An Inspired Chat with Ryan Shelton

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ryan Shelton. Check out our conversation below.

Ryan, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A “normal” day has been getting up late, going to bed early haha. I’m usually Starting my day off checking emails and making sure everything is ready for the days scheduled tests and projects.

I like to try and keep things in a rhythm while also allowing myself some room to move dates, times and what not.

Currently with it being September the ShelTech October showcase is coming up and I’m getting the highlights of the year ready for demonstration.

This will be our first showcase with more than just rockets.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
ShelTech LLC was founded during a hot summers day in the northern Mohave desert in Arizona on the 21st of June 2019 by Ryan Shelton, a seasoned inventor, designer and technology enthusiast with multiple certifications in additive manufacturing, GEN-AI and aerospace engineering.

When Ryan formed ShelTech LLC the goal was to leverage Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to design and manufacture products of varying sizes and complexities for the privet and public sectors of high power rocketry and scale aircraft enthusiasts on sites such as Ebay, and for local pick-up.

Originally only available in the US, ShelTech LLC has expanded to a global market utilizing sites like Cults3D for STL files, and Gumroad for INO and software.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I would have to say the word “powerful” might be a bit of an overstatement, but i guess it would have to have been the moment i constructed my first ram-jet when i was about 13 or so.

Simple beyond belief but being able to see an idea “work” to an extent allowed me to see and understand if i had the parts and the knowledge, almost anything is possible.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
One of the few times in my life i have actually stopped attempting something due to failure was more because i failed to understand rather than complete the task at hand.

It was during my years in the NAR (National association of rocketry) that i was going for my level one attempt.
First attempt was flawless other than a speedy decent causing a break in the joint between the fin-can and body-tube.

I did give it a second try several months later and had the parachute failed during deployment.

I could have kept trying, but i started to realize that even if i got this level one certification, i would still be subject to the extremes of the shipping costs for high power motors, NAR regulations, and disapproval of most, not all, members for using 3D printed parts in my rockets.

I was also wanting to experiment with sugar motors and that is strictly against NAR regulations.

So i suppose even though i failed hard at flying by the regulations and standards of the NAR, i surpassed most if not all expectations on how much a 3D printed rocket could handle in the high power sector of rocketry.

And now I’m planning on flying my first sugar motor rocket this year at the showcase event.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m strongly committed to taking my business to the next level and making it a fully fledged space and engineering company utilizing 3D printing, CAD, AI, and my years of experience in mechanical designing to accomplish it.

Sheltech LLC has been operational since 2019, starting out with rockets no taller than a pencil, and using the smallest A series motors available in traditional finned rockets.

Now i have my own in-house designed and built motors using a fuel mixture i have developed over the last year that will be used in my next generation of high power rockets utilizing thrust vectoring with code co-developed with LLMs to help with stability and trajectory.

The future is looking bright.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Most certainly. I have been for most of my professional life and will continue to do so for the sake that i know i gave it my all. Because at the end of the day, your work reflects you.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All images are taken by Ryan Shelton.

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