Strohm’s continuous innovation relies on our team’s wide breadth of experience and expertise. One such example is Gurkan Onal, a process engineer in our Materials & Process Engineering team, whose career path has taken him from aerospace to the cutting edge of thermoplastic composite technology.
Originally from Istanbul, Gurkan first worked with composite materials while building a sounding rocket, a small, suborbital rockets that carries scientific instruments into the upper atmosphere or near-space for short research flights, during his university years. “I was responsible for making the fuselage. That was the first time I worked with composite materials, and it was the start of my journey in this industry.”
After graduation, he joined an aerospace company where he developed structural systems for Hybrid-propellant rockets and satellite propulsion units. While pursuing his master’s degree, he continued focusing on composite structures, building both practical and theoretical expertise in the field.
His interest in thermoplastic composites led him to Strohm. "It's one of the great places where I can work on thermoplastic materials. Plus, the technology we're developing here gives me a chance to develop my engineering skills at the same time. We're making the products and doing real engineering work and it’s so exciting to see the physical results of my work."
Nearly three years into his role, one moment stands out to him. "The most unforgettable moment for me was taking ownership of a critical tool for our manufacturing process and to see it helping to leverage our technology we use at Strohm." Gurkan says. ”it’s a tool which the engineering team uses extensively so it was a good chance to stand out from the crowd, to show what I could do."
The majority of Gurkan’s work involves computational modelling. "A substantial part of my time is just me and my computer, developing finite element models, calculating material allowances, and occasionally traveling to witness testing at various laboratories across Europe."
“It’s an exciting time for the thermoplastic composite industry as it’s no longer a brand new one so we now have an extensive track record and the data to prove that our products are behaving as expected, but there’s still room left for innovation”, he says. “We perform a variety of tests to make sure that our products’ and the materials’ behaviour is predictable even under extreme operating conditions. It's a two-level approach: testing material coupons to understand fundamental behaviour, then testing full-scale pipes to validate performance. It’s a highly regulated industry and one where safety and predictability are paramount so our tests ensure that clients have peace of mind that the products will behave as expected.”
Gurkan enjoys working on background engineering "developing tools that will be used by other engineers, finding methodologies, creating know-how." He appreciates the balance Strohm offers, as it offers opportunities to develop his skills. Looking ahead, he's interested in moving toward technical leadership or project management roles.
Outside work, Gurkan keeps things simple. "I like to cook. I can't be humble about it, I'm from Turkey and our cuisine is good," he says with a with a smile. He also spends time on music, recording tracks in his spare time.
At Strohm, Gurkan has found a space to experiment, learn, and contribute to innovative technologies. “Working with novel materials, solving engineering problems, developing new methods, that’s the kind of work I want to be doing.”