Mark Passino
Engineering General Manager Parts Division
Background
I attended Clarkson University and Georgia Tech for mechanical engineering. I began my career at General Electric®, where I gained a broad range of experience in centerline equipment design while working on rotational assignments in the Edison Engineering Development Program. After graduating the A, B and C courses in engineering, I spent significant time performing detailed steam turbine design, primarily focused on high temperature/high pressure applications. Since joining MD&A, I have focused on steam turbine valves and sealing technologies across all of the major OEMS.
What do you do here at MD&A Parts Division?
I manage a group of highly trained and qualified engineers. Within the organization, the group is responsible for reverse engineering components and creating manufacturing drawings. We also own the overall quality of every part that ships from MD&A.
What is the most interesting challenge you have come across?
Every replacement part opportunity is a new challenge for myself and my team. We develop product definition for replacement parts across multiple OEM’s; the variety and breadth of the components we touch makes everyday a challenge.
In MD&A’s Reverse Engineering process of a component, how do you make sure it is the exact same part with all of the same critical dimensions?
We capture the data of every part using precision equipment, such as a 3-D laser scanner, an x-ray fluorescence material analyzer, calipers and micrometers, in order to create 3-dimensional models and create a fully defined MD&A drawing. The final drawing is checked back to the original part to ensure 100% accuracy. If the part is worn out, new interfaces are reestablished by working with the plant or field engineer.
MD&A Parts Division has engineered our own unique main stop valve design after a thorough investigation of stem and bypass valve erosion. Why is the Triplet Type Main Stop Valve Upgrade more reliable in the long run vs conventional designs?
The triple MSV upgrade is more reliable than the OEM original design because the change in geometry turns the solid particles parallel to the stem, eliminating the risk of stem failure. Upgraded geometry and the latest materials/coatings provide a more robust solution to combat SPE, thus extending outage intervals.
What is your personal motto?
“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up.” – Munger.
Contact Mark today using our Contact form.
