Ralph Prunty: Electrical Engineer

Education: BSEE, Iowa State University, 1961

Background

Ralph Prunty joins our team with over 40 years of experience in electrical engineering. Along with obtaining his BSEE from ISU, he has also taken credits in Reliability Engineering from GMI, UAZ, and ISU.

Work Experience

May 1997-January 2002

• General Motors, North American Car Group; Warren, MI
   - Lead Engineer 1A (Electrical Analysis)
   - On contract assignment for Quantum Consultants, leading simulation and modeling of      vehicle electrical architectures
   - Participation in engineering design team on Express-Window controls, brake system      design reviews, and fuse reliability studies.
   - Technical presentation at GM's CAE 1998 conference: proposed advanced methods in      the simulation and modeling sciences with robust physics-based models
   -1999 CAE conference topic: demonstrated the reduction of sampled data into a      continuous non-linear electro-thermal model response function with RS1

November 1989-April 1997

• e3 Engineering; Southfield, MI
   - Chief Engineer
   - Responsible for technical accuracy of all engineering consulting projects
   - Provide support for sales and personnel
   - Participation on engineering design team, design reviews, failure mode effects      analysis, and fuse reliability studies
   - Made advancements in the simulation/modeling sciences with robust physics-based      models
   - Analyst III
   - Reliability design consultant, design team leader
   - Simulating and critiquing electronic designs in need of validation or redesign
   - Original hardware design work, reliability predictions and failure mode effects analysis

January 1986-November 1989    

• General Motors, AC Spark Plug; Flint, MI
   - Product Assurance Engineer
   - Electronic sensors and filters in automotive induction systems
   - Field return failure analysis/reliability analysis, engineering design change board
   - Trained in the operation of a scanning electron microscope with analysis options of      secondary electron imaging, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, voltage contrast analysis,      and alloy compositional mapping by EDX
   - Developed expertise in data analysis via functional curve fitting with RS/1
   - Contributed to a corporate field-reliability simulation team at MPG

July 1979-January 1986

• John Deere PEC; Waterloo, IA
   -Electronic Component Reliability/Failure Analysis Engineer
   -Specify and evaluate highly reliable electronic components
   -Assure supplier design robustness via participation in a design review team
   -Develop a power transistor stress screening procedure with proven effectiveness and      zero field failures
   -Develop and validate a power semiconductor transient absorber with a reliable surge      energy rating for entire vehicle system
   -Electronic Engine Control Lead Engineer
   -Evaluate designs of advanced digital control systems for turbo-charged diesels
   -Electronic Engine Control Engineer
   -Electronic control system design; author of and published an agricultural electronic      environmental specification (JDT-451)

December 1970-July 1979

• United Equipment Accessories; Waverly, IA
   -Chief Engineer
   -Electrical/hydraulic/pneumatic remote control systems for mobile constuction machines
   -Electrical slip-ring, pneumatic swivel, electrical remote control panels, man-machine         interfaces
   -Parts designed for fabrication via injection molding, extrusion, sand castings,         weldments, screw machines, sheet metal, and spring winding
   -Developed alternative suppliers of many critical parts with improved performance and     reliability
   -In charge of all new product developments and engineering training
   -Aided company growth from 12 to 35 employees

April 1965-August 1970

• Collins Radio Company; Cedar Rapids, IA
   - Design Consultant, Switched-Mode Power Supplies
   - High reliability designs and design simulation via CSMP
   - Patents on reliable circuits for series-connected power switching devices
   - Design Engineer, Switched-Mode Power Supplies
   - Development of low output impedance and high ripple attenuation supplies, low      switching-stress solutions to occurrences of magnetic core saturation in solid-state      power inverters
   - Demonstrated a failure potential in Apollo spacecraft power supplies and demonstrated      a robust reliable replacement
   - Developed a circuit to mitigate the magnetostriction noise in DC-DC converters
   - Stabilized a high-gain servo loop with a transport lag due to switch-mode control

June 1961-April 1965

• Westinghouse Semiconductor; Youngwood, PA
   - Application and Rating Engineer, Thyristors
   - Specifications & testing methods, custom test equipment design, customer's design      assistance, reliable design-rating methods
   - Patents for several electronic switch device applications in USA, France, and Mexico
   - Graduate Student Engineer
   - Graduate Record Exam plus training assignments at Westinghouse's Military Electronics      Division, Electron Tube Plant, and Semiconductor Division

Additional Information

• Intensive Training Courses & Extensive Seminars Completed:
   - Weibull Analysis by Dr. Bob Abernethy (ASE)
   - Engineering Statistics by John Katona (AC Spark Plug)
   - Qualtiy Function Deployment by ASI & GOAL
   - 11th Annual Reliability Institute by Dr. Dimitri Kececioglu (UAZ)
   - SPC/SQC by Hawkeye Institute of Technology    
   - Semi Therm 1 "Applying Transient Thermal Impedance" analysis paper
   - Capacitor and Resistor Technology Symposium by Comp. Tech. Inst.
   - Semiconductor Thermal Measurement Seminar by U of CA Extension
   - John Deere Management School by private consultant   
   - Product Liability Seminar by SAE
   - Cooling Methods for Electronic Equipment by Dr. Dave Steinberg (U/Mwk)
   - Vibration Analysis Seminar by SAE
   - Preventing Vibration Failures by Dr. Dave Steinberg (U/Mwk)
   - Product Liability Symposium by CIMA
   - Welding by Hawkeye Institute of Technology