Mike is Founder, President and Sr. Technical Consultant for Six D Testing & Analysis. He has five decades of project engineering and management experience. Let’s go one-on-one with Mike to learn a little about both him and the company.
Q: Although Six D has been around for nineteen years, the company’s roots date back quite a way. Can you elaborate?
Absolutely, Six D Senior Engineer, Garth Wiley and I were a part of the early days of SDRC (now Siemens PLM). Believe it or not, that was in the late 1960s. If you’re familiar with the company, you’ll know we were a pioneer in structural dynamic testing and many of the tools and techniques that are now standard throughout the industry. Since then we traveled the globe working with just about every industry under the sun. If it vibrated or broke, we would be on-site to identify the problem and fix it. I started Six DOF Testing & Analysis in 2001. Today we apply fifty years of experience and lessons learned to help our customers solve critical mechanical engineering problems.
Q: The equipment industry has changed greatly over the years. How does experience from 50 years ago benefit today’s manufacturers?
Well vibration is vibration, no matter if the equipment is new or has been in service for decades. And we haven’t been sitting on our hands for fifty years, data collection and analysis hardware, software, and techniques have evolved over the years and we’ve certainly maintained our level of expertise. It’s safe to say that we’ve just about seen it all over the years; and it’s not uncommon to relate a present-day vibration or failure issue to a past project. This experience allows us to quickly identify the root cause of a problem and begin working toward the best and most practical solution.
Q: What do you mean by “most practical” solution?
Think about the customer. When key equipment is down or operating at less than full capacity, the customer wants that equipment running and making money as quickly as possible. If the equipment is deep inside a mine shaft or in the middle of the ocean, for example, it’s not always possible to reengineer the equipment. In these cases, we’ll make changes to the system that solve the problem and get the equipment back up and running in the fastest and most practical way.
Q: What services does 6D provide?
We specialize in testing and simulation. This includes data collection and Finite Element Modeling and Analysis. It’s important to know that we don’t just collect and analyze data, we also recommend design improvements. We recently announced a new product validation process consulting service; and we also provide training. I’m not talking about classroom training. We work side by side with our customer’s team on a real project.
Q: Can you talk about your product validation process consulting service?
Many small to mid-size manufacturers don’t have the in-house expertise or resources to effectively validate new products. As a result, their process to validate a new product or change to an existing product may not be leveraging the latest technologies or best practices. In other words, they may be designing the product then building and testing multiple physical prototypes. A better, faster, more reliable and more cost-effective approach is to build, test, and validate a computer model. We work with manufacturers to evaluate and improve their validation process.
Q: When do manufacturers typically call 6D for help?
We’re called in at many stages. As I mentioned, that can be when a manufacturer needs help in validating a product or when mechanical structural issues occur in the field. This is often when parts are being broken due to high vibration. Many of our customers have internal resources; but they may call on us to help when workloads are high or when they are unable to successfully solve the problem internally.
Q: What industries does the company work with?
You name it and we probably work with it. From automotive and aerospace to machine tools, rail, marine, oil and gas, power generation, and off-highway equipment – we’ve worked with just about every industry where machinery is involved.
Q: I bet you’ve just about seen it all. Is there one job or experience that stands out?
I’ve seen a lot, that’s for sure; but you’re always seeing something new and building the experience bank. That’s what keeps you in the game.
As for one specific experience, we were asked to help on a failure issue involving rotating machinery on an oil platform on the other side of the world. Initially, all we had to go on were photos of the cracks in the supporting structure. We developed a diagnostic test plan, but were told to arrive on the offshore platform with a fix in hand. To make this happen we developed a finite element model of the system and determined that there were two possible, incompatible fixes. (i.e., could not implement both together). These two alternatives, were drawn up and we made the long trip out to the oil platform to perform the diagnostic tests. The testing clearly identified which fix was the correct one. The welders were brought in, and we then performed the validation test to prove the effectiveness of the reinforcements. While the travel was interesting, it was gratifying to see all this come together via a scientific and effective approach.
Q: Last question. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
My three grandchildren keep me busy with everything from gymnastics and soccer to baseball, swimming competitions and a lot more. I enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking, camping, and fishing. I also try to make it down to Charleston, South Carolina when I can to relax a little.