S2E52 Robert States | Solving Failures and the “Been There Done That” Engineering Strategy
Robert States, a principal at Stress Engineering Services, discusses his career path from plastics engineering to leading a multidisciplinary engineering services firm. He details how his team solves complex product failures, such as environmental stress cracking in medical devices, by leveraging physical testing and predictive modeling rather than relying solely on computer simulations. States emphasizes the importance of the 'been there, done that' strategy, where experienced engineers identify common failure modes early in the design process to prevent costly late-stage issues. He also explains the emerging use of digital twins and physics-based models to validate manufacturing processes and ensure long-term reliability in regulated industries like medical devices.