Spontaneous Materials started early in 2001, based on a novel
idea. After
working many years in the permanent magnet and rare earth industries, I
realized there are many people who need help with the technical aspects
of these materials, often urgently. This is no surprise, as these
materials can be very confusing,
especially for people new to the field. When the word “counterintuitive”
is used frequently to describe various aspects of these technologies,
you know they cannot be easy to understand. In addition, more often than not, the need
for this high-level of assistance is temporary. Consequently, it makes more sense to
hire an expert temporarily to fix a temporary problem, just as we might
with a physician, dentist, electrician, plumber or accountant. This
approach is a dramatic shift away from the past, where this type of work
has traditionally been handled internally by fulltime employees, who
either may not have all the skills they need to do the job, or need to
focus on other priorities. Offering my
services on a consulting basis to solve technical problems involving
permanent magnets and rare earths was the founding concept of
Spontaneous Materials.
Over time, I also realized that there is an
ongoing need to teach engineers and other professionals about the
basics of magnetic materials because so few of us learned much about
these materials in our formal education, yet we need to understand them in order to do our jobs properly. Sometimes the need is urgent. Since I
enjoy teaching and I am told that I am good at it, this was a
natural niche for Spontaneous Materials to fill. Our seminars and
webinars have now been given all over the World, and have become the requisite introductory course on permanent magnets for new employees at several well-known companies. I am proud to be
the initiator of the popular Magnetics Bootcamps in 2007, which have become
an integral part of the annual Magnetics Conferences.
Where will the next seminar be given? That’s hard to anticipate, but I
always keep my travel bag, iPad and passport ready for the next opportunity.
Have a technical problem with permanent magnets
or rare earths? Send me an
e-mail, text or call me
(+1-317-514-5920), and tell me about your problem. You may be amazed to
learn that a relatively simple answer often exists, which can be
easily implemented to address your particular problem. Clients who
accept our approach to business are rewarded with higher profits and
less frustration. They also know who they will call, the next time
they have a problem that fits into our expertise.
Coming from a family of craftsmen, I always take
great pride in the quality of my work. I guarantee you that I will
always do my very best to serve every client.
Stan Trout
February 23, 2024
With nearly fifty years' experience in the permanent magnet and rare earth industries, Stan has a wealth of problem solving abilities,
gained from a wide variety of technical and commercial roles, that he is eager to share with his clients. He has been very fortunate to confer, study, meet and collaborate with many
international luminaries along the way. He is particularly proud to have trained many of today's active industry
professionals. Stan has a B.S. in Physics from Lafayette College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Materials Science from
the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Trout is a registered Professional Engineer in both Colorado and Pennsylvania.
