This article appeared in the September 8th, 1997 edition of Furniture/Today
Dr. Harvey A. West has joined the FMM Center at North Carolina State University as a furniture extension specialist.
He will be responsible for establishing and directing a laboratory for the test and evaluation of furniture materials, components, and products.
Dr. Tom Culbreth, director of the center, said the testing laboratory should prove a valuable resource for the furniture industry, particularly in North Carolina and Virginia.
"We felt the time was right to ramp up our testing and evaluation efforts since the level of consumer product regulation is increasing , performance standards are becoming more prevalent in the U.S. and in export markets, and the proliferation of new materials and construction techniques continues to accelerate, " Culbreth said.
West earned his doctorate in the department of materials science and engineering at NCSU and is a registered engineer in North Carolina. He has been manager of the Raleigh branch of Materials Analytical Services, a private testing laboratory.
Before that, he was in charge of the testing facilities in the materials science and engineering departments and NCSU and taught courses on the characterization of the mechanical behavior of materials, including composites.
The FMM Center is seeking input from furniture manufactures on their immediate and long-term testing needs. West can be reached at (919) 515-3335 or hawest@eos.ncsu.edu.