Convergent Manufacturing
Manufacturing has been a central focus of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, going back to the 1800’s. Today, researchers study every aspect of manufacturing and materials processing, from automotive and aerospace to electronics and medical applications.
By studying the fatigue and fracture of materials, Purdue researchers can pinpoint what needs to be strengthened, and how much. In nanomanufacturing, new breakthroughs enable devices to do things unthinkable just a few years ago. And in the theoretical realm, manufacturing processes and systems are always being refined, allowing companies to build the best products in the best way with the best people.
Faculty in Convergent Manufacturing
- Renewable Energy Materials (physics-based energy yield predictions, sustainable PV and energy storage materials, recycling)
- Electro-Optical-Thermo-Mechanical Reliability (in-situ and in-operando accelerated stress tests)
- Heterogeneous Integration & Advanced Packaging (sub-10 μm pitch interconnects, low-loss interposers)
- Harsh Environment Electronics Integration (high temperature Pb-free solders and nano-thermal interfaces)
- Modeling and experimental studies on processing
- Structure property relationships in polymer films and moldings and polymer/metal/ceramic hybrid systems
- Dynamic systems and control
- Mechatronics
- Digital and functional printing and fabrication
- Motion and vibration control and perception
- Embedded systems and real-time control
- DNA nanotechnology
- Advanced materials
- Bio-inspired and mechanically adaptive electronics
- Multimaterial additive fabrication
- Soft actuators (artificial muscles)
- Wearable actuators (haptics)
- Polymer design and polymer physics
- Deformation sensors and transistors
- Vibrations and nonlinear dynamics
- Smart material systems
- Non-pneumatic tires
- Optimization of mechanical systems
- Additive manufacturing
- Predictive, multi-scale modeling and simulation of microstructure evolution in confined granular systems, with an emphasis in manufacturing processes and the relationship between product fabrication and performance.
- Application areas of interest include:
- (i) particulate products and processes (e.g., flow, mixing, segregation, consolidation, and compaction of powders),
- (ii) continuous manufacturing (e.g., Quality by Design, model predictive control, and reduced order models), and
- (iii) performance of pharmaceutical solid products (e.g., tensile strength, stiffness, swelling and disintegration), biomaterials (e.g., transport and feeding of corn stover) and energetic materials (e.g., deformation and heat generation under quasi-static, near-resonant and impact conditions, and formation and growth of hot spots) materials.
- Advanced multi-scale manufacturing
- Ultrafast laser machining and processing
- Fiber optic sensors and environmental monitoring
- Spray-based nanoparticle coating and additive manufacturing
- Machining of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites
- Naturally nanostructured materials
- Energy, water, and wearable technology
- Manufacturing
- Bio-inspired designs
- Surface engineering and multifunctional materials
- Convergent Manufacturing for Industry 5.0: hybrid manufacturing processes, heterogeneous materials, and bio-inspired designs
- Systems integration, productization, and production
- Heavy-duty machines: machining, lubrication, and corrosion
- Heterogeneous and hierarchical integration (mechanical-electrical-optical and nano-micro-meso-macro)
- Precision agricultural and food: cellular agriculture, vertical farming, micro-production, and resilience
- Frugal engineering, social innovations, and social equity
- Manufacturing in space
- Dissimilar material 3D printing
- Additive manufacturing of energetic materials
- Additive manufacturing of materials for high temperature applications
- Quality control in additive manufacturing
- Human Skill and Augmentation
- Collaborative and Hybridized Intelligence
- Deep Learning of Shapes and Computer Vision
- Human-Robot-Machine Interactions
- Making to Manufacturing (M2M)
- Factory of the Future and Robotics
- Manufacturing Productivity
- Simulations of nanoscale thermal transport
- Machine learning, optimization, and high throughput design
- Thermal management in electronics, space, and battery applications
- Transport phenomena in additive manufacturing
- Nanomaterials and devices for sustainable energy
- Contact mechanics
- Stresses, fatigue and friction of rolling/sliding
- Micro-mechanics of boundary and mixed lubrication regimes
- Spall initiation and propagation
- Surface science and damage
- Dynamics of ball and rolling element bearings and rotating systems
- Friction induced vibration and squeal in dry contacts
- Friction and wear of dry and lubricated contacts
- Virtual tribology
- Dry and lubricated fretting wear
- MEMS for in-situ monitoring of tribological contacts
- Discrete element modeling
- Design
- Laser additive manufacturing
- Ultrafast laser matter interaction
- Laser welding
- Laser assisted machining
- Laser shock peening
- Multi-physics, multi-scale modeling
- Micro-nano manufacturing
- Solid mechanics, multiscale and multiphysics modeling.
- Design of engineering material systems.
- Fracture and fatigue.
- Microarchitectured materials.
- Biomechanics of soft and hard tissues.
- Multi-process/multi-material additive manufacturing
- Nondestructive evaluation
- Advanced acoustic materials and metamaterials
- Ultrasonics
- Laser-matter interactions
- Laser-induced plasma and laser-plasma interaction
- Laser applications in manufacturing, materials processing, and other areas
- Heat transfer, particularly nano-scale and ultrafast heat transfer
- Ultrafast laser materials processing and diagnostics
- Nano-optics and laser-based nano-lithography
- Multiscale superfast 3D optical sensing
- Biophotonic imaging
- Optical metrology
- Machine/computer vision
- 3D video telepresence
- 3D video processing
- Virtual reality
- Human computer interaction
- Environment friendly design and life cycle engineering
- Applications of bio-based materials in manufacturing
- Fast and low-cost detection of pathogenic microorganisms
- Biomass thermo-chemical upgrading for liquid and gaseous fuel