Manufacturing & Materials
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, 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.
The Composites Manufacturing & Simulation Center houses 32,000 square feet for designing, simulating, and manufacturing composite prototypes. With the same equipment and processes found in automotive and aerospace factories, it’s a cutting-edge collaboration between Purdue engineers and Indiana industry.
Faculty in Manufacturing and Materials Processing
- Modeling and experimental studies on processing
- Structure property relationships in polymer films and moldings and polymer/metal/ceramic hybrid systems
- Multi-scale robotic manipulation and assembly
- Mobile micro/nano robotics
- Micro/nano aerial vehicles
- Micro-Bio robotics
- Mechatronics
- MEMS/NEMS
- Automation for the life sciences
- Mechanical systems design
- Analysis and simulation
- Computer aided engineering
- Kinematics
- Dynamics
- Robotics and automation
- Vibrations and nonlinear dynamics
- Smart material systems
- Non-pneumatic tires
- Optimization of mechanical systems
- Additive manufacturing
- 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
- Computational solid mechanics
- Multiscale modeling of materials
- Finite Elements
- Dislocation dynamics
- Computational modeling of micromechanical systems
- Reliability of electronic interconnects
- Nano structured materials
- Effects of length scales on deformation process
- Wearable biomedical devices
- 'Crack’-driven transfer printing technology
- Scalable manufacturing technology
- Mechanics and materials for flexible/stretchable electronics
- Energy storage and conversion (batteries, fuel cells)
- Mesoscale physics and stochastics
- Reactive transport, materials, processing, and microstructure interactions
- Scalable nanomanufacturing: lithography and imaging
- Optical and magnetic data storage
- Nanoscale energy conversion, transfer and storage for alternative energy
- Collective innovation
- Open source product development
- Complex networks
- Agent-based modeling
- Computational design
- Robust design and uncertainty management
- Integrated products and materials design
- Computational geometry
- Geometric modeling
- Product design
- Conceptual design
- Applications: engineering, bio-x, and medical
- 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.
- Multiphase combustion, particularly related to propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics
- Nanoscale composite energetic materials
- Advanced energetic materials
- Microscale combustion
- Environmentally responsible design and manufacturing
- Sustainable systems
- Decision-making for sustainability
- Manufacturing
- Corporate social responsibility
- Sustainability education
- Laser-matter interactions
- Laser-induced plasma and laser-plasma interaction
- Laser applications in manufacturing, materials processing, and other areas
- 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