Engineer Manufacturing

STEVEN H. NAHM, PHD

**** ********** ***** ******** ** 45140 513-***-**** abnns7@r.postjobfree.com

CAREER SUMMARY

Solves complex problems by developing new materials, formulations, processes and products based

on broad experience with monomer, oligomer and polymer structure/process-property relations.

Expertise in reactive solventless systems for cure-in-place applications meeting customer

specifications, manufacturing and cost constraints, including matrix resins for fiber reinforced

composites, thermoset and UV/EB cured functional and decorative coatings, and structural adhesives.

Uses knowledge of synthetic and physical organic chemistry, reaction mechanisms and catalysis to

provide and implement robust and cost-effective manufacturing solutions for large and small

molecules and products made from them. Uses knowledge of research and QA/QC chemical analysis

and materials characterization methodologies to confirm structure and purity of synthetic targets,

match materials and formulations with applications, reverse engineer competitive products, optimize

manufacturing processes and validate product performance. Inventor on 20 issued or pending

patents, author on 12 peer-reviewed papers and 7 invited presentations.

SUMMARY OF CORE PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

SUMMARY OF LABORATORY ANALYTICAL COMPETENCIES

SUMMARY OF POSITIONS HELD

SUN CHEMICAL COMPANY, Scientist and Senior Scientist

Performance Pigments Division (Cincinnati OH) 10/2006 – 05/2008

North American Inks Division (Carlstadt NJ) 03/2002 – 10/2006

Job Summary: Synthesized new reactive monomers and oligomers, formulated and evaluated

functional and decorative energy cured (UV/EB) coatings, industrial and consumer products

meeting specific customer or end use cost and performance requirements and developed robust

scalable manufacturing processes. Proposed new projects, materials, processes and products

based on novel ideas and successfully demonstrated them for the approved project proposals;

prepared patent applications, technical reports, papers and presentations; developed and provided

gated project plan and regulatory compliance documentation.

FIBERCAST COMPANY, Chief Chemist

Sand Springs OK, 10/1997 – 09/2001

Job Summary: Supervised and mentored a BS chemical engineer and BA chemist; created new

and/or improved existing resins, formulated products and manufacturing processes to meet product

performance specifications and business objectives; planned and conducted experimental programs

to support multiple simultaneous development efforts and solve manufacturing problems, including

laboratory, pilot plant, and full-scale prototype part manufacturing, product validation and

commercialization phases; managed raw material supplier relations and qualified new resin input

raw materials; established new testing and characterization protocols; prepared new SOPs,

technical reports and presentations; trained operators in manufacturing and QC procedures.

RAYBESTOS PRODUCTS COMPANY, Senior Development Chemist

Crawfordsville IN, 01/1995 – 09/1997

Job Summary: Improved manufacturing processes through raw material and formulation testing,

process monitoring and modeling, and product characterization; defined raw material, process and

product specifications; resolved product quality issues; prepared technical reports and

presentations; established new manufacturing process specifications and product testing

protocols.

ESSEX GROUP, Technical Manager, Polymer Development

Ft Wayne, IN, 08/1993 – 07/1994

Job Summary: Supervised two MS chemists and one technician; reformulated wire enamels and

conducted pilot scale and customer plant trials to validate product improvements; qualified new

raw materials; wrote new ISO 9000 SOPs.

ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA (Alcoa), Staff Scientist

Rigid Packaging Division, New Kensington PA, 03/1990 – 11/1992

Job Summary: Planned, coordinated, and executed new FDA compliant coating and process

development projects; developed extensive key word searchable database for coatings technology;

wrote technical reports, papers and presentations.

HERCULES INCORPORATED, Research Chemist and Senior Research Chemist

Corporate Exploratory Research, Papermakers Chemicals, Coatings and Additives (now Aqualon)

Wilmington DE, 09/1981 – 02/1990

Job Summary: Conducted basic and applied research into new raw materials, catalysts and

formulations for UV cured and thermoset coatings, developed new monomers and catalysts for

reaction injection molding and synthesized additives for papermaking; developed manufacturing

processes and new products; prepared patent applications (4 patents issued), technical reports,

papers (3 peer reviewed papers published) and presentations; supervised technicians.

DETAILED PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS – SELECTED EXAMPLES

SUN CHEMICAL COMPANY, Scientist and Senior Scientist

Performance Pigments Division (Cincinnati OH) 10/2006 – 05/2008

Manufacturer of organic pigments

North American Inks Division (Carlstadt NJ) 03/2002 – 10/2006

Manufacturer of inks and coatings

Specific Results

Redesign and reformulation of a customer’s prototype low temperature cure epoxy powder coating

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eliminated regulatory issues and improved its manufacturing and storage characteristics.

Demonstration of a new ambient cure initiation concept substantially improved its performance over

the prototype and eliminated potential end-use customer problems and claims. Scale-up and

commercialization is in progress with initial product sales of several million dollars/year projected;

two patent applications were filed.

Developed a specialty carbon black dispersion/polymer concentrate for a fiber spinning application.

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Scale-up and commercialization is in progress to meet initial orders for 20,000 pounds/year.

Demonstrated practical and scalable approaches for aqueous pigmented thermoplastic polymer

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dispersions with controlled particle size distributions for use as masterbatch color concentrates.

Proposed and developed energy curable oligomers and formulations for selectively permeable gas

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separation membrane applications. New urethane acrylate oligomers were designed, synthesized

and formulated into coatings, validating the key concepts of the model (the spontaneous formation

of a cocontinuous micro phase structure), allowing formulations based on inexpensive commodity

materials to be developed; one broad patent application was filed (single inventor).

Steven H. Nahm, PhD 513-***-****

Developed a robust and flexible approach to hyperbranched polyacrylate resins as cost-effective

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replacements for vendor products and demonstrated their utility in UV and EB coatings and inks.

Cost targets were met and performance targets exceeded; multiple patents issued and pending.

Developed an approach using heterogeneous catalysis to produce energy curable acrylate

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functional oligomers with narrow molecular weight distributions and minimal contamination by

starting materials and high molecular weight polymers; patent application filed (single inventor).

Designed and synthesized several monomers for EB laminating adhesives and achieved a

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successful pilot scale-up of the best material, meeting performance targets below the cost target.

Demonstrated that multi-frequency dielectric spectroscopy (DES) could replace expensive, time

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consuming and imprecise in-process sampling and off-line QC testing during resin manufacture

and improve batch-to-batch consistency. Sensing probes and support hardware were purchased

and installed in the pilot plant and a paper was published in a peer-reviewed technical journal.

FIBERCAST COMPANY, Chief Chemist Sand Springs OK, 10/1997 – 09/2001

Manufacturer of epoxy and vinyl ester matrix resins, fiberglass reinforced composite pipes, fittings

and structural adhesives

Specific Results

Qualified a new liquid epoxy resin used in over 90% of the commercial products and saved the

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company over $300,000/year in direct raw material costs.

Reformulation and processes changes using new epoxy resin enabled a seamless transition for

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direct conversion to cast pipe, providing substantially improved performance and lower cost basis.

Reformulation and processes changes using the new epoxy resin enabled a seamless transition

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for manufacture of three commercial vinyl ester (VE) resins that were the basis of all VE products.

Developed, scaled up and commercialized an improved VE liner resin for centrifugally cast

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fiberglass reinforced pipe that exceeded temperature, chemical and impact resistance target

specifications, increasing safety margins for industrial pipeline systems.

Developed, scaled up and commercialized a new lower cost VE structural adhesive formulation

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substantially exceeding the strength and use temperature target specifications, increasing safety

margins for industrial pipeline systems.

Developed a VE matrix resin formulation and filament winding process for a new product line. The

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resin and process met critical production constraints (resin pot life, tool turns per shift) and the

parts exceeded final performance specification targets, enabling successful commercialization of

the new product line, which outperformed competitive parts.

Identified the cause of low-pressure through-wall leakage in epoxy bulk molding resin parts as

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poor fiber bundle wet-out. This defect required expensive 100% final part qualification pressure

testing. Process improvements allowed development of a lower cost formulation. The combined

changes virtually eliminated rejects and justified change over to significantly lower cost statistical

QA/QC testing program of the final parts.

Developed dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) methodologies to optimize resin formulations and

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cure cycles used in part manufacture. This work was the basis of invited technical presentations

at two international professional society conferences.

Demonstrated a practical process to manufacture thick walled filament wound VE pipe that

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would enable their unprecedented cure in a continuous single stage operation based on a dual UV

initiated/thermal cure approach. Because it overcame the need for time consuming multiple lay-up

and cure cycles required by conventional processing, this process could increase productivity by

as much as 6 times, allowing up to 2 mandrel turns per 8hr shift instead of 1 turn in 24 hours.

RAYBESTOS PRODUCTS COMPANY, Senior Development Chemist Crawfordsville IN,

01/1995 – 09/1997

Manufacturer of fiber reinforced composites for wet friction applications (heavy-duty brakes and

transmissions)

Specific Results

Evaluated and correlated the effects of formulation and process changes on product performance

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using thermomechanical analyses (DMA, TGA, DSC, TMA) techniques.

Generated input data for the development and validation of a process optimization model (in

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collaboration with the University of Michigan) based on measured resin cure kinetics, oven air flow

Steven H. Nahm, PhD 513-***-****

and temperature profiles, heat transfer to the curing parts, and in-process and final part physical

characteristics.

ESSEX GROUP, Technical Manager, Polymer Development Ft Wayne, IN, 08/1993 – 07/1994

Manufacturer of magnet wire and wire enamels

Specific Results

Qualified a new diisocyanate resin, saving over $250,000/year in direct raw material costs.

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Reformulated and scaled-up polyurethane wire enamels to improve in-process and end use

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characteristics, eliminating customer complaints and product claims.

Collaborated with University of Connecticut faculty to develop and transfer a headspace GC-MS

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method for use as a QC analytical procedure for resin manufacture.

Facilitated company transition to ISO 9000 certification by writing standard operating procedures.

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ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA (Alcoa), Staff Scientist

Rigid Packaging, New Kensington PA, 03/1990 – 11/1992

Manufacturer of aluminum sheet, coils, cans and closures

Specific Results

Proposed and demonstrated prototype proprietary chlorine-free FDA compliant coating technology

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to replace vendor sanitary can coating products.

Created and maintained a Boolean keyword-searchable coatings technology database containing

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tens of thousands of open source records prior to commercial database availability.

Published an extensive non-patent review article comparing formulation principles, curing, relative

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costs and performance of energy cured (UV/EB) coatings with conventional thermally cured

coatings focused on food contact applications.

HERCULES INCORPORATED, Research Chemist and Senior Research Chemist

Corporate Exploratory Research, Papermakers Chemicals, Coatings and Additives (now Aqualon)

Groups, Wilmington DE, 09/1981 – 02/1990

Manufacturer of a broad range of commodity and specialty chemicals and raw materials

Specific Results

Reverse engineered competitive paper sizing technology using gas and liquid chromatographies,

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FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR and mass spectroscopies, optimized the composition based on synthetic

and application model studies and developed a commercial 3-step process to produce the product

below targeted cost. Results obtained during model compound synthesis led to publication of a

peer-reviewed paper on details of the transition state geometry for the “ene” reaction.

Determined mechanism of paper sizing by reactive alkyl ketene dimer (Aquapel™ ) through model

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studies. The resulting publication ended over 30 years of literature debate on the subject.

Developed and commercialized a process to manufacture a critical monomer with the required

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economics and purity for a wet strength resin used in Scott Paper's Bounty™ Paper Towels.

Modified nitrocellulose with pendant groups to facilitate or initiate UV crosslinking in coatings

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applications; 2 patents were issued.

Developed low temperature crosslinkers and followed coatings cure using headspace GC-MS and

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isotopically labeled internal standards; the results were peer-reviewed, presented and published.

Conducted pioneering investigations into monomers and catalysts for ring opening metathesis

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polymerization (ROMP) of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and norbornene derivatives for reinforced

reaction injection molding (Metton™ ); 2 patents were issued for monomers to raise polymer Tg.

Synthesized additives and demonstrated improved thermal bonding of polypropylene fibers in trial

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nonwoven fabric and fiber web applications.

EDUCATION

Post-Doctoral Studies in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY at State College; 07/1980 – 09/1981

Co-author on a paper that became a Named Organic Reaction (Weinreb-Nahm Reaction); over

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9,000 Google hits to this work

PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry and Reaction Mechanisms

Steven H. Nahm, PhD 513-***-****

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO; 08/1975 – 06/1980

BS in Chemistry, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, 09/1970 – 06/1974

Steven H. Nahm, PhD 513-***-****

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