Michael Bubas

About Michael Bubas

Additive manufacturing engineer specializing in reactive thermoset polymer systems for aerospace applications. Components developed through this work are currently used on operational aircraft platforms.Nine years of experience developing and scaling an additive manufacturing process from early research through production deployment, including manufacturing process scale-up and aerospace process qualification programs.My experience spans materials, process development, manufacturing equipment development, and production implementation. I focus on solving practical engineering problems required to move emerging manufacturing capabilities from research into real-world aerospace applications. My background also includes polymer chemistry, biochemistry, and customer-facing technical collaboration.

Experience

1. Research Engineer, Additive Manufacturing

   PPG

   Mar 2022 — Present · Pittsburgh, PA, US

   Lead development and refinement of additive manufacturing processes for reactive thermoset aerospace sealant materials, supporting transition of the technology from early production deployment toward qualified aerospace manufacturing processes.Technical lead on a collaborative program with the Air Force Research Laboratory to qualify additive manufacturing processes for Class B aerospace sealant materials in accordance with AMS and MIL specifications.Define additive manufacturing process parameters and produce qualification specimens for AMS/MIL aerospace sealant process qualification testing, including generation of 500+ evaluation samples.Collaborate with mechanical engineers and external equipment partners to improve large-format gantry additive manufacturing systems, including development of multi-extruder workflows, automated tool-tip positioning, and build-plate mapping capabilities.Identify inadequate mixing performance of static mixers for reactive sealant systems, supporting transition to dynamic mixing systems for additive manufacturing in R&D and production environments.Design and execute experimental studies to determine dynamic mixer operating parameters, including RPM and flow-rate combinations, for reactive sealant materials during long-duration builds.Continue to collaborate with aerospace customers to design and prototype additive manufactured sealant components and evaluate potential aircraft applications.Train R&D engineers, technicians, and production operators on additive manufacturing equipment, materials handling, and printing workflows.

Education

• University of Denver

  Bachelor’s Degree, Chemistry, Biology - Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration

  2011 — 2016

Skills

• Research
• Public Speaking
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Office
• Teamwork
• Customer Service
• Retail
• Merchandising
• Marketing
• Data Analysis
• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (Hplc)
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Medical Physics
• Problem Solving
• Laboratory Skills
• Product Strategy
• Product Management
• Life Science Industry
• Multi-Task & Handle High-Volume Workloads
• Isothermal Titration Calorimetry
• Protein Purification
• Surface Plasmon Resonance
• Site-Directed Mutagenesis
• Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Ms)
• Cell Culture
• Protein Expression
• Protein Assays
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Spectroscopy
• Formulation Chemistry