Meet Nye - Gus Flaherty
Gus has been at Nye for more than 10 years, getting his start as an Application and Test Design Engineer. Now, he manages the Applications Development and Validation Testing (ADVT) Lab. His teams have designed and built a variety of rigs to test our lubricants on specific applications. Gus holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Can you tell us a little bit about the services and capabilities the Nye’s Application, Development and Validation Test Lab offers our customers?
The ADVT Lab at Nye bridges the gap between our traditional Research and Development Laboratory, and the end customer. The ADVT Lab is capable of conducting testing from a conceptual level all the way up to the actual customer’s components. By performing testing in-house at Nye, we can preselect to best performing lubricants and minimize the number of samples sent to the end customer for evaluation. This allows Nye to sample only the most effective products to our customers, while also saving them time and cost.
What role does the ADVT Lab play in developing new lubricants?
The ADVT Lab works in tandem with the R&D Lab when developing new products. The R&D Lab will ensure all the physical property requirements of the product are met, at which point, the ADVT Lab will run tests to ensure the product performs in the manner for which is was intended. These tests may range from more standard ASTM mechanical and tribological tests, all the way up to testing the lubricant in the actual customer’s components.
In a full R&D scenario, the ADVT Lab’s test data will be analyzed, and if adjustments need to be made to improve performance in certain areas, the R&D lab can adjust, and then re-test to ensure all new products meet all of the performance requirements for the application or industry.
What new technology has the ADVT Lab developed to formulate and validate solutions for electric vehicles and other e-mobility applications?
Recently, the ADVT Lab has developed a full Electric Power Steering Testing Suite. The capabilities within this testing suite allow Nye’s Application engineers to test various designs and geometries of customer EPS systems in a variety of loading and environmental scenarios. Data generation consists of, but is not limited to: Efficiency, torque stability, gear mesh interface temperature, and wear analysis.
Additionally, the ADVT Lab has developed an Electric Motor Efficiency Rig (EMER) aimed at optimizing the efficiency of Nye products intended for small electrical motors, actuators, and servos. Reducing power consumption while providing extended life performance in these applications is critical in the success of Electric Vehicle platforms.
How does the Vacuum, Aerospace and Semiconductor Test (VAST) Laboratory differ from the ADVT Lab?
The VAST Lab is a laboratory created for and dedicated to testing which pertains directly to our In-Vacuum, Aerospace, and Semiconductor customers. Many of these customers utilize our lubricants in vacuum environments. The VAST Lab contains all our vacuum equipment and test rigs, some of which are capable of reaching E-10 Torr! Due to the sensitivity of these test rigs, balances, and other components, it was important to isolate this laboratory from the rest of our lab spaces in order to minimize foot traffic, contamination, and reduce static interference. This ensures that our testing can be conducted as precisely and accurately as possible.
What is your favorite part about working for Nye?
My favorite part about working at Nye is the vast array of projects types I get to be a part of over the course of the work week. I can start the week off designing and validating a test rig for a steering application for an automotive customer, and by the end of the week I might be running aerospace lubricant testing for a product destined for a satellite or NASA. The ability to succeed in so many different industries is one of the most rewarding parts about working at Nye.
