As voting in the 3D Printing Industry Awards continues, we profile the enterprises at the forefront of 3D printing technology and the related ecosystem.
Onome Scott-Emuakpo is the founder of Hyphen Innovations, nominated for 3D Printing Industry Start-up of the Year 2024.
Hyphen Innovations is tackling the challenge of making parts better and more efficient, a goal that involves addressing intricate R&D issues such as enhancing material data accuracy, optimizing part designs for durability and performance, and speeding up the production of next-generation components in a cost-effective manner. This work is crucial for advancing industries that rely on cutting-edge engineering, from Aerospace and Defense to new and promising markets like golf equipment, where Hyphen’s innovative vibration suppression technology, The i-DAMP Method, offers game-changing potential.
What problem are you solving, and why is it important?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: At a high level, Hyphen simply wants to make parts better. This statement is packed with complex R&D challenges like getting faster and more accurate material data, designing parts that won’t break and that function with precision, and manufacturing next generation parts in a faster, more affordable way.
Who is your target market?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: Most of our R&D work is motivated by the Aerospace and Defense industries. But over the last year, we’ve seen how the physics of aerospace solutions translates to several other industries. Perhaps the market that is most exciting to us these days is golfing equipment, where the impact and shock phenomenon seem ideal for our vibration suppression technology: The i-DAMP Method.
Also, our Accelerated Fatigue Testing Machine has garnered plenty of interest from alloy developers and AM process optimization researchers looking to get material property data in hours versus months, which supports faster iterations and faster innovation.
Who are the founders and core team members, and what is their experience in this industry?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: When I started Hyphen, I knew I needed someone with similar technical experience as me: over 20 years of turbine engine structural integrity research. I also knew I needed someone with operational and project management experience to provide financial and logistical guardrails to our wild innovation ambitions. I could not have asked for better core team members than Phil and Aaron. Philip Johnson is our Laboratory Director, and Aaron Wearren is our Director of Operations. Between the three of us, we lead a team of six full-time and four part-time employees.
What technical challenges have you encountered so far, and how did you overcome them?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: The biggest technical challenge we have encounters has been creating our accelerated fatigue testing machine. Our goal with inventing the testing machine was to take a fatigue testing system with over a million dollars in components and equipment and turn it into a tabletop system that was less than 10% in overall cost. Trying to reduce cost and size while also increasing cycling rate to be faster than standards required optimization of limited power and space, large force movement, and negligible system damping. We overcame the problem by partnering with electrodynamic and laser measurement companies, which allowed us to focus on designing the test for optimal size and force.
Who do you consider to be the competition in this market? How does your proposition meet underserved needs or outperform?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: Hyphen focuses on R&D. We bring concepts to reality. From this sense, many companies could be considered our competitors. When it comes to designing lighter and damage resistant parts, companies like nTopology for lightweighting, Moog for vibration suppression, or LSP Technology for damage resistance can be considered competitors. On the fatigue side, MTS Systems Corporation, Zwick, or Shimadzu provide machines for testing as we do. However, what Hyphen Innovations brings to the table is so distinct from each of these companies that we could be deemed complimentary versus competitors. No other company provides an inherent design of parts that can suppress vibration, absorb shock and impact, and resist damage like Hyphen Innovations with the i-DAMP Method. Also, no other company provides a fatigue testing machine that runs on 110V powder, is 250 times faster than standard, and requires no system alignment or specimen tuning to operate. What we do is truly unique and is geared towards creating new industries versus competing in traditional markets.
What milestones have you achieved, and what are your next major goals?
Onome Scott-Emuakpo: Our key performance indicators this year was to secure defense contracts with multiple agencies in the DoD, achieve service agreements with up to five new customers, and finalize the invention of our accelerated fatigue testing machine to be ready for service and leasing. We have achieved all of our goals this year already. Our goals next year are to double our full-time manpower by the end of the year, secure a partnership agreement with a production corporation capable of taking our accelerated fatigue testing machine to mass production, and demonstrate The i-DAMP Method capability in a consumer-ready golf club.
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