About Material Processing Technology, LLC

JEFF SMITH is President and Principal Metallurgical Consultant for Material Processing Technology LLC (MPT), providing metallurgical engineering consulting services in the field of high temperature materials and coatings for gas turbine engines. MPT specializes in technology assessment, process improvement and product commercialization for gas turbine materials, coatings and component repair. 

He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Upon completion of his studies, he joined General Electric’s Aircraft Engine Group in 1978, working in the areas of advanced material development and advanced coatings manufacturing processes. From 1983 through 2002 he held various engineering leadership, technical marketing, technology management and process ownership positions with Howmet Aerospace (the world leader in superalloy investment casting). In these roles he helped to significantly expand product offerings and enhance process capability for the coating and repair markets and improve manufacturing process technologies used for gas turbine component production. With over 45 years of professional experience, Mr. Smith has an in-depth knowledge of all major aerospace coating systems, investment casting technologies, turbine component production methods and repair processes for engine run hardware.

He has been active as a technical session organizer for the Manufacturing, Materials and Metallurgy (3 M) committee of the International Gas Turbine Institute of ASME and is a past 3 M committee Chairman. He has served on the National Materials Advisory Board committee on Coatings for High Temperature Structural Materials, is a member of ASM Intl Metals Handbook Advisory Committee and ASTM’s committees G02 on Wear and Erosion and F42 on Additive Manufacturing. He holds eleven US patents and has successfully managed the commercialization of EB-PVD (Electron-Beam Physical Vapor Deposition) thermal barrier coatings, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and VPA (Vapor Phase Aluminide) gas phase Aluminide and Platinum Aluminide coatings, CA-PVD (Cathodic Arc) erosion resistant coatings (ERC), advanced repair techniques and numerous other technologies related to gas turbine airfoil manufacture. He is a member of ASM Intl., ASM-TSS, TMS, ASME and ASTM. 

DOUG CARLSON, aerospace materials and special process consultant, has gathered over 50 plus years of professional experience in aerospace and gas turbine materials. During his tenure at GE Aviation from 1973-2010, his responsibilities ranged from R&D and process scale up to production component manufacture and quality system management. He has worked with gas turbine materials and processes for aluminum, titanium and composite components in the front of the engine to high temperature materials and coatings required in the gas turbine hot section.

After graduating with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Mr. Carlson joined GE Aircraft Engines as a Materials Engineer working on the development and application of gas turbine alloys and processes. He then had the opportunity to work in the Low Observables field, developing and applying coatings suitable for controlling the radar and IR signatures of aircraft propulsion systems. For the last half of his GE career, he transferred to the production end of the aviation business, originally as a Component Manufacturing plant Special Process Leader and later as the plant’s overall Quality Leader. He was certified in GE’s Lean/Six Sigma Program.

He has been responsible for the development and control of a wide range of special processes used in gas turbines. He has introduced new product/process combinations both at in-house facilities and at outside suppliers. The processes he has worked on include Pack and Vapor Phase Aluminide Coatings, HVOF Environmental and Wear Coatings, Plasma Sprayed Wear and Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coatings, Vacuum Sintered Wear and Environmental Coatings, Aluminum Anodizing, Vacuum Brazing, Laser and EDM Drilling and Heat Treatment of Aluminum, Titanium and Superalloys. He holds 3 US patents in the coatings field.

In the quality arena, he has both domestic and international experience in conducting quality and special process audits. As Plant Quality Leader, he was responsible for the plant’s quality and metallurgical lab and maintaining the plant’s quality system, in compliance with GE, NADCAP, ISO, FAA and the US military quality standards.

Among his current professional interests are aerospace special process introductions especially in the coatings field, and the methodology of developing and maintaining a Quality system in accordance with accepted OEM and international quality metrics.

For further information please contact:
Material Processing Technology, LLC
1965 Forest Park Road;  Norton Shores, MI 49441
Office 231-780-1265    Mobile 231-740-4091;     E-Mail JeffSmith@mpt-llc.com ; JeffSmith.mpt.llc@Gmail.com