The GP Plasma Team
Frank Papa
President
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Frank has been active in PVD/PACVD/CVD process, system and business development for over 25 years. His years working at companies such as Gencoa Ltd, Hauzer Techno Coating, Crystallume and Vergason Technologies Inc. have given him a vast global network as well as long term experience living abroad and travelling in Asia. Technical achievements include the development of new arc sources, coating equipment and the industrialization of HIPIMS technology. Currently, he is focused on global business development related to the thin films coating industry with a focus on USA – Asia relations. He is currently President of the Society of Vacuum Coaters. He follows the philosophy ”Challenges are not as interesting if they don’t seem nearly impossible”.
Marion McEuen
Manager | Partner
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Marion's expertise has spanned decades across various industries including batch coating, inline coating, and batch coaters accross several market sectors. A skilled systems engineer, program and project manager and as an experienced operations executive he brings organization and force multiplication to the GP Plasma team.
Ryan Lohrenz
Engineer | Partner
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Ryan is a mechanical engineer and executive with 15+ years of management, engineering, product design, and development experience. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Starting in medical product design and development and then moving into the vacuum coating industry as an engineer and engineering manager. Ryan has experience designing and building large area coating systems, from chamber design to heating, cooling, and transport systems utilizing extensive FEA and thermal simulation experience and practical approach to serviceability and cost. After a detour back into medical device development as the CEO of a startup from 2015-2023, he now joins us in the vacuum coating industry to help grow GP Plasma.
Norbert Schwarzer
Technical Advisor
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Norbert Schwarzer graduated in physics from the University of Chemnitz in July 1991. After several research projects abroad and a PhD in the field of contact mechanics in 1998, he became an assistant professor at the University of Chemnitz in 1999. In 2005, he founded the Saxonian Institute of Surface Mechanics on Germany’s biggest island, Ruegen (www.siomec.de). He has published a variety of papers, mainly in the fields of basic research and application of contact mechanical approaches for laminates, composites, and layered materials. Because of the need for better stability prediction and socioeconomic models, he started to apply concepts from theoretical physics in more down-to-earth fields like material science, school transport, and sales market analysis. Some of this work has finally led to ideas for the improvement of the original theoretical concepts and lead to the development of deeper theories outlined in two books, ‘The World Formula – a late recognition of David Hilbert’ and the ‘Theory of everything – A Fermat Universe’. www.worldformulaapps.com
Troy vom Braucke
VP Technology
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Troy has a Bachelor of Applied Physics and a Masters in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in knowledge-based expert systems and functional coatings.
Since 1999 he has worked with industry leaders MDS Coating Technologies, Oerlikon and Sutton Tools, during which time he has refined his expertise in coating design, simulation and manufacture via various plasma deposition technologies.
Troy has developed protective coatings and technologies and has applied his extensive experience in heat treatment, plasma nitriding and pre/post treatment within the cutting tool, aerospace, automotive and solar industries.
He has guided R&D teams with a focus on bringing products to market and implementing ‘Innovation as a system’ across a business.
Troy is a passionate solution finder and values openness, curiosity and personal/professional growth. He became a Physicist via a desire “to discover the principles of nature to enrich lives and leave a lasting positive impact”.
Gary Doll
Technical Adviser
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Gary Doll is the Timken Professor of Surface Engineering at the University of Akron. He currently holds appointments in the Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Departments. Prior to joining the University of Akron, Dr. Doll was the Chief Technologist of Tribology at the Timken Company, and Staff Scientist of Physics for General Motors Research Laboratories. Prior to joining General Motors, Doll was a postdoctoral fellow in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Doll was elected as an ASM Fellow in 2009, and as an STLE Fellow in 2016 for his contributions to the field of Surface Engineering. He is a member of the SVC, STLE, ASME, and the ASM International organizations, and is an associate editor for the Journal of Tribology. In 2016, he was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Over his career, Dr. Doll has published over 350 articles and book chapters, edited numerous proceedings, and received more than 28 US Patents.