OPM Aerospace Welcomes Two New VPs: Larry Varholak and Sal Bordonaro

Oxford Performance Materials Inc. (OPM) has just announced that they are welcoming two new members to their team at the Connecticut-based materials technology company.

Lawrence (Larry) Varholak has been appointed Vice President of Programs, OPM Aerospace & Industrial, and Salvatore (Sal) Bordonaro has been appointed Vice President of Operations, OPM Aerospace & Industrial.  Varholak and Bordonaro together bring decades of truly dynamic experience in the fields of engineering, innovation, project management and operations, as well as negotiations.

“I am very pleased to welcome Larry and Sal to OPM, both of whom bring significant and relevant experience that will further strengthen OPM Aerospace & Industrial and drive our growth in key markets,” said Paul Martin, President of OPM Aerospace & Industrial. “OPM’s PEKK-based products are ideal for end market industrial applications where functional complexity and weight reduction can have a substantial impact on overall performance, while also yielding cost and energy savings.”

Founded in 2000, OPM, well-known for the 3D printing of cranial and facial implants, is quite simply, a high performance plastics company centered around ‘exploiting a highly advanced molecule called poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK), which is an ultra high performance thermoplastic technology platform.’ OPM develops advanced materials technology for the areas of:

• 3D printed biomedical devices — OPM’s OsteoFab process allows 3D printing of medical implants derived directly from CT Scans or MRI files, using OXPEKK®-IG polymers.
• Biomedical raw materials — for medical devices, OPM’s biocompatible high performance thermoplastics such as OXPEKK®-MG (Medical Grade) and OXPEKK®-IG (Implant Grade) products offer a variety of advantages over the use of metal.
• 3D printed industrial parts — their OXFAB technology offers low weight, high performance component solutions through design and replication for industries such as aerospace, semiconductor, chemical processes, and design and luxury goods.

Larry Varholak has worked in engineering for over 30 years, beginning his career as a structural analyst with Sikorsky in 1980, and later working as COO and VP of New Business Development for Dow-United Technologies Composite, and later as COO of KLM Industries. Varholak was again with Sikorsky as Chief Engineer of the S-92 and as Director of Fleet Analytics from 2009 until accepting his new appointment with OPM. He is a licensed structural engineer with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Varholak has been published twice and also holds four US patents and two foreign patents.

With over 30 years in aerospace and defense, Sal Bordonaro was in management at Kaman, beginning in finance, and then project management. He was appointed Vice President and General Manager of the Kaman Helicopters Division in 2002, and then named President in 2004. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from University of Hartford. Bordonaro is an individual with vast experience in developing and managing teams, organizing, strategizing, and negotiating — which has been exhibited previously through key strategic partnerships resulting in commercial and military orders ranging from $10 million to $500 million, including ‘the first ever unmanned cargo resupply helicopter to be deployed in Afghanistan by the US Marines and the first major Bell Helicopter contract award for the Kaman Aerospace Group totaling approximately $100 million.’

Of the two new vice presidents, Martin added, “Larry has successfully engineered and managed development and production of a wide range of military and commercial aircraft and parts. Larry brings to OPM a unique understanding of the fundamental challenges in the industry today. Sal was the ideal candidate to manage our overall operations; his industry experience is extensive and speaks for itself. Together they will play critical roles in bringing our innovations to market, which we believe will fundamentally improve the way the world’s aircraft are manufactured.”

As the OPM team grows in stature and continues to progress in creating remarkable 3D printed products, we look forward to reporting on their future developments.

What are your thoughts on advanced materials technology in 3D printing? Share with us in the OPM forum at 3DPB.com.