: So, how long is your commute?

Sasha Tupalo: Mine is actually not that long.

Doug Glenn: And what types of books are you listening to?

Sasha Tupalo: You know, same thing. I’m trying to be intriguing. I read a lot for work. I’m trying to go somewhere in a different direction. I’m working my way through the Game of Thrones series. I’m a little late to the party, but you know . . .

Doug Glenn: Very good, Sasha. It’s really been very much a pleasure to meet you and talk with you a bit. Congratulations, again, on the 40 Under 40 award.

Sasha Tupalo: It’s been a pleasure talking to you and thank you so much for having me.

Doug Glenn: You’re welcome.

About the expert: Sasha Tupalo began her career as a materials engineer at Thermatool Corp. in 2016 after finishing her master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  She has been very active supporting the Fabricators and Manufacturer’s Association educational programs, as well as ASM Heat Treat events. She provides process troubleshooting support for tube, pipe, and closed roll formed shape producers. She routinely evaluates weld samples and heat treat specimens as part of this process. Sasha delivers training both in-house at Thermatool and at customers’ sites and leads continuing education classes such as “Weldability of Advanced Steels, Stainless Steels and Aluminum” (delivered 2018 at LeTourneau University, Longview, TX), and “Oilfield Metallurgy” (an ASM Continuing Education Class) in 2017. She has written several papers and delivered presentations in her field just since 2016. Sasha is an active member of numerous scientific and technical committees such as ASM, ASTM (A01, E04 and E28), TMS, AIST and WAG (Welding Advisory Group) at AISI.

For more information: contact Sasha through the company website  www.thermatool.com

To find other Heat Treat Radio episodes, go to www.heattreattoday.com/radio.

Search heat treat equipment and service providers on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

Heat Treat Radio #98: Heat Treat NextGen Sasha Tupalo Read More »

Heat Treat Radio #53: Spotlight on 40 Under 40 Leaders (Part 2 of 3)

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, HEAT TREAT RADIO

In a special Heat Treat Radio series, 40 Under 40 winners from the class of 2020 respond with their stories and insights of their life and work in the heat treat industry. This episode features the stories of Kelly Peters, Bryan Stern, and Andy Muto.

Below, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button and read a few excerpts from this episode.

 

 

Kelly Peters

Kelly Peters, Vice President of Operations, ALD Thermal Treatment

“I thought that this gig would buy me some time to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. Turns out, I grew up here in the plant, and here I am today.”

“There is so much uncertainty and less opportunity in our business at the moment. Major consumers of heat treat are at crossroads: Will the automotive industry go electric, hybrid, stay with engines, or what, and when?...So how do I run a business and plan for the future in so much uncertainty?... Just like any family, will face the challenges together and be better for them.”

“Give those favors time to mature and develop. You never know where they’ll lead unless you give them a chance.”

Bryan Stern

Bryan Stern, Advanced Development Engineer, Solar Manufacturing

“Working at Solar Manufacturing [it’s been] very fulfilling; with the vacuum equipment there’s pressure vessel design, fluids, the design of the water systems, thermodynamics going into that, heat transfer, structural analysis… There’s just a lot of depth and really because it’s, in many cases, a fairly homegrown movement, there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

“From what I’ve seen with almost the disconnect between a customer and what a piece of equipment could do for them if it was applied correctly: There’s a lot of room to bring value to a customer for their process in ways that haven’t really been imagined before.”

Andy Muto

Andy Muto, Operations Manager, Paulo

“I originally was planning on doing my own thing after college in logistics, and did so for a number of years, but in 2014 I decided to move back home and work for Paulo.”

“What really intrigues me in the heat treatment industry is how many different applications require some form of heat treating in order for parts to perform to the necessary level that they need to in the field.”

 

To find other Heat Treat Radio episodes, go to www.heattreattoday.com/radio so see all of the episodes.

Heat Treat Radio #53: Spotlight on 40 Under 40 Leaders (Part 2 of 3) Read More »

This Week in Heat Treat Social Media

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Welcome to Heat Treat Today's This Week in Heat Treat Social Media. As you know, there is so much content available on the web that it’s next to impossible to sift through all of the articles and posts that flood our inboxes and notifications on a daily basis. So, Heat Treat Today is here to bring you the latest in compelling, inspiring, and entertaining heat treat news from the different social media venues that you’ve just got to see and read!

If you have content that everyone has to see, please send the link to editor@heattreattoday.com.

1. Sailing Through AM

In this short video, an innovative team of project engineers designed a new part for a sailboat, increasing the performance of the boat in its application. The part was created through additive manufacturing (AM) techniques in order to optimize structural properties and decrease costs. Check it out!

2. Show Me: Charts, Figures, Videos

Hey. Let's cut to the chase. You want quick, visual info? See what we found for you.

The Nitriding Process

Shout out to Rosanne Brunello at Mountain Rep for sharing this video on LinkedIn. Follow #WomenInHeatTreat for more!

Normalizing and Full Annealing Heat Treatment

Click the image to see the other charts and graphs in the series posted by Baher Elsheikh on LinkedIn.

(photo source: Baher Elsheikh on LinkedIn)

Eight Reasons - Vacuum Brazing

What do you think of Alessia Paraviso's 8 reasons? Are there other reasons you would add?

 

Steel vs. CFC -- The 10 Advantages of CFC

Click the image to see the full LinkedIn post. There are a lot of colors going on, but share what you think about these differences. Do you agree? 

3. Social Celebrations

There are three heat treating-related celebrations from on social media that you may have missed: Nutec Bickley celebrating Mexico's Independence Day, SECO/WARWICK celebrates their e-Seminar event, and companies and individuals celebrate the Heat Treat Today 40 Under 40 Class of 2020.

Nutec Bickley Celebrates Mexico's Independence Day

 

SECO/WARWICK Celebrates Completion of their e-Seminar

40 Under 40 Winners are Recognized

In addition to the posts from Bodycote and CeraMaterials, other messages to honor the 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 have been trending on LinkedIn, such as the ones below.

4. Podcast Corner

Harb Nayar, the Sintering Expert

Harb Nayar is both an inquisitive learner and dynamic entrepreneur who will share his current interests in the powder metal industry, and what he anticipates for the future of the industry, especially where it bisects with heat treating.

Joe Powell of Integrated Heat Treating Solutions 

According to Joe Powell, heat treaters' focus should be on the quenching portion of the process where distortion often happens. In many instances, distortion is able to be eliminated.

Andrew Bassett, president of Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry, on AMS2750F

Andrew Bassett discusses the significant changes of AMS2750F in the specification areas of thermocouples and calibrations.

5. Metal Gear

Ah yes. "Safety first," but what about aesthetic? These metal t-shirts should do the trick.

See where you can order this t-shirt here.
 

 

 

Have a great weekend!

This Week in Heat Treat Social Media Read More »

40 Under 40: “Wait and See is not a Plan: What is Your Strategy?”

/ OP-ED

Kenneth W. Gronbach, President/CEO, KGC Direct LLC

“The United States is about to experience a monumental cultural shift, and Gen Y Millennials are the catalyst,” says Kenneth W. Gronbach, expert in the field of demography and generational marketing. Read his encouragement to Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 as he highlights significant demographic trends and life realities to help them determine their strategy for embarking on this next wave of opportunity.

So, you are approaching forty, big deal. Most of you could easily live into your nineties, so you are not even halfway through this life. My advice to you? Make the most of it. How? Get a handle on what is next and prepare. Demographics is a wonderful common-sense forecasting tool that precipitates accurate revelations. Really. So, let’s have a look into the demographic crystal ball as it relates to you. For the sake of this writing, I am going to consider you all part of the 88 million Generation Y Millennials born 1985 to 2004. Gen Y is the largest generation ever born in the United States. A few of you are actually Generation X born 1965 to 1984, but hey, close enough.

 The United States is about to experience a monumental cultural shift, and Gen Y Millennials are the catalyst. Yeah, you. I have been warning my audiences and readers to stop living in a white bubble and to lose the bigotry. It is 2020. By 2045, white non-Latinos will be a minority in the U.S. How do we know? Simple, the young people who will shape the United States fifty years from now are already born. And they are very diverse. Much more diverse than the white non-Latino adults that dominate our demography today.

So why are you millennials the catalyst? You don’t see race, religion, or color. You see people. It’s how you were raised and taught in school. In addition, you take the anti-bullying issue very seriously. You marry outside your race, religion, and color routinely. As a result, the skin tone of the average American will be slightly darker 25 years from now and red heads will be almost extinct. (If you have redheads in your family, hang on to them because they could be worth serious money.) Black Lives Matter is an idea whose time has finally come. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the diversity of the BLM protesters and demonstrators. What do you see? They are complimented by young whites, Latinos, and Asians in significant proportions. Eighty-eight million diverse Millennials will lead America to the place we were meant to be: One Nation Under God.

Average American 2050 (Photo source: National Geographic)

Most of you 40 Under 40 are entrepreneurs: risk takers who enjoy a challenge. So, let me offer up a significant human resources challenge that you must address as you embark on your tenure as leaders. In Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt’s recent book, Men Without Work, he reveals that the United States currently has 20 million men between the ages of 25 to 55 who do not work because they are felons and cannot be bonded/insured. They are the product of the war on drugs in a nation that incarcerates more people than any other nation on earth. Did we solve the drug problem? No, we created a new one.

One-third of our labor force between 25 to 55 is idle. Let’s look at the numbers. There are about 60 million men in the United States between 25 to 55 years old. One third of them cannot work. Of the 20 million felons who cannot work, 5 million are white, 5 million are Latino, and 10 million are African American. How many African American men are there in the U.S. between 25 to 55 years old? About 10 million. No, that is not a misprint. We have crippled the African American culture by locking up their males. We have dealt with symptoms of racism rather than addressing the causes. I pray that the Black Lives Matter movement will be the beginning of the end of this gross injustice. So, what is the big challenge? We need, as a nation, to put felons back to work. You need to figure out how to hire them, to train them, to restore their dignity, and to return them to their role as contributing members of society. You can do it. You have to do it.

When the pandemic exits the United States, it will be a different place. Just look back at the changes that took place after 9/11 and 2008. Let me just give you a list of some of the sea changes we can expect in the next ten years:

  1. Manufacturing will return to the United States because China decimated its labor force with 37 years of the One-Child Policy. China will also fall out of favor with the world in general because of its role with COVID-19.
  2. High net worth Westerners from the European Union will immigrate to the Americas in force because of cultural issues with their principal immigrants: Muslims.
  3. Eighty million Baby Boomers, now 57 to 76 years old, will exit the labor force of the U.S. by the millions creating a talent vacuum that will suck in skilled, cyber, multi-tasking Millennials by the millions. This will cause the United States to flourish.
  4. The E.U., Eastern Europe, Russia, Japan, and South Korea will diminish in power and influence because of their extremely low fertility rate. No kids and eventually no adults/taxpayers.
  5. Mexico has perfect demographics but will be considered a failed state because of the absence of a working government replaced by criminal cartels. It could well be annexed by the United States.
  6. India could blossom economically if it could get a handle on its disastrous distribution of wealth.
  7. The population of the world is currently at about 7 billion and will increase to about 10 billion by 2060 before it begins to recede.
  8. The population of the continent of Africa could double to two billion because of Africa’s extremely high fertility rate and the introduction of modern healthcare, technology, and education by Africa’s new friend, China.
  9. So, my 40 Under 40 friends, it is a new world. There will be no lack of opportunity. Make the world a better place and remember, “Wait and see” is not a plan. What is your strategy?Be well,Kenneth W. Gronbach

 

About the Author: Kenneth W. Gronbach is a gifted keynote speaker and nationally recognized author, expert, and futurist in the field of Demography and Generational Marketing. He makes the science of shifting demography come alive with real life examples which make it relevant to today’s culture, business climate, and economy. With nearly three decades experience in retail advertising and marketing, Ken saw the direct results of shifting demographics in his clients’ profits. Eventually, his passion for the subject changed the direction of his career, to the benefit of readers of his books and attendees of his keynotes and other presentations.

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