Tim Oberle

Tim Oberle

Film Extrusion Expert Witness
Tim is a Chemical Engineer with extensive Process and Product Development experience in film extrusion and converting. He has worked both in management and as a technical professional in the US and Europe. He has Excellent communication skills, including the publication of a book on product development of processed materials. Hands-on problem-solving approach to quickly test and determine which failure mode controls product performance in any given situation.  Tim has legal expert experience.
Professional Experience
2022 - Present
Private Practice - Duncan, South Carolina

2006 - 2022
Sealed Air Corp - Process Engineering Scientist
Duncan, SC / Lenoir, NC
  • Worked in an R&D group to evaluate new process technologies, including layer multiplication for flat cast, oriented and blown film products. Investigated energy cured coatings and adhesives.
  • Worked with a team to optimize formulations and process techniques for BubbleWrap. Patent issue in 2015 on a method to increase the strength of thermoformed cell walls and incorporate more scrap materials.
  • Downgauged void fill products from 40 microns down to 13 microns to reduce cost and carbon footprint.
  • Worked extensively on a narrow width high-stalk blown film process for making converted bags in a single step which included extrusion, printing and bag making.
  • Interfaced with outsource vendors and other Sealed Air plants globally to formulate equivalent products using locally available resins. The goal was to have products that could run interchangeably on customer equipment regardless of the production location.
  • Start-up work on Inflatable BubbleWrap cast film process. SOP & SOCs, Capability Studies and training. Worked on cross functional team to standardize best practices and reduce costs.
  • Saved $500K/year by reformulating a film product used to make a moisture absorbing pad for foam trays.
  • Reformulated Tuffgard mailer film to rationalize resin formula and reduce cost.
  • Extensive work with operator training, procedures, process optimization on various film production and converting lines.

1996 - 2006
Sealed Air Corp – Director of Film Development
Duncan SC / Danbury, CT
  • Managed a Product Development group in the non-food sector, including heat shrinkable films, medical solution packaging and automotive products.
  • Following an acquisition of Cryovac by Sealed Air, I moved to Danbury, CT in 1999 to take responsibility for HDPE films for on-demand urethane foam cushioning solutions.
  • Developed and maintained film products for urethane foam packaging systems, including specifications, fitness-for-use testing and coordination of best practices across multiple production locations. Evaluated a coating process to provide superior heat resistance to the finished customer product. Worked with customers to understand their needs and to evaluate potential solutions.
  • Developed new film products for packaging systems that dispensed air pillows for void-fill packaging, especially at fulfillment centers of major ecommerce sites. Coordinated production at internal plants, US outsourced vendors and Chinese vendors.
  • Evaluated the use of starch based additives and biodegradable options for thin films.

1994 - 1996
WR Grace – Bags Development Manager Europe
Milan, Italy
  • Managed a European R&D group for product, process and applications development of the company’s most profitable product – heat shrinkable barrier bags. Developed a strategy to customize packaging products unique to European customer requirements. Traveled to process plants and customer locations across the continent. Transferred US technology and best practices.

1981 - 1994
Cryovac Division of WR Grace – Development Engineer
Duncan, SC
  • Performed bench and pilot plant scale development to create a family of heat shrinkable barrier films which allowed customers to cook or pasteurize meat products inside a hermetically sealed package. This work ranged from patenting the basic technology, to pilot scale production and finally the start-up of production lines in Texas, France and Australia.
  • Reformulated an existing product line of heat shrinkable barrier bags to improve package appearance for retail display of processed meat, cheese, poultry and fresh meat products.
  • Explored the use of a tenter frame process to replace bubble based orientation for shrink film products.
  • Employed statistical process control and design of experiment techniques to quantify product performance and process capability. Worked to optimize fitness-for-use of the product at the customer.
  • Took a number of blown and cast film products from pilot plant production into full commercialization.
  • Worked on exploratory projects for static dissipative packaging and oxygen absorbing films.
  • After promotion to first line development manager, I headed up process development and equipment specification for a major recapitalization of the division’s main product line.

1980 - 1981
American Can Company – Development Engineer
Neenah, Wisconsin
  • Performed a variety of Product Development, Plant Start-up and Application testing tasks in a flexible packaging group. Travelled extensively to domestic production plants and meat packaging customers.
  • Developed food-lab test methods to determine and optimize product fitness-for-use prior to field testing.

PATENTS

US Patents
  • 4,469,742 - Compressor
  • 4,755,402 - Thermoplastic multi-layer barrier packaging film and bags made therefrom
  • 4,762,748 - Fire and smoke prevention system
  • 4,855,183 - Absorbent articles
  • 4,879,124 - Perforated cook-in shrink bag
  •  5,002,782 - Door stopper
  •  5,086,924 - Index plunger
  • 6,287613 - Control device and diagnostic control program
  •  6,790,468 - Saddle-type vehicle
  • 6,997,319 - Heat resistant foam-in-bag packaging
  •  7,553,437 - Method and mold assembly for making a molded foam article
  •  9,017,799 - Air cellular cushioning article of enhanced strength per unit weight of film, and process for making same

Australian Patent
  • 727,338 - Aerosol dispensing device

PUBLICATIONS
  • Process Techniques for Engineering High-Performance Materials, CRC Press ©2014

EDUCATION 
Master of Science: Chemical Engineering
University of Illinois - Champaign,  Illinois

Bachelor of Science: Chemical Engineering
University of Illinois - Champaign,  Illinois