Plastics Academy Hall of Fame :: http://www.plasticsacademy.org

Made significant contributions in the development of pultrusion and developed much of the technology used in modern filament winding processes, the use of plastics in automotive applications, and matched metal die molding for reinforced plastics.

Mr. Goldsworthy received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1935.

He began his career in plastics in 1938 as a process engineer at the Douglas Aircraft Company, where he developed a new basic product trademarked "Plasti-felt." He started the Brandt Engineering Research Company to manufacture this successful material.

Rejoining Douglas Aircraft at the onset of World War II, he pioneered the use of cast phenolic and ethyl cellulose hot melts, later combining fiberglass reinforcements with phenolic casting resins, producing some of the first laminated tooling structures in the industry.

Anticipating the potential of glass reinforced polyester laminates, he started the first reinforced plastics production plant on the West Coast. The plant, Industrial Plastics, produced military air frames until the end of the war in 1945. Adapting these materials for the consumer market, he evolved the first production operation in the use of matched metal dies with discontinuous glass reinforcing and polyester resins, the basis for today's preform molding industry.

He then developed the first fully automatic preform machine for transforming glass roving to a moldable reinforcement.

Mr. Goldsworthy accomplished many firsts, all of which greatly contributed to the expansion of the plastics industry during its intense growth years. He developed the first plastic automobile body, the first all-fiberglass boat hull, the first all-reinforced plastic airplane fuselage, the automatic taper fishing rod rolling machine, and the "Glastrusion" machine. Another of his innovations was the programmed continuous variable roving cutter for use with automatic preforming equipment for attaining desired surface finishes.

Because of his numerous and important contributions, he became much in demand as a consultant. His projects included prototype units for a combined automobile and airplane, and the fiberglass Chevrolet Corvette program for General Motors. In 1956, he sold his manufacturing operation to work full time in consulting.

He also worked extensively with the military, particularly in the area of reentry cones, rocket motor liners, blast tubes, and nozzles. He patented a novel method of producing mat material from any of the exotic fibers -- a boon in missile production. He also patented a radically new filament winding machine. In all, he registered 60 patents.

In 1966, he founded Goldsworthy Engineering, Inc., which specializes in automated composite product production equipment. At the same time, he reactivated Glastrusions, Inc.

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