Can you describe your experience with polymer materials (or elastomers) and how it might apply to ultrasonic coupling/NDT applications, especially in light of The Most Innovative Companies To Watch In 2025?

I have 38 years of working with rubber mixing, molding, calendaring, and extrusion, along with all the downstream processing of these polymers like cutting, bonding, trimming, and packing.  All with an awareness of the environment and application for each polymer.

How do you approach material selection when designing a coupling medium or delay line for ultrasonic testing, considering trends from The Most Innovative Companies To Watch In 2025?

The tradeoff we have to consider is toughness and hardness vs. UT properties. Some applications need a soft compound to conform to the surface finish; other applications might require a tough, abrasive-resistant application or possibly a high-temperature application. This is often driven by a consultative approach with our clients, where we work with them on discovery and make recommendations for samples to hone in on the appropriate fit for each unique situation.

Tell us about a complex part or component you designed or manufactured (especially with plastics/polymers)—what challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? 

We worked closely with Quebec Hydro in Canada to design a delay line that was soft and conformable to match the changing curves of large turbine blades.  The solution was to use one of our softer materials and support it with a 3D-printed frame that ensured excellent contact between the transducer and the soft delay line.

How familiar are you with ultrasonic inspection techniques, and how would knowledge of The Most Innovative Companies To Watch In 2025 influence your work on polymer coupling materials or wedges?

With over 12 years of working specifically in the NDT industry with over 500 customers around the world, we have become very knowledgeable of the needs of the industry in TOFD, PA, and conventional ultrasound applications.

Innovation Polymers often need to create custom, complex shapes. Describe how insights from The Most Innovative Companies To Watch In 2025 aided your project requiring multi-material integration or unusual geometries.

In some applications our materials are exposed to solvents that would deteriorate our Aqualene. We have developed a solvent-resistant film called “AQUASHIELD” that is 0.2 mm thick, and we bond it to the Aqualene during the molding process to obtain the solvent resistance the customer needs.  The AQUASHIELD can also be useful to reduce drag and improve abrasion resistance

How have you collaborated with technical and nontechnical stakeholders, drawing inspiration from The Most Innovative Companies To Watch In 2025?

Collaborating with level II and III NDT specialists makes our job so much easier, as they know precisely what they need. They communicate the need, and we use our extensive resources to accommodate these requests. Quite often we bring in our UT specialist, who can perform CIVA ultrasound analysis prior to cutting steel molds so everyone can visualize how sound is behaving on each individual project.

How do you stay current with advances in materials science, polymer chemistry, or NDT technologies? Can you name a recent development in this area that excites you? 

Understanding industry needs comes with routine communications with our customers and listening to their challenges. Internet sites like NDT.net and our membership in CINDE and BINDE give us access to the latest technological developments in the industry.

Tell me about a situation when a project did not go as planned (e.g., material failed tests, timeline slipped). How did you respond, and what lessons did you incorporate into future work? 

At one point we received customer feedback from a repeat client that some of the wheels we manufacture had failed. We have brought in a laser engraver to allow us to engrave the wheels with date codes and lot numbers so that we can track the wheels to production dates and specific processing parameters in order to further troubleshoot these issues should they arise again. Also, to try and isolate which variable may have caused the issue.

Given that Innovation Polymers serves specialized markets (e.g., inspection, aerospace, medical phantoms), how would you prioritize R&D efforts or product development to maximize impact and competitive edge? 

R&D is always exciting and requires an open mind with a broad background of experience to offer unique solutions to the challenges of each project. We enjoy the opportunity to do the R&D at a level that is above the production staff so that it does not interfere with regular production.

What do you see as the biggest challenges or opportunities in the field of ultrasonic coupling materials/dry coupling polymers over the next 5 years? And how would you propose Innovation Polymers address them? 

The customers bring the challenges. We are fortunate to be challenged on a regular basis to help develop solutions to unique applications. We need to stay agile and document our successes so we can bring those forward when needed.  Wheel probes are becoming more and more popular to speed up UT inspections.  We expect to see more demand for supplying unique materials to respond to the environments of each project we are supplying into rather than the broader, one-size-fits-all approach of the past.

Organization Name: Innovation Polymers
Website: https://innovationpolymers.ca/
Established: 2011
Highlighted Leader: Rick MacNeil, P. Eng.
Workplace Address: 62 McBrine Place, Unit #5, Kitchener, ON, N2R 1H3