General Motors’ Rick Ricchi to receive MPIF Vanguard Award
March 6, 2023
The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) has awarded the Vanguard Award to Richard (Rick) Ricchi, Technical Specialist, General Motors, Warren, Michigan, USA. The award is intended to recognise champions in the Powder Metallurgy industry’s end-user community whose promotion of the technology has bolstered PM expansion.
Over his years at GM, Ricchi has promoted powder forged (PF) connecting rods at GM. Today, these rods are in over 90% of the GM engines, including two diesel engine applications. His work at GM has included internal staircase fatigue testing of connecting rods to generate fatigue strength values used in GM component design, extensive shot-peening studies, and post-forge cooling processes intended to increase tool life.
Ricchi has been active at MPIF’s annual PowderMet conferences, both as an attendee and on the Technical Program Committee. Over the last twenty-eight years, he has presented at the General Motors Base Engine Design Class, teaching thousands of students the advantages of PF connecting rods.
Ricchi is the third person to receive the Vanguard Award since its 2014 inception. The presentation of the award will take place during the Opening General Session at PowderMet2023, which will take place in June 18-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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