HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 42 FACE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING THE FACE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING This profile series features members from around the world at all stages in their careers. Here we speak with Chiragkumar Raval, materials engineer, thermal spray coatings specialist at Hannecard Roller Coatings Inc., in Barberton, Ohio. What’s a challenge or obstacle that taught you the most? One of my biggest challenges came during a project to develop a new thermal spray coating for steam turbine engine housings. Midway through, we started seeing inconsistent results and part failures while spraying abradable material using the flame spray process. Instead of applying quick fixes, I stepped back to review the entire process—from surface prep to spray parameters and post-treatment. Using a design-of-experiments approach, I optimized not only the parameters but also the hardware setup, including nozzles and air caps, to achieve consistent coating results. By collaborating with cross-functional teams and studying the material behavior in detail, we eliminated variation and improved coating reliability. That experience taught me that true innovation comes from persistence, curiosity, and teamwork. Every challenge hides an opportunity if you approach it with an open, datadriven mindset. What problem are you obsessed with solving right now? I’m focused on improving the reliability and performance of coatings for high-temperature applications across steel, aerospace and defense, power generation, nuclear, and electronics industries. The challenge is achieving consistent microstructure, microhardness, porosity, and adhesion under variable operational conditions. Even small deviations in process or material behavior can affect efficiency, durability, and quality. I’m passionate about pushing the limits of process control and materials science to create coatings that not only meet performance requirements but also adapt to extreme, real-world conditions. This matters because these coatings are critical to industrial efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Solving this challenge extends component life, reduces maintenance, and improves energy efficiency—delivering tangible impact to industries that power our world. Hobbies: Networking, research, traveling, and volunteering. Favorite motto: Transforming materials into performance, and challenges into opportunities. Tell us about your involvement with ASM. I’m a proud member of ASM International and its Thermal Spray Society (TSS). I currently serve as vice chair of the ASM Cleveland Chapter and Volume Editor for ASM Handbook Vol. 27 on Renewable Materials. With TSS, I am a Program Committee member, have served as judge for the Best Paper Award at ITSC, and acted as Technical Symposia Chair for Thermal Spray Applications and Session Chair for Cold Spray and Thermal Spray Applications. I am a member because ASM and TSS provide three critical things: 1. Access to cutting-edge technical knowledge, keeping me at the forefront of materials, coatings, cold spray, and related surface technologies. 2. Opportunities to contribute and give back, sharing lessons from process development and supporting the next generation of engineers. 3. Community and collaboration, connecting me with peers, mentors, and projects globally, bridging academic insight with industrial practice. Being involved allows me to advance in the field, learn continuously, and make a tangible impact. Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Face of Materials Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at vicki.burt@asminternational.org. Raval AM&P Changes Frequency Advanced Materials & Processes (AM&P) is changing the frequency of its issues. In 2026, six issues of AM&P will be published, instead of eight. All six issues will be available in the Digital Library and in Digital Edition form. And four of the issues—March, May, September, and November—will continue to be mailed to those members who have been receiving the print version. Those four issues will also be onsite at various ASM conferences and expos to further our publication’s visibility and reach. The remaining two issues—January and July—will be purely digital. As a reminder, through the Digital Library, AM&P technical articles going back to 2012 are fully searchable and discoverable. No matter which format you prefer, we thank you for your continued readership.
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