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TITANIUM Conference & Exhibition Nominate 2010 Ti Achievement Award Ti Applications Development Award Membership Application - Join Now!
International Titanium |
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PIETSCH WINS 2009 TITANIUM APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AWARDGus Pietsch, the director of mechanical specialty design and part owner of Hydroscience Technologies, Mineral Wells, TX, is the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s (ITA) 2009 Titanium Applications Development Award, in recognition of his achievements for designing and utilizing titanium in subsea components for the geophysical seismic industry. The ITA, based in Broomfield, CO, will present Pietsch (pronounced “peach”) with a $20,000 check at this year’s TITANIUM 2009 conference, which will be held Sept. 13-16 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. Brett Paddock, president and chief operating officer of Titanium Industries Inc., Rockaway, NJ, served as the chairman for the selection committee. He said the award recognizes and rewards people who contribute new ideas for titanium applications. Paddock said expanding global production capability should continue to encourage designers and manufacturers to specify titanium as a material of choice for new markets. His hope is the ITA’s award will help to spur this trend for innovative applications in the coming years. Scott Steele, a Texas-based sales representative for Titanium Industries, nominated Pietsch for the award. “Gus has been instrumental in designing and implementing titanium into subsea components for the geophysical seismic industry,” Steel wrote in his nomination form. “Gus firmly believes that the corrosion resistance, coupled with the strength-to-weight ratio, makes titanium the only metal for this application. His cutting-edge designs for locking devices and connectors make his products interchangeable and easy to handle out in the field.” Steele noted Pietsch has spent the majority of his career utilizing titanium in his designs, which are now considered industry standards. Titanium Industries supplies Hydroscience with Titanium Grade 5 for the application. “Gus’ designs have revolutionized this undersea geophysical field,” Steele said. “I’ve worked with him for five years. He’s a hands-on person who is responsible for specifying titanium in this application.” Pietsch described the Hydroscience application as a titanium cylinder with end caps, 10 inches long and three inches in diameter, with multiple (up to 16) polyurethane, jell-filled “streamers” attached to the housing. The module, which houses various sensors and electronic devices, is towed by a deep-sea ship to explore sites beneath the ocean floor. The titanium device collects data and records signals that are transfered to a computer on the host ship. This information is used by geologists to map out undersea salt domes and oil and gas pockets--potential sites for energy exploration.
The original design for the seismic-vessel application actually dates back to the mid-1980s, Pietsch explained. “I like to take an idea from scratch and then build a finished product for a specific application,” he said. “I enjoy working with customers and I’m constantly looking to design new products. I was very excited and very surprised when I learned I had won this award from the ITA,” Pietsch said.
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