From Sunflower Fields to the Field of Advanced Manufacturing
No one grows up knowing they want to specialize in non-destructive testing of additive manufacturing. How could they? But from a young age, Erin knew she wanted to make things. She began a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design at the University of Kansas. She was drawn more to the technical side and pursued Mechanical Engineering full-time.
Her first experience in advanced manufacturing came when she interned in Large Scale Composites Manufacturing at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She joined their non-destructive evaluation (NDE) team full-time a year later. Over the years, she gained experience with NDE technologies like radiography, ultrasonics, flash thermography, penetrant testing, eddy current testing, and computed tomography. She became the subject matter expert for NDE of additive manufacturing (AM), writing papers, a book chapter, and qualification requirements for NASA-STD-6030. She also became the subject matter expert for in-situ monitoring, working to bring in new systems to monitor AM technologies and writing qualification requirements.
When the sunflower fields of Kansas beckoned her to move back home, she unlocked a new opportunity with TBGA. She now supports the BlueForge Alliance non-destructive testing and in-situ assessment portfolios for the U.S. Navy’s maritime industrial base. Much like the sunflower, the seeds of this new opportunity were planted a while back and quickly grew into something impressive. She likens AM to these sunflower fields; they are flashy and provide a great photo opportunity, but their real value is their utility. The sunflowers are a crop that provides seed for a variety of purposes. The crop is also valued for its resilience and ability to thrive in different climates, making it an important agricultural product in various regions. AM must be able to be used for real applications, and many of those applications require effective non-destructive testing and in-situ assessment for quality assurance. As a kid growing up in Kansas, she couldn’t have imagined what she would be doing today, but she is proud of her role in this industry and thankful for the opportunities that have blossomed.
Erin will be at the ASNT Conference in Las Vegas from October 21st to 24th and the ASTM International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (ICAM) in Atlanta from October 28th to November 1st. Reach out to Erin on LinkedIn to connect!