SMT - Key Persons


Darko Babic

Job Titles:
  • Principal
Mr. Babic is a Principal member of SMT's material analysis and mechanical engineering practice. He owns and operates a material analysis laboratory in Tempe, AZ which specializes in analysis of metals and polymers, including fracture surface analysis, material characterization, identification and composition, and mechanical testing. Mr. Babic specializes in mechanical design, accident reconstruction, and failure analysis. He performs corrosion, fatigue, and fracture mechanics analyses of mechanical and electro-mechanical systems and components, as well as full-scale and laboratory testing, instrumentation, and data acquisition. Mr. Babic is experienced in metallurgical and polymer failure analyses using macroscopic and microscopic techniques for fracture surface, weld quality, case hardening, heat treatment, and microstructure characterization. He makes extensive use of finite element modeling (FEA) to evaluate structural, thermal, and fluid behavior.

David De La Cruz

Job Titles:
  • Director of Material Science Practice
Mr. De La Cruz is the Director of Material Science Practice at SMT Labs. He has over 20 years of analytical chemistry lab experience in Chandler, AZ with a primary focus on organic materials. Mr. De La Cruz has worked on thousands of analytical and consulting projects ranging from material identification and characterization, failure analysis, product deformulation to litigation support. Mr. De La Cruz has extensive experience with Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FTIR), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as well as various thermal analysis instrumentation.