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Fastener Training Institute
Instructors for FTI’s advanced fastener cour-
ses include:
Instructors
Bengt Blendulf
Bengt was on faculty at Clemson University in the
College of Engineering and Science until 1996, when
he formed EduPro US, Inc. to focus on education and
consulting in the area of fastening technology and
bolted/screwed joint design. He is a founding
member and formerly served as chairman of the
Bolting Technology Council (now ASTM F16.96
Bolting Technology). Mr. Blendulf has been in the
metalworking field since 1962 and in the fastener
industry since 1966. He is the author of more than 100 technical papers in
addition to published articles related to fasteners and international
standardization and is also a contributing author of the Handbook of
Bolts and Bolted Joints (Marcel Dekker, Inc).
Salim Brahimi
Salim Brahimi is Director of Engineering &
Technology at the Industrial Fasteners
Institute (IFI). He is also President and
Principal Engineer at IBECA Technologies,
and co-director of the McGill Hydrogen
Embrittlement Facility (MHEF). He is a
licensed member of the Quebec Order of
Professional Engineers. He has accumulated
nearly 30 years of experience that have made him into a complete
fastener and bolting professional. Dr. Brahimi also serves as chairman of
ASTM Committee F07 on Aerospace and Aircraft, vice chairman and
immediate past chairman of ASTM Committee F16 on Fasteners, as head
of the Canadian delegation to ISO Committee TC2 on Fasteners, as vice
chair of the Research Council on Structural Connections (RCSC), and as
voting member of ASME Committee B18 and the SAE Fastener Committee.
Laurence Claus
Laurence has over 25 years of experience in
the fastener industry. Most of those years he
worked with a leading automotive fastener
manufacturer, holding roles of Application
Engineer, Director of Engineering and
Quality, Director of New Business
Development, General Manager , and Vice
President of Technology and Engineering. He
is a degreed Mechanical Engineer with a
broad knowledge of fasteners and special
experience in materials, thread forming
screws, and automated assembly of small parts. He has participated for
many years in technical standards activity with the IFI, SAE, ISO, ASME,
ASTM, and NASC. He is knowledgeable in the manufacture and use or
automotive, industrial, and aerospace fasteners. Laurence is a certified Six
Sigma Black belt. Most recently he formed NNi Training and Consulting,
Inc., a consultancy company serving fastener manufacturers, distributors,
and automotive suppliers.
Joe Greenslade
Joe is Retired
Director of Engineering Technology for the Industrial Fasteners
Institute (IFI).
He has served in many capacities in the fastener industry since
1970 and
has written more than 300 technical articles for fastener trade
journals. Mr.
Greenslade serves on all of the fastener standards
organization
committees for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
the
American Society for Materials and Testing, SAE, and ISO. He
also served
as the technical representative for fastener distributors on the
Fastener
Quality Act Task Force that worked with the federal
government
during the creation of the FQA.
Jim Speck
James A. Speck, P.E., worked as a regional
manager of the Johnson Gage Company
following an extensive career in the fastener
industry at Holo-Krome and Crescent
Manufacturing. He trained and served as a
technical expert in the Department of
Commerce’s National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation program for fasteners and
metals. Jim has presented numerous
workshops and seminars on fastener
fundamentals, fastener applications, and screw
thread technology. Jim is the author of numerous key publications.
Following completion of an apprenticeship at the Philadelphia Naval
Shipyard, Jim earned a BSc(1971) in business administration from Drexel
University and an MSc(1974) in management from the Hartford Graduate
Center of RPI. Jim is a licensed professional engineer in his home state of
Connecticut and the author of the text book Mechanical Fastening,
Joining and Assembly.
Carmen Vertullo CFS
Carmen is the founder of CarVer Consulting, a
San Diego-based consulting, engineering and
training company specializing in fasteners and
bolted joints. He has experience in fastener
quality assurance, manufacturing, sales, and
inventory management programs. Carmen is
a designer and producer of aircraft support
equipment and tooling for all branches of the
U.S. military, prime contractors and foreign
military sales. He has developed and teaches a series of advanced
fastener training classes for the Fastener Training Institute. Mr. Vertullo
is a Certified Fastener Specialist through FTI, and he holds a BS in
Manufacturing Engineering Technology from National University, San
Diego, CA.
John Medcalf
John is the Principal Engineer of Peak
Innovations Engineering, an Illinois based
company specializing in the design,
testing, and validation of bolted joints.
His educational background includes a
Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in
Mechanical Engineering along with
certificates in business management and
materials failure analysis.
John held positions in quality,
engineering and engineering
management. He is actively involved in fastener standardization through
the ASME, ASTM, and ISO fastener standards committees, serving as vice
chairman of the ASME B18 committee, chairman or vice chairman of
several ASME and ASTM subcommittees, and US delegate to ISO TC/2. His
thesis work on hydrogen embrittlement of case hardened fasteners has
helped advance the knowledge of the phenomenon within the industry
and influenced relevant standards.