We are thrilled to welcome Tim Stevenson, co-founder and CEO of Ionix Advanced Technologies Ltd., to OnestopNDT.
Tim, a highly accomplished professional with a Master's and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Leeds, has dedicated his career to advancing the field of industrial sensing. Under his leadership, Ionix has developed the innovative HotSense acoustic platform, leveraging its unique piezo-electric materials for high-temperature sensing in challenging environments.
With 15 years of experience and numerous accolades, including being named a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IOM3, Tim shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship.
In this interview, he discusses the challenges of translating research into practical applications, the importance of mentorship, and the future of non-destructive testing (NDT) and industrial instrumentation.
Join us as Tim offers valuable insights and advice for aspiring engineers and entrepreneurs in the NDT community.
Hello Mr. Tim Stevenson. Pleasure to have you on our platform. Could you introduce yourself to our wonderful audience?
My name is Tim Stevenson, and I am the co-founder and CEO of Ionix Advanced Technologies Ltd. Our UK-based company has created an acoustic platform known as HotSense, which relies on our exclusively developed piezo-electric materials - HPZ, designed for high-temperature sensing in challenging environments.
While this article focuses on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Ionix also produces and incorporates various OEM sensor products for monitoring industrial conditions and processes. These include ultrasonic steam flow and flare gas metering transducers, acoustic emission sensors, as well as level and position sensors and ultrasonic volumetric temperature and humidity transducers.
I have a Master and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Leeds, UK, I'm a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IOM3, an active member of the British Institute of NDT, and have roughly 15 years of experience in the field of industrial sensing.
So, how has the journey been so far? Did you face any major roadblocks in your journey so far?
Ionix began as a spin-out, commercialising our advanced piezo materials in 2011, expanding from high-temperature industrial uses to more diverse applications. We realized that providing ceramics alone was not enough for our customers to efficiently build in to products; we needed to develop integration technologies, such as high-temperature bonding, sensor packaging and connectivity solutions, which led us to develop our own complete sensors. Overcoming the challenges of learning acoustics and new materials spurred technology advancements, making our piezo materials easier to integrate.
Ultimately this led to modifying the HotSense platform for NDT ultrasonic testing transducers to meet the growing demand for on-stream inspection, which also cemented our brand and technology recognition outside of just OEMs, and placed our technology in the hands of a wider audience.
Can you share any early experiences or influences that directed your career towards industrial instrumentation and sensing?
During my PhD and later in my research career, my focus was on creating novel piezo-ceramics for extreme environments. The tendency is to then keep looking for the next big material discovery, but I became more interested in exploring the potential uses of the materials we had already developed. The piezo-material industry is valued at over $20 billion per year, with the market equally divided between actuators, which convert electric fields to mechanical strain, and sensors & transducers, which convert mechanical stress to electrical charge and vice versa respectively. Beyond their use in healthcare and sonar, these materials are predominantly utilized as ultrasonic or acoustic sensors in industrial settings. Given our mission has always been to solve the challenges within extreme environments—such as high or low temperatures, ionizing radiation, and high pressure—our work has seamlessly aligned with the needs of industrial sensing sectors such as aerospace, automotive, process control, and condition monitoring.
What recent advancements in piezo materials and ultrasonic testing excite you the most?
EU legislation to remove lead (Pb) from products like paint, fuel, and electronics is not new, but electronic ( including piezoelectric ) ceramics such as those made from lead zirconate titanate (PZT) have been long exempt, with a lack of alternatives. However, the EU's recent initiatives to more frequently review and challenge the use of PZT in electronic waste has spurred research globally into lead-free options that can replace this ubiquitous material. Ionix specializes in creating customized materials with lower lead content – our HPZ materials contain less than 33% of the lead content of PZT - and we can modify properties to suit specific sensors and electronics. In 2023, with support from the UK government, we started an 18-month, $1m initiative to develop lead-free piezoelectric materials designed to replace PZT in 3 specific applications including high-temperature ultrasonic testing, hydrogen flow metering, and subsea uses. What has been an initiative to support our customers to find lead-free alternatives to PZT, has now shown that we can produce materials with new and unique properties, that make them valuable not just for their adoption into incoming legislation, but enhance the performance of the ultrasonic sensor they have been integrated into.
So, Mr. Tim, what inspired you to co-found Ionix Advanced Technologies?
For me, it was the drive to understand how the materials that we developed at Leeds, with Dr Tim Comyn and Prof Andrew Bell, could translate into real-world impact. It’s amazing to think this this small disc of ceramic can keep an oil refinery running more efficiently, or a nuclear power station generating power for longer or keep an aircraft flying.
What are the biggest challenges you face as the CEO of Ionix Advanced Technologies?
One of the biggest challenges I face, and I think is faced throughout the industry is the lack of people with the right skills and experience, and that probably is even more so in non-destructive testing (NDT).
NDT is a vital field that ensures the safety and reliability of critical infrastructure and assets, but it is often overlooked or underappreciated by the wider engineering community. We need more people who can understand the principles and applications of NDT, and engineers who can innovate new sensors and systems. We are constantly looking for ways to attract new engineers into the field and to collaborate with academic and industrial partners.
How do you balance strategic planning with the day-to-day operational demands of the company?
At Ionix we have a fantastic team, with many that have been with the Company from the early stages. I am proud to say they are able to manage the day-to-day demands, with a good mixture of experience and expertise, and are led by a core management team. That allows me to add value by playing more to my strengths around the technology strategy and providing a vision for what we want to accomplish.
Mr.Tim, how did you ensure that your research at the University of Leeds translated effectively into practical applications at Ionix?
This is probably the hardest part of any University spin-out, not least starting a materials business.
One of the main challenges is to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial needs. We had to show that our materials did not only perform well and consistently in the lab, but also in real-world applications, under harsh conditions, at a competitive cost and at scale. To achieve this, we had to work closely with our customers and partners, understand their requirements and specifications, and demonstrate the value proposition of our technology. We also had to scale up our production processes, ensure quality control, and comply with relevant standards and regulations. It was a long and complex journey, but also very rewarding and exciting.
How did it feel to be awarded the title of "Early Research Career Engineer" and to be recognised with Gold at Westminster?
Being awarded the prestigious UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee Science, SET ( Engineering & Technology ) for Britain award in 2011, I felt extremely honoured and humbled to receive such a prestigious award and recognition from my peers and the wider engineering community. It was a validation of the hard work, and passion that my team and I put into developing innovative materials for various industrial applications.
What does being a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining mean to you personally and professionally?
Being elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3) means a lot to me personally and professionally. It is a recognition of my achievements and contributions to the field of materials science and engineering, which I have always been passionate about. It is also provided an opportunity to network with other experts and leaders in the field, share knowledge and experience, and learn from their insights and perspectives. Being a Fellow has also allowed me to help mentor early-stage career engineers, and hopefully encourage the next generation of materials engineers.
What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the field of industrial instrumentation and sensing?
Anyone entering the field of industrial instrumentation and sensing should first have a strong engineering background. This is at the foundation of designing, developing or implementing sensors in industrial applications.
On top of that, keeping up to date with the latest trends and innovations in the field, either by building a network of collaborators and experts, or using tools like OneStopNDT, the field of industrial instrumentation and sensors is constantly changing and evolving. Being able to adapt to different tools, platforms and standards will help broaden the range of solutions to solve industry challenges.
What skills do you believe are most critical for success in technology business leadership?
Networking and collaboration are essential for professional growth and development, as they allow you to exchange ideas, learn from others, and find opportunities for joint projects and partnerships. So too then communication skills, the ability to articulate and present your vision and values to an organization, as well as communicate effectively across a wide range of audiences – customers, partners, investors and media – is critical to establishing a network and building trust.
How do you stay updated with the latest developments and maintain your professional growth?
Leveraging a good network of peers, customers and competitors, reading peer-reviewed articles, and industry press and attending key events all help to keep me up to date and to understand the challenges our customers face. I’m also a sucker for browsing LinkedIn and OneStopNDT.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to young professionals and researchers aspiring to make a mark in the field of NDT?
The one piece of advice I would give to young professionals and researchers aspiring to make a mark in the field of NDT is to never stop learning and exploring new possibilities. NDT is a dynamic and evolving field that requires constant adaptation and innovation – someone once told me NDT is about “understanding more about an asset today than we did yesterday”. By staying curious and open-minded, you can discover new methods, tools, and applications that can enhance your skills and knowledge, and help us all understand a little more today than we did yesterday.
Finally, what are your thoughts on OnestopNDT? Do you think our efforts to provide real, authentic and accurate content are helping the industry? Also, do you think our platform helps the community connect with like-minded people?
I think OnestopNDT is a great initiative to provide that content to the industry. Your efforts to share valuable insights and experiences from different experts and practitioners in the field of NDT I believe is well received and appreciated. I also think your platform helps the community connect and foster collaboration and learning.
