Joseph C. Benedyk (Dr. Joe) was named editor of Light Metal Age. Dr. Joe (doctor in metallurgy) is a research professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) working to establish cooperative industry/university research programs in the fields of heat treatment, casting, and extrusion of aluminum and aluminum alloys.
Dr. Joe has worked in the aluminum and automotive industries on various R&D and product development programs. His background includes a number of aluminum industry innovations, many of which have been patented or have patents pending, in aluminum casting (squeeze casting, pressure die casting, master alloy development, grain refining); heat treatment (Retrogression Heat Treatment); double aging; high temperature austenitizing (H13 dies); automotive extrusion applications (Panoz roadster frame, GM light truck radiator frame, extrusion formability enhancement); and mill products (Adhesively Bonded Layered Blanks as an alternative to TWBs, and sheet formability enhancement (sheet metal test). He has contributed 70 articles to Light Metal Age on aluminum and magnesium technical developments.