Tue, 28 April, 2020
TWI are hosting a webinar on Wednesday 6 May at 15:00 GMT, where we will be unveiling our latest technology offering: a new and highly disruptive sub-surface machining technique, ‘CoreFlow’. Inventor of CoreFlow and TWI’s Principal Project Leader, João Gandra, will deliver the webinar.
João obtained his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Nova School of Science and Technology in Lisbon. Soon after completing his degree, he joined one of Portugal’s leading engineering firms in the energy sector, working as a project manager in the construction of hydroelectric power plants. That’s where João started developing his passion for welding, being exposed to the challenges of fabricating complex structures, like turbines, penstocks and heavy-duty lifting equipment.
He later took the opportunity to enrol a PhD in Manufacturing and Industrial Management at Instituto Superior Técnico, where he also worked as an assistant lecturer. His research topic was the development of Friction Surfacing for several industrially focused applications, namely hard-facing of steel structures and additive manufacturing in aluminium alloys. He was subsequently awarded a scholarship by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-MCTES) for his early academic work. He also collaborated with other groups, becoming a visiting researcher at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, near Hamburg in Germany.
His passion for applied research led him to join TWI in 2014. Based in Cambridge, he now works as a Principal Project Leader specialising in Friction Welding processes, namely Friction Stir Welding. He supports TWI Member companies seeking to adopt or improve these technologies, acting as a consultant during product development, prototyping and technology transfer. Most of his experience was gathered in the transport sector. Some examples of project topics include:
- Joining of automotive body structures
- Manufacturing of thermal management systems for electric vehicles
- Airframe construction for commercial aircraft
- Fabrication of high-speed rolling stock
- Joining of satellite fuel tanks
In summary, João has now consolidated 10 years of experience on Friction Welding, gathered in both academic and industrial environments. Over this period, he published over 20 peer-reviewed publications and conference papers, whilst actively participating in international standards committees like the ISO 25239 for Friction Stir Welding. He is also currently supervising his first PhD student in collaboration with NSIRC and Coventry University.
João adds:
“Welding embodies the very best of several other engineering disciplines. Aspiring to become a manufacturing expert is a lifetime mission, requiring you to grow in materials science, chemistry, electronics and mechanical design. All of it grounded by economics and management sciences. At TWI, I found an ecosystem of incredibly talented people, each day striving to push the limits of what is possible in their respective fields. I could not have a better team supporting me in this journey.”
You can find out more and register for TWI's webinar on CoreFlow here.
João working from home due to the COVID-19 lockdown.