Erich D. Bain

Dr. Bain is a chemical engineer with over 15 years of experience investigating performance of materials on behalf of government, industrial, and academic clients. His extensive product failure analysis experience covers a wide range of polymeric and non-polymeric materials, including engineering thermoplastics, thermosets, composites, elastomers, gels, textiles, glasses, ceramics, and metallic components. His expertise is aimed at solving complex problems involving performance of materials and determining root-causes of product failure based on a deep understanding of material chemistry, processing, structure, and property relationships and how these interact with design, manufacturing, and extreme service environments. His approach is based on reliable and proven scientific techniques applicable to a wide range of industries including piping, transportation, construction, defense, medical devices, adhesives, electronics, consumer products, and more.

Prior to joining ESi, Dr. Bain worked for seven years at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory as a staff scientist and post-doctoral research engineer. His research on polymer and composite materials for body armor, lightweight vehicle protection, ballistic clay replacement, battlefield wound care, additive manufacturing materials and processes, and high voltage electronics resulted in significant advances to soldier capability.  Dr. Bain has published numerous peer-reviewed journal papers and has been invited to present his research at domestic and international scientific meetings.

Areas of Expertise

Professional Associations

• ASTM International
• Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
• National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI)
• The Adhesion Society
• Additive Manufacturing Benchmarks, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Society of Experimental Mechanics (SEM)
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)