We are proud and honored to have such a distinguished group participating in AIMCAL technical initiatives.
By Board Resolution, AIMCAL has established a Technical Advisory Panel. This distinguished group of industry consultants was selected to participate on the Panel based on their years of industry experience, reputation and contribution to the converting industry.
Panel members are selected and approved by the Board for one-year terms, and up to eight individuals can serve at any one time. They will participate in all aspects of our ASK AIMCAL service and will provide tutorial at AIMCAL technical functions, including the Fall Technical Conference and Summer School. We are proud and honored to have such a distinguished group participating in AIMCAL technical initiatives, and we are confident that the panel will be a strong contributor to strengthening the technical services to AIMCAL membership and the Industry. Please welcome these individuals to AIMCAL.
On leaving school at 16 Charles served a four-year Craft Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. During this time he also studied to gain O.N.C. & H.N.C in mechanical engineering at the local Technical College
On completing the apprenticeship he entered Loughborough University and studied for a B.Sc. in Materials Engineering. On gaining an Honours degree and a Diploma in Industrial Studies he moved to the Physics Department to research into vacuum deposition processes and went on to gain both an M.Phil. & Ph.D. by research & thesis.
After a period of time as a Post Doctoral research scientist at University where Charles also took on consultancy work he was headhunted into Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI plc). His first position in ICI was as a senior research scientist in Surface Engineering within the New Science Group. During his time within ICI he worked for business as diverse as Nylons, Polyesters, Explosives, Imagedata and Flex Products Inc. Projects included taking a laboratory process through to production, the technical input during the company selection process for the acquisition of a manufacturing company, troubleshooting a new $45M explosives production line, technology scanning to provide new technologies as part of a route to new markets as well as numerous smaller product development tasks. During this time, work was carried out in the USA and Europe as well as the UK.
In December 1998 Charles elected to return to consultancy work and established his own business, C.A.Bishop Consulting Ltd., offering help on all aspects of vacuum deposition including system design, process development & scale-up, process control, plasma surface treatments and coatings, as well as troubleshooting existing processes and running training courses.
Charles has published over 50 technical papers, has 5 patents & has run training courses in the UK, USA and Europe. In 2007 his book 'Vacuum Deposition onto Webs, Films & Foils' was published.
Jerry Brown has 32 years of experience in web handling. Starting his career in 1960 with Fife Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of web guiding systems, he was involved with a wide variety of web-fed processes and made many important contributions to the development and application of web handling equipment. Among these are:
Independently discovered the normal entry rule in 1960 allowing Fife to become the first company in the U.S. to design web guide installations based on sound engineering principles.
Conceptualized, in collaboration with an associate, the first bearing system that permitted the use of more than two linear bearings to support steering rollers.
Developed numerous sensors and control systems for applications in converting, textiles and metals.
Led the development of a microprocessor-based online nuclear thickness gauging system.
In 1997 Jerry became an independent web handling consultant. He has stayed current with the latest developments in web handling by attending every IWEB conference (sponsored by the Web Handling Research Center at Oklahoma State University) since 1995. At the 2005 conference he introduced a new universal method for analyzing and predicting the lateral behavior of webs at rollers in situations that are beyond the reach of earlier techniques, including concave, convex and tapered rollers and cambered webs.
Believing strongly in the importance of hands-on engineering, he has constructed a laboratory machine for demonstrating and studying lateral web behavior and is thus the only independent web handling consultant who can claim to have a lab machine in his basement.
Dr. Cohen is a technical consultant in all aspects of the web coating process. His expertise is in the coating and drying of thin films, coating process development and scale-up, polyester base development, film defect mechanisms, defect characterization techniques, litigation support and professional development activities for scientists.
Dr. Cohen has over 45 years experience in coating research and manufacturing technology with the duPont Company, retired as a duPont Fellow, and as a consultant.. He has extensive publications in the field and has published several books and articles for industry publications. Currently he is Technical Consultant for AIMCAL. He was founding president of the International Society of Coating Science and Technology. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Delaware. His honors are the John Tallmadge Award for Contributions to Coating technology and the AIMCAL President?s award.
Dr. John B. Fenn, Jr. AIMCAL Consultant - Sputtering 23775 Harwich Place
West Hills, CA91307 johnfenn@earthlink.net
Dr. John B. Fenn Jr., is an internationally known thin film coating expert and leads his own consulting firm, Fennagain. Fenn`s expertise is sputtering. During his career, Fenn managed two divisions of major corporations from start-up to profitability and founded two companies that later sold for more than three times the original capital investment. In 1997 he founded NeoVac, which was sold to Innovative Specialty Films (now Bakaert Specialty Films LLC) in 2001. NeoVac`s specialty is the design, development and commercialization of thin film products based on vacuum coating processes. Its first line of transparent conductive films for use in touch panels and displays quickly captured 10% of the global market. Prior to NeoVac, he co-founded and managed Andus, a high-technology vacuum coatings manufacturing company, which was purchased by Courtaulds PLC. Other career stops include Leybold Technologies, Courtaulds Defense Products, Inc. and Courtaulds Performance Films. He was elected president of the Society of Vacuum Coaters in 2002, and received its Nathaniel Sugerman Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in 2003. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University in 1972. He also worked as a post-doctoral fellow in the Chemistry Department at UCLA. His B.S. degree, also in Chemistry, is from Tufts University.
As a principal at Gogolin & Associates, Larry Gogolin consults in dozens of industries, which use web coating applications and helps clients develop and improve coating processes and select equipment. Prior to becoming a technical consultant in the process, chemical and coating areas in 1988, Larry spent 23 years at Polaroid Corp. where he managed the quality and technical support groups. He also led the technical group that contracted Polaroid's excess coating capacity to external customers and helped develop specifications and sourcing for new coating equipment.
Larry has a Masters in Engineering Management and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Ed Gutoff is a consultant in coating and drying. Dr. Gutoff organized the first AIChE Coating Symposium in 1982, was the founding Secretary of the International Society of Coating Science and Technology, has published over 25 papers on coating and drying technology, and has developed software to model drying. Dr. Gutoff co-edited Modern Coating and Drying Technology (1992) and co-authored Coating and Drying Defects: Troubleshooting Operating Problems (2006, 1995), and The Application of Statistical Process Control to Roll Products (1994). After 28 years at Polaroid Corporation, he took early retirement in 1988 to do consulting. He is a Fellow of the AIChE and an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University. In 1994 he was awarded the AIChE John A. Tallmadge Award for contributions to Coating Technology.
Dilwyn Jones is a Consultant in Materials Science and Engineering, based in the North East of England. He works with a range of clients world wide on web handling, polymer processing and properties, static charge and Finite Element Analysis, bringing a blend of fundamentals, modelling and practical application. He has helped develop "TopWeb" software for Web Handling which is commercially available from Rheologic Ltd, a spin-off company from the University of Leeds, UK. Other successful models include mechanics of multi-layer film structures for flexible electronics, web wrinkling during vacuum metallising, air lubrication, wind-loaded dome panels, residual monomer diffusion, atmosphere changes in packaged fresh produce, and several process-related Finite Element simulations.
He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1976 with First Class Honours in Natural Sciences, and stayed on to complete a PhD in Low Temperature Physics. He then joined ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) where he worked on the processing and properties of polymers at their laboratories in Welwyn Garden City and Wilton, and during secondments to Cranfield Institute of Technology and the production facility at Hopewell, Virginia. He moved to DuPont in 1998, along with ICI's Polyester Film business. He set up his consultancy business in 2000.
He specialised in Polyester Film technology from 1984, and has been involved with winding and web handling since that time. He has attended seven of the eight International Web Handling Conferences, and presented a Keynote Address in 2001. He has presented papers and posters at numerous conferences. He is a tutor on Web Handling and Converting for the AIMCAL European Summer School in 2004 and 2006, and other courses.
He currently chairs the Printing and Graphics Science Group of the Institute of Physics. In his spare time, he likes to keep fit by rowing, hiking, running, cycling and skiing and also enjoys making music on piano, guitar and piano accordion.
Dr. Donald J. McClure
Dr. Donald J. McClure Acuity Consulting and Training 23002 Dunham Lake Road
Siren, WI54872 acuityct@hotmail.com
Don developed his skills as a vacuum roll-to-roll coating specialist during a 25 year career in 3M. He has worked on an extraordinarily broad range of programs in that arena that include coating process development, product development and launch, coating out-sourcing, new machine design and specification, coater modification, project management, cost modeling, patent strategy development, and acquisitions. He has taught a variety of courses on vacuum web coating and sputtering across the US and in China. His classes have been reviewed as highly accessible and immediately useful.
His vacuum roll coating and processing career includes efforts on the metallization of reflectors for automotive, optical, space, and display applications; preparation of vacuum-deposited videotape; coating of conductors for both high performance and low cost flexible circuit constructions; coating of transparent conductors for displays, touch screens, and architectural glazing applications (including switchable windows); coatings for lithium battery electrodes and fuel cell catalysts; demonstration of flexible thin film transistor arrays; thin film optical design; and etching of polymer surfaces for adhesion enhancement. He has published much of this work and holds 10 issued patents. Before his career at 3M, he spent 5 years at IBM's corporate research facility and 2 years at Bell Labs. He earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and math and a PhD in physical chemistry. He served the Society of Vacuum Coaters as President and Secretary. He was awarded the SVC's highest honor, the Nathaniel Sugerman Award, in 2004.
Dr. Mount earned a BA in Chemistry and an ME and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. A specialist in polymer processing, He joined ICI Americas in 1978 where he did screw design and biaxially oriented polyester film manufacturing and orientation process research. In 1981 he joined Mobil Chemical Films Division performing manufacturing research, biaxially oriented polypropylene product and process design and high barrier metallized film development. He holds five United States and two European patents, in the field of metallized films and high barrier metallized films. His research has encompassed metallization process and product design for OPP films, Clear barrier coatings, atmospheric and vacuum based film surface treatment, film treatment system specification and start up, polypropylene, polyester and polyethylene extruder screw design and characterization, film coextrusion process studies and trouble shooting.
Dr. Mount has been an industrial scientist and research Manager for 25 years with a strong manufacturing focus and has worked as an expert witness and managed the Intellectual Property Process. He is currently principal consultant for EMMOUNT Technologies.
Dr. David Roisum of Finishing Technologies is a well-known authority in web handling and converting. He has authored eight books and more than 100 papers and articles such as his monthly Web Works column in Converting magazine. His background includes a variety of web manufacturing and converting experiences. At Beloit Corp. he was a machine designer and then research manager for winders. At the Web Handling Research Center he served as an advisor and helped set up their pilot lab. At Kimberly-Clark he worked as an internal converting consultant to all business units. Finally, as an independent consultant, he helps troubleshoot a variety of problems in the paper, film, foil, nonwoven and textile industries. He has visited nearly 1,000 plants in his more than quarter century of experience.
An accomplished professional speaker and instructor, he is noted for his skill in translating highly technical information into a common sense, practical reference. He has been honored several times with TAPPI's Finest Faculty Award based on the positive feedback from short course attendees. More than 2,000 students have attended his own courses including the ever-popular Web Handling and Converting.
Richard Swisher Swisher & Assoc. 8541 Devine Ave
Northfield, MN55057 rswisher@deskmedia.com
Dick received his undergraduate degrees in Math and Physics in 1963. In 1968 he finally finished a Master's Degree in Space Physics under Dr. Van Allen at the U. of Iowa. He changed careers from launching things to helping make things in order to feed the family adequately. He joined Sheldahl that year to help develop a patented solid state, flat screen television display. The patent for the TV screen didn't actually work. However the thin film materials and processes developed in the attempt, led to innovative portable X-Ray image intensifiers, IR image intensifiers, and low visible light image intensifiers that were of great interest to the US government. After this several coatings were developed for use on adaptive, deceptive, or just stealthy space decoys. Along the way roll-to-roll coating of Bismuth films on polymers with immediate in-tank hot lamination was developed to make laser tracing films for situation displays.
Most of his interesting deposition experiences have been in evaporating very thick coatings of metals onto a variety of polymers and other webs. This has involved Lead, Tin, Bismuth, Aluminum, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Lithium.
He holds seven US patents in thin film coatings and five of them are making money for people. His most recent large projects were evaporating Copper for use in flexible printed circuitry.
He retired from Sheldahl in May 2006. He hopes that his prolific entries in the "Journal of Failed Experiments" can be of use to help others avoid some potholes in the road to success.
Timothy J. Walker is a web handling, winding, laminating, and slitting specialist with 25 years experience in process development, production support, and technical education. He is president of TJWalker+Associates Inc, providing services in web-based processes and technology management.
Before starting his own company in 1999, Tim was corporate web handling technology leader for 3M, leading 3M's web handling process development lab and their corporate process technology management committee.
Tim served for many years on the Industrial Advisory Board at Oklahoma State University's Web Handling Research Center and co-taught their "Application Seminar on Web Handling" course. Tim has presented at the AIMCAL Technical Conference and Summer School, the International Conference on Web Handling, Converting Equipment Manufacturers Association meetings, and International Society for Coating Science and Technology Symposium.
Tim has a Master's in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Iowa. He writes a monthly column for PFFConverter magazine, Web Lines.
Tim resides in Saint Paul, MN, with his wife (Lisa) and son (Horace). His hobbies include golf, hockey, and comic book collecting.
