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Speakers - Thermoplastic Composites

		Sean Cooper, Tods Aerospace Sean Cooper is Materials and Manufacturing Development Manager for Tods Aerospace. As project manager for collaborative materials and technology research projects he conducts company research into new applications of composite materials and new manufacturing processes. He specialises in the management of collaborative R&D from project proposal through to delivery and has technical expertise in composites testing, thermoplastic composites processing/joining and out of autoclave manufacture of thermoset composites (either wet resin such as RI and RTM or OOA prepreg techniques). He holds an MSc in Advanced Materials from the University of Surrey and a BSc in Mechanical Design and Manufacture from Plymouth University. He is a Board Member of the British Composites Society, a registered STEM Ambassador, is a professional member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (MIMMM) holding Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Chartered Scientist (CSci) qualifications and is a professional member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET).
		Rod Fox, Revalutech Rod Fox as Managing Director of Revaluetech Ltd., has more than 40 years’ experience in development and high profile project management within the plastics recycling sector. With his mechnical and production engineering knowledge and experience, Rod led the development in 1983 of the first process to reycle polypropylene film and fibres to make plant pots, which gained ISO accreditation. From 1982-1985 he developed the first process to successfully recycle PET bottles. In the 1990’s his expertise was used to successfully develop the first composite rail sleeper in the USA. He is the elected Industry Expert appointed by RSSB and BSI representing the U.K. on the CEN European and ISO global standards working groups for polymer sleepers and bearers for the rail industry. Rod started R & D in the development of thermpolastic composites in 2007 with the aim to make them price competitive with a wide range of wood, concrete and steel products. The development of this process has led to the use of recovered mixed plastic packaging waste to manufacture structurally engineered products used in coastal and inland flood protection in place of tropical hardwood; as composite rail sleepers and utility poles for the power/telecoms sectors in place of creosote treated softwood; as kerbing and noise barriers in place of concrete.
		Steve Garrett, Nifco UK Steve Garrett is Manager of Research & Development at Nifco UK and has held this position since March 2014. Steve has more than 20 years’ experience of working in automotive design and development, and has worked with some of the industry’s biggest companies including Cummins and Ford.
		Graeme Herlihy, Engel Graeme Herlihy is the Managing Director of Engel UK – British subsidiary of the Austrian injection moulding machine manufacturer. A graduate, and Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Graeme has worked in the injection moulding machinery industry for more almost 30 years and at Engel for 15 years. During Graeme’s watch, Engel has become the largest machine supplier in the UK in terms of both the number and the value of machines delivered.
		Tom Hitchings, Ten Cate Prior to joining TenCate late in 2016, Tom was Business Development Director at the National Composites Centre in Bristol from the day it opened its’ doors in 2011. He joined there following a 12 year spell with Tods Aerospace in Somerset as Business Development Director in both their mass transit interiors business, and then in aircraft interiors and aerostructures work. Tom is a chartered engineer.
		Professor Alma Hodzic Professor Alma Hodzic, joined Revaluetech in 2016, as Director of Research, bringing her extensively documented and well known recycled composites science and engineering to add to the process technology already held by Revaluetech. She is also a Visiting Academic at the Aerospace Research Institute, The University of Manchester. She has been Professor in Advanced Materials Technologies at The University of Sheffield and Director of EPSRC High Value Manufacturing Catapult Fellowship Centre until 2015. She served as Research Director of Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (2012-2013) and Director of Composite Systems Innovation Centre (2009-2013). She holds PhD degree in Science of Engineering Materials from The Australian National University, and Diplomingenieur degree (MEng) in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude from University of Belgrade. Her research has been funded by EPSRC, Technology Strategy Board, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, EU FP7, and through collaborations with the aerospace, automotive and railway industry. She has co-chaired three international conferences (DFC/SI at Cambridge in 2013 and 2011, Sheffield in 2009) and has served as EPSRC College Member, IntReader for Australian Research Council, Vice Chair and co-establisher of Royal Aeronautical Society branch in Sheffield, Council Member of European Society for Composite Materials and Chair of British Composite Society Meetings Committee. She holds 11 science awards and 5 patents in the field of novel polymer composites, multifunctional materials, biopolymers, natural fibre composites and elastomeric fire-resistant microcomposites. She is Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society, Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. A majority of her time is spent on R&D implementation involving the experience from her earlier research to ensure that new composite products are readily accepted as a better alternative to the traditional use of very expensive and unsustainably sourced tropical hardwood.
		Gareth McGrath, Flexible Manufacturing Solutions Gareth McGrath is a Materials Engineer who works with SMEs to help them achieve success through technical guidance, bespoke business planning/training & ISO 9001. Gareth has worked at leading technology companies, including the Royal Aerospace Establishment; TWI’s Advanced Materials Group and NPL. In addition he has successfully commercialised new technology for a leading global provider of innovative solutions, He has worked on composites projects for the last 30 years, including BAe Systems, McLaren F1, Airbus and Boeing. Gareth is a Chartered Engineer and has an MBA to complement his technical knowledge in composites, adhesive technology, and laser welding of plastics. Gareth holds a BSc Hons in Metallurgy and a PhD in the Reclamation of Thermoplastic Composites from Sheffield Hallam University.
		Glen Pascoe, Shape Machining Glen Pascoe leads a team of engineers at SHAPE developing a novel preform manufacturing process known as ShapeTex. He has an automotive engineering degree and over 10 years industrial design and product development experience gained initially in Formula 1. From detailing the design and manufacture of composites components he moved into R&D and was part of an engineering team that introduced flywheel energy storage technology to UK mass transport providers. Since mid-2016 having completed a MDes in Design and Innovation for Sustainability he has been responsible for growing SHAPE’s business activities beyond its machining services through the design and engineering of customer led R&D projects, composites manufacturing solutions and low-to-mid volume production of fibre-reinforced polymer components.
		Sebastiaan Wijskamp, TCRC Sebastiaan Wijskamp works as a Senior Research Associate at the ThermoPlastis composites Research Center, which he joined in October 2015. He is responsible for Business Development including management of industrial projects. Sebastiaan has been active in the field of thermoplastic composites for nearly 20 years, where he has gained experience in R&D, production technology and business development. He earned his MSc and PhD at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands) working on residual stress modelling and warpage prediction of formed thermoplastic composite parts.

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