Andrew Finkle

Andrew Finkle / Materials · Manufacturing · Ideas

Materials,
made useful.

I’m a chemical engineer and founder bringing advanced materials into manufacturing.

Explore the work ↓ Get in touch →

01 / NanoPaper

Printed electronics
Conductive traces and sensing pads on a flexible NanoPaper sheet.

Nanocellulose-based films developed as substrates for printed sensors and flexible electronics.

Explore NanoPaper

02 / Discov3ry

Soft-material printing
Paste-dispensing nozzle mounted beside the print head of an Ultimaker printer.

A paste-extrusion system that lets desktop 3D printers work with silicone, custom inks, and other soft materials.

Explore Discov3ry

03 / OpenLung

Open-source hardware
Exploded rendering of an OpenLung prototype, showing its bag-compression mechanism and enclosure.

An open-source ventilator prototype initiative, bringing mechanical design, electronics, and software together.

Explore OpenLung
Portrait of Andrew Finkle in dark engineering workwear.

Chemical & nanotechnology engineer · PhD

I’m Andrew.

I lead NanoPaper at Tangho and am an Adjunct Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

A little about me →

Selected work

The material, the manufacturing process, the customer, and the economics all have to come together. That’s the work I enjoy.

01 / Tangho NanoPaper

From research
to manufacturing.

I joined Tangho to help turn nanocellulose-film research into a material that manufacturers can put to use.

My work has focused on developing production processes, scaling the material, and getting NanoPaper into real-world applications.

This means leading the NanoPaper engineering team on formulation and scale-up, building technical partnerships, and helping customers work through the practical requirements of using a new material.

My work
Manufacturing scale-up, research partnerships, commercial development.
The NanoPaper work Inside the sensor demo
NanoPaper pressure sensor connected to a laptop displaying a force map.

A material becomes easier to understand when you can see it working. NanoPaper force-sensor demonstration with the University of Waterloo and Yamagata University.

02 / Structur3d Printing

It started with
a conversation.

A conversation after a makerspace talk brought my future co-founder and me together around a shared interest in materials. We saw an opportunity to make desktop 3D printers work with a much wider range of soft materials.

We combined our ideas into the first Discov3ry prototype. With mentorship from Communitech, we took it to Kickstarter and found our first community of backers.

We went on to develop the Discov3ry Extruder, Discov3ry Complete, and Inj3ctor, building collaborations with 3D-printing and printer manufacturers, including Ultimaker.

As co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, I worked across product development, customer relationships, manufacturing, costing, and distribution.

CA$126,086pledged to our campaign
511backers
View the 2014 campaign
More about Structur3d
Structur3d extrusion hardware, controller, and syringes.

Discov3ry extrusion hardware and controls. Product development brought together mechanics, materials, manufacturing, and the details of everyday use.

03 / Research · University of Waterloo

Understanding the building blocks.

My research has explored cellulose nanofibers, advanced manufacturing, and polymer nanocomposites. I now serve as an Adjunct Professor in Chemical Engineering.

Theses & research →

04 / Open source · 2020

OpenLung

I co-founded an open source engineering initiative to develop ventilator prototypes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the project →

Writing & ideas.

On materials, manufacturing, and bringing research into use.

All writing

Conversations & coverage

Other perspectives on the work.

Chemical Institute of Canada
2015

The Dawning of 3D Materials

How new materials are expanding 3D printing, including Structur3d’s soft-material approach.

Explore publications & media

Get in touch

Good conversations
are a place to start.

If we share an interest in materials, manufacturing, or bringing research into use, I’d enjoy comparing notes.