Communication between formulators and additive manufacturers
Dr. Selim Erhan, TLT Editor | TLT From the Editor September 2022
How can they reach a win-win situation?
When I was trying to choose a profession, the one thing that attracted me to chemistry was the diversity of the subjects covered. One can find an area that will match one’s interests. Sure enough, once I started college, I was able to find an area in chemistry I was passionate about and have been working around that core ever since. However, I had no idea how vast the subjects were. Organic chemistry, physical chemistry and analytical chemistry all had their unique subjects that seemed somewhat isolated from each other—or at least the class work was.
Then came real-life applications. In nature, everything is connected. Physical systems become chemical systems, which, in turn, become physical systems until they all merge into an energy field. Organic chemistry interacts with inorganic chemistry and starts merging into physical and quantum chemistries, subjects I was hoping never would come my way again! But luckily now that I see their relation, I have a passion to go for the bigger goal and use every subject as much as I can. In applications, one kind of chemistry is very seldom the solution. There needs to be teamwork like in life and, hence, the need for formulations.
Formulations are complex and require multiple classes of products. For example, if we are formulating a metalworking fluid, we need to balance lubricants, base oils, corrosion inhibitors, emulsifiers, biocides, fungicides, defoamers and couplers. Each one of these additive classes represents a different set of chemistries and relies on a huge amount of research that ensures their performance. Then it is the formulator’s job to make sure, in the vast world of all these different molecules, they all must work harmoniously and do their jobs as well as help the other molecules—very similar to social systems. It’s no easy task for either the formulators or the additive manufacturers who never really have much control over the formulations their products go into.
This aspect of not knowing where the products end up opens another set of difficulties, and the solution lies in another domain—communication. As each class of additives represents a huge amount of research, often stretching into decades, the owners of the technologies are quite defensive to protect their livelihood. In turn, the formulators must be very discreet and must protect the identity of their suppliers, the components of their formulations and even sometimes their intent. So now we have two people in a room, trying to understand what the other really needs and how they can help with their product portfolio. New research tools have enabled us to create more specific products—but how do we target the need area if the other side cannot reveal it? If each group refuses to put themselves in the shoes of the other party, a visit can quickly head to a dead end.
If neither party can reveal their trade secrets, how do they pass this deadlock, and how do they reach a win-win situation? How do they tailor questions in order to not to put the other side in a bind? One way that I have seen help a lot is when the visiting team has a commercial person covering the financial part of the picture, while a technical person communicates in the same technical language. A lot of salespeople are highly technical but, still, a commercial-technical team combination has been better accepted in my observations.
Still, this does not solve all the problems, as some key aspects cannot be released. At this point, a different approach can help—maybe one that will lead to some collaborative work without revealing trade secrets or maybe some further testing? Maybe providing some specific data to the end-users or explaining how this additive had worked in similar applications? Maybe trying to think of what the end-user may need and come prepared with that kind of data?
If this extra effort is not planned, the conversation usually ends up in a mild interest and samples that sit on shelves. There may be a desire to replace an existing additive just because of price, but then it is open to be replaced, in turn, if a cheaper one is available. It is an interesting world that oscillates from micro to macro where every single phase is important, like the links in a chain. None can be ignored. But in the end, it makes us more humble, appreciative of the efforts of others and helps us enjoy if we can have a part in when everything works in harmony.
Dr. Selim Erhan is director of business development for Process Oils Inc. in Trout Valley, Ill. You can reach him at serhan@processoilsinc.com.