About Us

Hi, I'm Michael Pfeifer, President of Industrial Metallurgists. For over 25 years, I’ve been helping clients leverage metallurgy and metals engineering to optimize component designs, fix manufacturing and supplier quality problems, and perform failure analyses and forensic investigations.

I've worked on hundreds of projects, and “tell it like it is”, so you can count on getting the support and guidance needed to make well-informed decisions.

I’ve worked on every aspect of product development and manufacturing, and I know the pressure to optimize designs and quickly determine the root cause of product failures and manufacturing quality problems. A metallurgy background coupled with design and manufacturing experience enables me to quickly understand your situation, work with you to make a plan, help you get the information you need, and help you use the information to get to the best outcome.

Also, I work with other metallurgists as the need for specific experience with alloys or manufacturing processes arises.

I work on small and large projects and work with small, medium, and large companies.

Industry experience includes automotive, aerospace, hardware, tools, medical and dental devices, plumbing, industrial equipment, machinery, electronics, and many more.

Alloy experience includes carbon steel, low-alloy steel, tool steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, brass and bronze, and super alloys.

Coating experience includes electroplated, PVD, galvanized, powder coated, and thermal sprayed.

I also have experience with welded, soldered, and brazed joints.

I received a B.S. and M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.

I also wrote a book - Materials Enabled Designs. It teaches how to select materials that optimize product performance, reliability, and cost. I apply these concepts to my metallurgy consulting projects.