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Expert in Formulating, Applying, Curing, and Troubleshooting Coatings for Ophthalmic Lenses, as well as Other Transparent or Polymeric Articles

Chemistry
With over 25 years of industrial experience, Expert, a degreed chemist, is an authority on the materials, equipment, and processing aspects of coating ophthalmic lenses, as well as other substrates.
Expert has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry with more than thirty years of experience designing, synthesizing, compounding, testing, manufacturing, molding, laminating, and using novel polymers for various coating, ink, adhesive, as well as other applications in a wide variety of industries. He is well experienced with acrylics, alkyds, aminos, epoxies, phenolics, polyesters, polyolefins, urethanes, and siloxanes using various application methods on an array of substrates utilizing diverse curing techniques. My experience includes waterborne, high solids, lacquer dry, oxidative cure, thermal cure, radiation cure, multiple component, and other systems.

His expertise also includes the areas of defect analysis, process improvement, technical writing, plus assorted analytical methodologies, including FTIR, GC, NMR, HPLC, and optical microscopy. In addition, He is knowledgeable in the area of regulatory affairs. He is well established as an innovative, motivated, organized, proactive, productive, and professional, scientist having excellent work habits with a proven track record who is committed to meeting challenging deadlines. His publications include ten US patents and two technical articles.

Coatings
Expert is extremely knowledgeable in the chemistry of formulation, surface preparation, application, and cure of coatings, especially, but not exclusively, those coatings that are used on ophthalmic lenses.

Practical Manufacturing Experience
He has personally been involved in the establishment of commercial cleaning, coating, and curing processes at various locations worldwide. He is very knowledgeable of the materials, equipment, and processes that are or can be used in coating all types of ophthalmic lenses, including all lens geometries, whether cast or injection molded.

Ophthalmic Lens Coatings, Siloxane Coatings, Waterborne Coatings
With regard to coatings, Expert has invented and successfully used in various manufacturing facilities, a wide variety of coatings, a number of which have been patented, proving that he is both practical as well as sound in theory. Examples include coatings for adhesion promotion, scratch resistance, dye absorption, photochromic activity, temporary protection, and other special purposes. These coatings range from the organometallic siloxane variety to the purely organic types such as acrylics and polyesters. His expertise includes waterborne, solventborne, and solvent free systems.

Polymer Formulation, Polymer Synthesis, Coating Formulation
Expert has formulated as well as synthesized various types of polymers for a wide variety coatings, inks, and adhesives. These polymers include addition polymers such as acrylics as well as condensation polymers such as alkyds, polyesters, and polyurethanes. He has also formulated commercially successful products from those polymers. In addition to coatings, he has also formulated other commercially successful products, including cleaning solutions, inks, and surreptitious marking materials for use in such things as security features, or to assist in inventory control, among other purposes.

Curing Techniques
Expert has extensive expertise with coatings that are cured using heat as well as coatings that are cured with various forms of radiation, whether ultraviolet light, visible light, or radiant heat, including both acrylate and oxirane functional systems.

Cleaning, Surface Preparation, Coating Application
With regard to application equipment and processes, his knowledge encompasses dip as well as spin application methods. Furthermore, he has designed processes for cleaning, surface preparation, and drying substrates prior to the subsequent application of a coating, often in a clean room environment.

Analytical Chemistry, Defect Analysis, Trouble Shooting,
Expert possesses great troubleshooting skills, having done defect analysis and process improvement for many years. He has extensively used FTIR as well as FTIR microscopy in conjunction with a variety of IR sampling techniques for the purposes of analyzing coating defects, quality control, kinetic studies, and comparing competitive materials that were obtained by legitimate means. He is experienced with optical microscopy, UV-Vis, GC, and other instrumentation that is commonly used for analysis or other types.

With the use of carefully designed experimentation, a complete reformulation was conducted of a radiation curable coating that was intended for use on ophthalmic lenses and other optical devices. The new coating product provides superior mar resisatnce, adhesion, durability, solution stability, and cost, as compared to all other radiation curable coatings that are presently used in this industry. This has been confirmed by an independent testing laboratory.FTIR microscopy was used to identify the chemical composition of numerous microscopic particle defects that were ocurring in a precision coating operation. FTIR was then used to scan the suspected source of the particles. This gave an exact match, providing proof positive as to the source of the contaminant, and led directly to the elimination of a longstanding, expensive problem such that the yield was dramatically increased.Used optical microscopy to quickly but correctly determine the root cause of a sporadically recurring defect in a laminated film product that had plagued the client for several years in spite of their best efforts and the best efforts of others to resolve the issue.Determined the cause of instability in a coating formulation that was resulting in various coating defects, reduced shelf life, and, ultimately, premature gelation. Proposed practical modifications to both the formula and the process that was used to prepare the organometallic coating solution. The combination of modifications completely and permanently eliminated the problem.One particular client was in jeopardy of losing a $17MM acount due to the inability of their customer to use expert's client's product in a manufacturing process. It appeared that the customer's manufacturing process was resulting in damage to the coating that was on the product that was being purchased from his client. A tactful meeting with his client along with their customer at the customer's facility allowed for the determination of the defect and the cause. This was confirmed via relatively simple testing and was corrected, resulting in the retention of the business. A letter of appreciation from the client is on file.