Projects
Computer-Aided Design and Additive Manufacturing for Advanced Applications
Custom design, printing, and implementation of adapters, baffles, fixtures, jigs, measurement tools, and other products for technology development and instrumental analysis
At home, I have fused filament fabrication (FFF) CoreXY and Delta-style printers, and at HZO, I have access to a fused deposition modeling (FDM) Stratasys printer.
I’ve made the following custom designs to deliver on some technically challenging requests:
- Baffles for improving the vapor distribution of Parylene chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coatings and optimizing the thickness uniformity,
- Fixtures for holding up to twenty-seven (27) electronic assemblies in a three-level flower petal pattern that was used in a low-profile atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber that was initially intended for coating silicon wafers,
- Spacers and light blocking modules for performing reflection Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis on a Bruker ALPHA FTIR spectrometer,
- Fixtures for achieving a targeted symmetrical gradient coating on both sides of an infrared sensor die for NASA researchers, which has since been published in Applied Optics and a Patent Application has been filed, and
- Fixtures, jigs, and measurement accessories for evaluating the crevice penetration or throwing distance of various Parylene and other chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coatings.
Industry
- Applied research
- Aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, drone, industrial, medical device, and more
Achievements
- I created tools used in meeting challenging internal and external client requests and achieving remarkable results by proving a thorough understanding of the limits of equipment and fixture designs, as well as materials characterization, materials selection, and process parameters.
Status
- I generated designs which have elevated the “thought leadership” and showcased my capabilities and that of the organization.
Conformal coatings
Thin-film barrier and conformal coating selection, development, materials, evaluation, services, and advice
I’ve led materials science and coating technology teams for materials selection, development of materials and processes used for improving reliability and mitigating corrosion with Fortune 50 companies and others around the world.
Industry
- Applied research and commercial services
- Conformal coating service provider for automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, and medical device markets
Achievements
- I assisted well-known companies and developed processes that have led to over 100 million devices coated and significant revenue.
- I served as a subject matter expert (SME) for cross-functional teams of executives, sales, marketing, operations, legal, and others.
Status
- I evaluated materials used in the production of automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, and other markets.
Consulting
Advisor in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)
I ran a consulting company, Clancy & Associate Technical Services LLC, in Draper, UT, which provided practical solutions to development, manufacturing, and process issues related to electronics, coatings, and instrumental analysis, as well as technical marketing and instructional documents. Additional details are available for review on my Consulting page.
Industry
- Applied research
- Aerospace, oil and gas, coatings, and chemical industries
Achievements
- I assisted a major oil & gas pipeline inspection company with materials selection and manufacturing processes for superior sensor reliability, as well as wrote a series of guest blog articles for a coatings company.
Status
- I evaluated materials and production facility, as well as helped with materials selection for extremely harsh environments.
Laboratory and Program Management
Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL) in the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department
At the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, UT, I managed the Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL) in the Materials Science and Engineering Department, which provided services to students, faculty, and industrial clients.
Industry
- Academia with fundamental and applied research
- I provided laboratory services to academic and industrial clients.
Achievements
- I used my knowledge and experience towards improving laboratory services, maintaining equipment, writing funding proposals, and guiding students on test methods and processes.
Status
- I managed student workers and billing, maintained equipment, and increased outreach for the lab.
Electronics Manfacturing
Managing high-reliability, -value, and -visibility projects, along with managing commercial laboratory failure analysis services
At ACI Technologies, Inc., in Philadelphia, PA, I provided chemistry expertise relating to failure analysis and process recommendations for commercial analytical and manufacturing services.
Industry
- Applied research, project management, and commercial laboratory services
- Electronics manufacturing and aerospace-defense government contractor for the US Navy
Achievements
- I used my knowledge and experience towards improving current and developing new technology.
- I spoke at the Nano for Business 2010 Conference on the panel for Nanotechnology Health and Safety on the topic of large consequence equipment failures due to tin whiskers.
- I wrote eleven EMPFasis articles on failure analysis and materials processes, of which two were republished in Printed Circuit Design & Fab/Circuits Assembly: the Journal of Surface Mount and Electronics Assembly.
Status
- I evaluated devices for failure analysis and processing, including state of cleanliness and solderability.
Sensors
Carbon nanotubes, polymer films, and metal oxides as electrodes for enviromental monitoring of water quality
At NanoSelect, Inc., in Newark, DE, I designed, synthesized, and characterized materials for use in sensors.
Industry
- Applied research
- Development of environmental monitoring sensors in a start up industrial setting
Achievements
- I used my knowledge and experience towards developing new technology.
Status
- I synthesized materials and evaluated devices.
Charge Storage
Small molecules, polymers, and electrochemistry for better electrodes
At the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), Materials and Chemistry Division, Polymer Science and Engineering Branch, in China Lake, CA, I designed and synthesized of heterocyclic and non-heterocyclic conjugated polymers for use in electro-optical devices, photovoltaics, and advanced charge storage devices (supercapacitors).
Industry
- Applied research
- Military with academic and industrial collaborations
- The work spanned several branches of chemistry and materials science:
- Organic and polymer synthesis,
- Analytical characterization, using electrochemistry, NMR and optical spectroscopy, etc., and
- Engineering with device applications and considerations.
Achievements
- I synthesized and characterized polymers with novel architectures.
- I expanded on my synthetic organic methodology to include more heterocyclic chemistry.
- I learned how to perform electro-analytical chemistry experiments on polymer systems.
Status
- I synthesized materials and evaluated devices.
Graduate Research
Synthesis and photo-physics of energy transfer complexes for light-emission
At the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, I designed and synthesized conjugated polymers and organic ligands, then tuned their photophysical properties by changing the structure of the systems, and developed experiments to determine energy transfer parameters for polymers donating energy to visible and infrared emissive materials.
Industry
- Applied research
- Academic with academic collaborations
- The work spanned several branches of chemistry:
- Organic and polymer synthesis,
- Analytical characterization, using NMR and optical spectroscopy, etc.,
- Physical-organic chemistry with studies of photophysical properties.
Achievements
- I synthesized and characterized polymers with novel architectures.
- I showed energy transfer occurred from polymer to organic ligand to lanthanide ions.
- I expanded on my knowledge of organic synthesis and structure-property relationship studies.
- I learned how to perform optical spectroscopy experiments, with fluorescence, phosphorescence, and lifetime studies.
- The studies led to MRS, PMSE, and SPIE publications, as well as oral and poster presentations at national conferences.
Status
- I completed the research, which was included in my dissertation, and led to my defense and graduation.
Medical Research
Synthesis and evaluation of bio-active molecules
At the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, I synthesized carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, monomers and oligomers of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) via solution or solid-phase synthesis.
Industry
- Applied research
- Medical research with academic collaborations
- The work spanned several branches of science:
- Organic synthesis through in-solution and solid-state synthesis,
- Analytical characterization, using polarimetry, NMR and FTIR spectroscopy, and
- Molecular biology
Achievements
- My work led to multiple publications for the primary investigators.
- I learned a great deal about how to perform synthetic organic research and structure-activity relationship studies.
- I trained as a Hazardous Materials Technician for membership on Mayo Clinic’s Chemical Spill Team.
Status
- I synthesized many types of small molecules and learned many practical skills that significantly helped in graduate school.
Undergraduate Research
Flow injection analysis (FIA) and polymer membranes
At the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, FL, I performed experiments with flow injection analysis (FIA) and ion-exchange polymer membranes.
Industry
- Academia with fundamental research
Achievements
- I learned how to use fluidics, spectroscopy, and data logging tools, as well as initial synthetic organic chemistry with polymers used in ion-exchange membranes.
Status
- I learned fundamental skills that aided me throughout my career.
