SPEAKER INTERVIEW
Tony McConnell, Advanced Development Engineer, Coastal Automotive
In the run up to Foam Expo and Adhesives & Bonding Expo 2022 we caught up with Tony McConnell, Advanced Development Engineer at Coastal Automotive. Tony will be speaking at the conference in June and was able to shed some light on his presentation topic, his role within the industry and even his favourite author.
Can you tell us about your role at Coastal Automotive?
My role at Coastal Automotive is Advanced Development Engineer. I identify and develop new business opportunities that build upon our core expertise in impact energy absorption solutions within the transportation industry.
What do you see as the most exciting innovation taking place within the materials sector currently?
There are many exciting new developments in polymer chemistry combined with new processing techniques which are allowing engineers to create strong, lighter weight products that can improve battery energy savings. This is of great value to the electric vehicle industry.
What will attendees learn from your presentation and why is it important that they attend?
The audience will learn, how foam structures found in nature have been mimicked to create better performing polymer materials that can be used in composite structures. They will learn why these foam materials are better at absorbing impact energy, why they are lighter, and how the electric vehicle industry will benefit from these new materials by reducing battery power consumption.
What are you most excited about for Foam Expo and Adhesives & Bonding Expo 2022?
I am most looking forward to face-to-face interaction with other companies exhibiting at the show, discovering what expertise they provide to those of us trying to develop better solutions to our everyday engineering and design problems.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what book would you take with you to read?
I am a fan of Bill Bryson the author of “A short history of nearly everything”. I would happily take any book of his.
