Michael Pfeifer

I’m a metallurgical engineer with over 25 years of experience working on product design, quality improvement, failure analysis, and root cause analysis.

Most engineers think of metallurgists only for failure analysis of component failures. While I do that, I also help design teams with component design. I help select alloys and coatings that have the corrosion, fatigue, wear, and creep properties needed to meet reliability requirements. Oftentimes, trade-offs are required between component form and materials to optimize a design for performance, reliability, and cost. I help do that, too.

I’ve worked on design, failure analysis, and root cause analysis across a wide range of applications and alloys.

I started Industrial Metallurgists, LLC in 2004 to provide metals engineering consulting services to companies that don’t have a metallurgy expert on staff, but need occasional help with metal component design, solving reliability and quality problems, and reducing component costs.

My industry experience includes automotive, aerospace, hardware, tools, medical and dental devices, plumbing, industrial equipment, machinery, electronics, and many more. Alloy experience includes carbon steel, low-alloy steel, tool steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, brass and bronze, and super alloys. Coating experience includes electroplated, PVD, galvanized, powder coated, and thermal sprayed. I also have experience with welded, soldered, and brazed joints.

I also teach metallurgy and metals engineering to design, reliability, quality, and manufacturing engineers. This includes training on corrosion, fatigue, failure analysis, component design, and metallurgy of different alloys. Training is offered on-demand, by webinars, and on-site.

I received a B.S. and M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.

After grad school, I worked for Motorola. Six years in a semiconductor factory as a process engineer. Seven years in Motorola’s automotive electronics group to support product design, manufacturing process development, cost reduction, quality improvement, and root cause analysis of reliability failures and quality problems.

Michael also has published a book titled Materials Enabled Design.

Michael also writes the article series Metals Engineering and Product Reliability. The topics should be of interest to product design engineers. He is writing about topics related to the metals engineering perspective to component design and metallurgical aspects of component reliability.

Micheal also has a podcast, Metal Conversations, focused on metallurgy and metals engineering related to product design and manufacturing.

Michael’s author archive lists contributions of articles and episodes.