Chris Freemantle is the Sr. Materials Engineer at Pilot Tools (Pty) Ltd, a cemented carbide manufacturer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chris joined Pilot Tools after completing his Master’s degree in advanced ceramics and materials engineering, and earned a PhD degree while working at the company. Powder performance, properties and behaviour have formed a major part of his research and development role at Pilot Tools, as cemented carbides are produced using powder metallurgical techniques. Other duties have included mentorship and training, continuous improvement of production processes, design of new recycling technologies and materials research and development.