Richard Tapper, an Associate Research Specialist at Dow and the 2025 R&D Technician of the Year, sums up his test philosophy in visceral terms: “I work on fire-retardant materials, and when I approach a test, I am considering that this cable is on fire in my house. So, I am going to view the test performance objectively.”
In that role, Tapper develops and tests fire-retardant wire and cable formulations, often halogen-free, against real-world failure modes. “It’s straightforward to follow the standards,” he says, “but to see past that to the application is a huge motivating factor for me.”
Tapper’s work extends beyond household wiring to grid-scale reliability and safety. For example, at Dow he has recently been involved in the development of polymer composites for photovoltaic (PV) cables used in solar farms. Cable constructions made for PV and other power delivery applications, he notes, “have to pass very stringent burn tests that required Dow to expand capabilities for fire testing for use in developing new products.”
Tackling tougher burn tests
“Flame retardant cables are rated from horizontal burn to vertical burn and the specific vertical test configurations can vary. The differences between the various tests are in terms of cable geometries, specimen orientation, the fuel source and burner power rating (500–1000 W). The test criteria that govern performance include flameout time, potential to ignite cotton placed underneath (if any), and flame propagation distance. Essentially this translates into how much of the cable burns and/or how fast the flame extinguishes.
The bars to pass the different burn tests are high, and the variables are many. “Tweaking the formulation to achieve the desired balance of thermomechanical properties and fire performance is pretty complicated,” he said. “These are highly formulated products, so if we make any sort of considerable change to improve a specific property it can throw off that balance.”
The goal is for the polymer material to yield a cable free of defects which passes all the pertinent electrical, mechanical and flame retardancy requirements. Achieving that combination can be very difficult.
Mentors, safety and lifelong learning
The complexities in developing and testing flame retardant formulated polymer systems did not deter Tapper. He built his skills from the ground up at Dow, joining the Wire and Cable group in 2015 after initially exploring a different path. “When I first joined Dow, I knew very little about the chemical industry. Everything was new to me,” he said. He credits mentors for accelerating his professional growth, including Bharat Chaudhary, Principal Research Scientist: “I have been lucky enough to work with people like Bharat, who really challenges me to expand my skills and apply them to create value for Dow, the industry, and society at large. He has been a huge teacher for me my whole career, and I owe a lot of what I have learned to him.”
That guidance shaped Tapper’s view on risk in everyday technology. His safety lens is rooted in the ubiquity of electrification. “Electricity is vital for almost every aspect of our existence. There are risks that not everyone considers,” Tapper said. “Electrically insulating and flame retardant materials play a huge part in minimizing that risk.”
He balances full-time lab work with graduate study. “January 2023 was my first semester,” he said of his M.S. program in polymer science and engineering at Lehigh University. “It’s helpful to learn about polymer science … from professors that have more of an academic view to supplement the knowhow that I have been applying at Dow. It helps to reinforce my learnings.” This fresh perspective, he said, sharpens his problem-solving skills to address practical hurdles under real-world conditions.
Transforming limits into innovation opportunities
Hurdles, Tapper argues, can often fuel innovation. “A limitation should not derail your ambition,” Tapper said. “If you want to address a market but are constrained for one reason or another, you can view the problem from different angles to find solutions… Supposed limitations can create opportunities.” He also points to evolving regulations as a catalyst for innovation: “There are critical regulatory pressures… and if a test standard changes, that too can create opportunities.”
Tapper applies this mindset to developing new and improved polymer systems for flame retardant wire and cable applications including PV cables for solar infrastructure.
Embracing collective learnings in a high-stakes field
Beyond product and use specifications, Tapper stresses the human side of R&D. He is candid about team culture and how one can learn from shared experiences.
Consistency and curiosity are ideals. “Being consistent, being willing to learn, recognizing things I do not know, learning new techniques, and reading between the lines,” he said, are central to how he approaches work in a large organization.
For now, Tapper’s core focus remains fire safety and its practical application for users. “It gives me a lot of pride to be able to say, ‘I contributed to making the polymer material that made this cable for safe and reliable delivery of power.’”
