• Lead engineer for the Integrated Product Team which developed & prototyped SAM/NOVA, a structural anomaly mapping and characterization system for airframe structures and wiring
• Process leader for Reverse Engineering Globalization – Establish global design resources (ProE, CATIA) in India
• Review and approve OEM and 3^rd party manufacturing processes (ORIs) for developed repairs
• Monitor global supply chain for RDE to assure process performance metrics. Emphasis on NDE, blade and vane manufacturing processes within an AS9100 requirements environment
• Investigate new repair technologies; Adaptive machining and 3D adaptive laser welding. Recommend technology strategic approaches and develop suppliers
• Investigate NDE anomalies and obtain new process approvals with FAA, DOD, NASA
• Investigate and develop new NDE technologies, via IR&D and cooperative developments with Universities and Govt. R&D
• Optimize legacy repair processes for propulsion and APU turbines using DFSS
• Conduct NDE POD assessments internally and throughout supply chain for Military engine programs
• Perform Root Cause and Corrective action processes for Repair and Inspection activities in supply chain
• Member of ISU-CNDE Industrial Advisory Board & Engine Titanium Consortium (POD and In-Service Inspection Development Team)
• Completing PMI-PMP certification in project management in October

• Technical Excellence recognition for Blisk Impeller repair technology development
• VP’s Program award for SAM System development and integration
• Six Sigma Plus DFSS & Green Belt Certification – (Impeller/Blisk Weld Development)
• Quest for Excellence Award for Globalization of Reverse Engineering processes
• LabView Developers Training completed
• Advanced Eddy Current Technologies Seminar
• Program Management Training
• Project Management Training
• Aviation Week and Space Technology recognition of the SAM development as innovation of the year
• Directors award for excellence in development of Eddy Current technology for the 731 fan disk program

• Team leader for turbine blades and vanes supplier quality management (Western Europe and USA)
• Qualify new casting, coating, machining and performance test processes
• Monitor supplier quality, maintaining scorecards for quality and on time performance
• Review and approve supplier process documents
• Survey new and existing suppliers for process quality conformance
• Conduct corrective action investigations in response to adverse performance trends
• Support development of new, joint, Siemens-Westinghouse Advanced turbine design practice
• Evaluate NDE results and procedures for turbine blade & vane quality; Eddy Curent, Thermography, Radiography and Ultrasonic
• Provide native speaker (English) liason services between various elements of Siemens-Westinghouse and the global supply chain

• Reduced coating supplier deficiencies by > 30% while improving on-time performance to > 95%
• Recognized by leadership for Quality/Specifications contributions to new, joint design philosophy for the merged company
• Six Sigma Greenbelt training
• Gained German fluency, and responsibility for Swiss supply chain (blade coating technologies)

• Performed Level III functions for various in Kingdom oil and gas projects.
• Review project NDE results (radiographic film interpretation, FPI, Mag Particle) and monitor quality performance
• Conduct project quality systems assessments at the Hawiyah Gas Plant development
• Conduct audits of in and out of Kingdom supplier quality procedures and performance
• Review NDE specifications

• Attained Aramco certifications for NDE, and Radiation safety practices for using Isotopes
• Wrote software to link digitized radiography systems across Kingdom networks

• Received recognition for excellence in the performance of Quality Systems audits

• Program Quality Manager for 5 Space Station Electric Power System NDE Subcontractors
• Develop, document and implement quality inspection processes, including NDE, for Space Shuttle Main Engine and Expendable Launch Vehicle turbine engines
• Quality representative on Integrated Product Teams (IPT) for the design of new engines (X-33 Linear Aerospike, Adv. Launch System, National Launch System)
• Investigate, develop and implement novel NDE technologies; automated Eddy Current, Ultrasonic, Laser Shearography, Thermography and Computed Tomography for Fracture Critical applications and flight hardware anomaly investigations
• Audit and assess quality performance of manufacturing & NDE processes on production, test and flight hardware throughout the supply chain and at customer operational sites
• Write and implement procedures and techniques for developed NDE inspections
• Perform first article inspections on castings, forgings, brazed assemblies and welded structures
• Develop and implement inspections for Space Station ORU structural composites
• Function as liason to structures and lifing disciplines on issues of fracture control from the Quality Organization

• Engineer of the Year recognition in 1994
• 5 Invention disclosures filed with NASA (NASA TU)
• 2 Leadership awards for excellence in management of cross functional Mfg & Eng teams to improve quality and develop essential technologies for the evaluation of Space Station flight hardware
• IPT Team Award for On Time and Technical success for the X-33 Combustion Devices program
• NASA Silver Snoopy Award for assurance of Quality on the SSME program. Awarded to less than 1% of NASA program workers
• R&D 100 nomination for inspection system developments for Space Station Electric Power
• Promoted to Engineer Specialist

• Provided materials and process engineering support for a variety of missle/aero guidance systems, Turbine Engine and Airframe monitoring systems including their; mechanical structures, heat exchanger systems, support electronics systems & components.

• Division NDT level III for all NDE activities (UT, ET, RT, PT, device Rad gas lead detection).
• Performed metallurgical & material first articles for investment castings, PWBs, Semiconductors, Hybrids, & Connectors
• Performed failure analyses from systems to component level using microprobe, SEM, metallography, NDE, curve tracer and various ATE technologies

• Programs supported include; Peacekeeper IMU, NAS, Ring Laser Gyro, TEMS, FEMS

• Received TAP (Target Accountability Program) performance recognitions for work in development of dimensionally stable investment Al casting alloys and radiographic test methods for investment castings, microelectronics DPA and printed wiring board analysis.
• Techniques for PWB and Microelectronics DPA recognized as "best in class"
• Visual and metallographic practices for Electronics and soldering analyses adopted in ASNT Vol. 8 on Visual and Optical Testing

(L. Schaefer - NASA Tech Brief 1988)

Ultrasonic Inspection of turbine investment castings Using Flaw Classifier Logic (L. Schaefer, J. Willenberg - NASA Tech Brief 1989)

Laser Shearographic Inspection of Thrust Chamber Hot Gas Wall Bonding

(L. Schaefer - NASA Tech Brief 1990)

Eddy Current Flaw Discrimination In Pressure Vessels Using Pattern Recognition

(L. Schaefer, J. Willenberg - NASA Tech Brief 1992)

(L. Schaefer, G. Light, R. Tennis, J. Fisher - R&D Magazine - 1992)

(L. Van Wyck, L. Schaefer, L. Rochester- Rockwell IR&D - 1992)

High Reliability Evaluation of Printed Wiring Boards by Radiography

(L. Schaefer - ASNT Conference proceedings - 1991)

Pre-Penetrant Surface Enhancement Techniques

(L. Schaefer - ASNT Conference proceedings - 1992)

Probabilistic NDE for Bonded Structures

(L. Schaefer - ASNT Conference proceedings. - 1992)

Developing Probabilistic NDE Solutions for the Space Station

(L. Schaefer, W. Nagel - ASQC Chapter presentation - 1993)

ASNT Visual Testing Handbook (Eighth Edition) – Visual & metallographic techniques for joining processes & microelectronics (L. Schaefer, et. al. Published September, 1993).

(L. Schaefer - SPIE conference proceedings - 1995)

NDE Automation in the Inspection of Thin Wall Pressure Vessels

(L. Schaefer, M. Mitchell - QNDE conference proceedings - 1995)

(L. Schaefer & Dr. G. Light - SAMPE proceedings – 1998)

(L. Schaefer, ASNT Seattle Section Presentation, 1999)

(L. Schaefer, ASQ Seattle Section Presentation, 2000)

(L. Schaefer, World Conference on NDT, Rome Italy, 2000)

(L. Schaefer, In-Kingdom NDE Technical Exchange Conference, 2000)

Creating POD Practically
L. Schaefer, R. Singh, European-American Reliability Workshop Tutorial, Berlin 2002)

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS:

MS Technology Management, UOP Distance Learning In progress, - ECD 12/06

BSc Cum Laude Industrial Technology, University of Southern Illinois

AAS Metallurgy, Milwaukee Area Technical College.

ASNT Level III - Certificate Number MM-982 (UT,RT,PT,ET,MT)

ASQ-Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)

ASQ-Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) – 6/05

AWS-CWI Examination April 2005

DFSS – Six Sigma Greenbelt certified, 2003

PMI-PMP certification, Dec 2004

American Society for Metals (ASM)

American Welding Society (AWS)

American Society for Quality (ASQ)

American Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ASNT)

DGZfP – German Society for Non-Destructive Testing

PMI – Project Management Institute