Senior Medical Tubing Extrusion Consultant
Rama Chandra 

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Rama Chandra

Expertise in the following:
Manufacturing/Engineering/Business/ Marketing of high-performance plastics such as PTFE, FEP, PFA, PVDF, Nylons, PVC, PE, PP and Polyurethanes. Processes include extrusion, molding, skiving, uni/biaxial orientation, laminating, compounding and machining. Products include extruded/molded rod, tubing, Film, Membranes, Catheter tubing, vascular grafts/patches/film, Gaskets and Coatings. Set-up of manufacturing facility, product inception to release by transferring technology. New product/process development of various projects including Hollow Fiber and Cast Porous Membranes made of PVDF resins. Raw material evaluation and develop new resins/polymers for customer needs. Thorough knowledge of quality programs, SPC, SQC, ISO, GMP, FDA and Lean manufacturing. Developing of new products. Design/Develop state-of-the equipment and processes for new/existing products.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2013 - Present
High Performance Plastics (such as PTFE) - Consultant 
PMI Inc
Theracyte Inc
RCM Technologies – Atrium Medical
PTFE, ePTFE, PVDF and other processing companies

• Design/development of state-of -the-art equipment/processes for processing PTFE and other Fluoropolymers, UHMW PE, PP and PVDF for new and existing products.
• Designed new equipment and developed processes for the manufacture of Hollow Fiber and Cast Porous membranes made of PVDF and other polymers

 
 
January 2012 - March 2013
Pall Corporation,
Principal R&D Engineer

• Technical support for design, development of new state-of the-art equipment
• Process/ New Product development in the areas of expanded PTFE membranes/Laminates for filtration and other applications.
• Improve existing process and product, by upgrading the equipment.

 
 
1998 - March 2010
DeWAL Industries Inc.
Director, Porous PTFE Products

• Direct and coordinate new product development projects. Interface with the customers and suppliers. Technical support for Manufacturing, Operations, product development marketing of unsintered/sintered PTFE, porous ePTFE (Poro-Tex, similar to Gore-Tex), Porous PTFE, and Porous UHMW-PE (Uni-Pore) film/membrane and laminated products. Upstream and Downstream process engineering, Process validation and Project Management experience. Performed FMEA/DOE analysis. Implemented SPC in the production area.The processes included paste extrusion, Compounding of colors and pigments, uni-axial and bi-axial stretching and multi-layer laminating (Non-woven and woven fabrics with ePTFE films)
  

 
 
1997 – 1998
Sunlite Plastics
Vice-President, Operations

• Direct multi-plant operations. Supervised process engineers, Production/General managers. Managed R & D and manufacture of catheters, bougies, feeding tubes, flexible yankauer suction devices. Capabilities include in-house custom PVC compounding/blending and thermoplastic extrusion of Various plastic materials. Responsible for Process Engineering /Validation and project management.
  

 
1995 - 1997
Schneider (USA) Inc., Div. of Pfizer,
Senior Principal Engineer, R&D/E (Stent-Graft, Cardiology)

• Implemented/Supported the scale-up and transfer of technology for implantable film products. Evaluated the facility, processes and equipment needed for the product manufacturing. Added quality steps to assure product conformance using FMEA analysis. Review and edit patent application. Set-up extrusion and other related equipment/processes for the manufacture of Bio-absorbable stents with radiopaque fillers. Compile and statistically analyze data, draw conclusions and made presentation to top management. Optimized processes validation for compounding, extrusion of angiographic catheters using materials such as Polyamides, Nylons, Polyurethanes, Polyester and fillers like barium sulfate, bismuth tri-oxide

 
1994 - 1995
C.R. Bard, Inc.
Senior Project Engineer  

• Process/product development, Process Validation and manufacturing support for expanded PTFE products–Extrusion. (Vascular grafts and patches) and involved in 510K submission of the above product. Evaluated the facility, processes and equipment needed for the product manufacturing. Trouble shoots the process and equipment on the manufacturing floor, added quality steps to assure product conformance.

1988 - 1994
Garlock, Inc., Division of Enpro
Manager/Engineering

• Managed engineering department for the manufacture of Gylon gasketing, diaphragms, and developed new products (bi-axial oriented) utilizing PTFE/fillers. Business increased 10-fold. Upgraded equipment design/process and develop alternate raw materials. Reduce cost by $1MM by increasing productivity by 200% and reducing scrap.

 
1974 - 1988
Saint Gobain
Manager/Engineering

• Manager, Quality Assurance (1980-1988)

Over saw all QA/QC functions and testing labs for multi-plant facilities. Implemented SPC. Compile and statistically analyze data to improve processes. Supervised 22 personnel.
 

• Production Manager

Manage all manufacturing, engineering and maintenance functions, including paste, granular and melt extrusion, molding, skiving, etching, laminating, heat shrinkable tubing, medical grade paste and granular tubing, etc. (PTFE, FEP, PFA). Supervised more than 50 people. Increase productivity and reduce scrap.
 

• Process/Product Development Engineer

Product/process development of molded, paste extruded and calendared PTFE products.
Developed a new tape product. Resolve process problems.
 
 
EDUCATION
Utah State University, Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering
Bangalore University Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
 
 
SKILLS

• Results oriented Manufacturing/Engineering/Business professional in high performance plastics.
• Resins include PTFE, FEP, PFA, PVDF, Nylons, PVC, PE, PP and Polyurethanes.
  
• Processes include extrusion, molding, skiving, uni/biaxial orientation, laminating, compounding and machining.
  
• Products include extruded/molded rod, tubing, Film, Membranes, Catheter tubing, vascular grafts/patches/film, Gaskets and Coatings.
• Set-up a manufacturing facility, product inception to release by transferring technology.
• Direct and coordinate new product/process development of various projects interfacing with customers and suppliers.
• Hollow Fiber and Cast Porous Membranes made of PVDF resins
• Raw material evaluation and develop new resins/polymers for customer needs.
• Thorough knowledge of quality programs, SPC, SQC, ISO, GMP, FDA and Lean manufacturing.
• Developed new products. Design/Develop state-of-the equipment and processes for new/existing products.
• Increased production rate by 4 times.
• Supervised Engineers, Managers. Coordinate with various departments including sales/marketing

                                       
 
PUBLICATIONS

• M.S Thesis: “Process Planning”

           Analyze two production parts of THIOKOL TRACKMASTER Assembly by Conventional and NC process.
 
 
 
COURSES AND SEMINARS

• Quality Program, Preparation and Audit - STAT-A-MATRIX, NJ
• Practical Applications of Statistics to Quality Control - AMA, NY
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) - WPI, MA
• Process Validation and Engineering Methodology -KEMPER-MASTERSON, INC., MA
• Design Assurance for Medical Devices - Anita Thibeault, Inc., MA

 
 
OTHER EXPERIENCE
 
Teaching

• Kean College and New Jersey Institute of Technology

            Taught part-time: Metallurgy, Production, Process and Design
 
 
Business
Poly Fluoro Ltd., Bangalore, India.
Managing Director

• Set Up a pilot plant in collaboration with Norton Chemplast, Wayne, NJ and transfer technology to
• manufacture PTFE products from idea inception to product release. Responsible for business plan
• generation and presentation to the state financial corporation and received loans for startup along with
• shareholders’ investment. Processor of flouropolymer products such as PTFE tubing, sheet, skived tape,
• machined components, and coatings.