[rp-ml] Responses: Wohlers Report 2008-College and University Education and Research

Hi:

As I've e-mailed you last week I am working with Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates to include an important section in Wohlers Report 2008, a worldwide study on the developments and trends in additive fabrication (AF). The section, titled College and University Education and Research, provides a summary of activities from institutions around the world. I am seeking input from educational and research institutions that are involved with AF. I have received five responses so far.

Please submit a brief (60-80 word) summary outlining your primary research or educational focus and any noteworthy or recent advancements, announcements, or breakthroughs at your institution. The comments should be related to AF. The following are two example summaries from the old Wohlers Reports.

North Carolina State University: Conducts applied freeform fabrication R&D that focuses largely on aerospace and biomedical materials and applications. Two Arcam Electron Beam Melting (EBM) machines are used in conjunction with material testing facilities for advanced material development and aerospace material/process acceptance testing. Biomodeling software and haptic devices are used to design custom biomedical implants and metallic lattice structures for a variety of applications. Contacts: Denis Cormier (aerospace) or Ola Harrysson (biomedical)

University of Louisville: The Rapid Prototyping Center is an industrial/academic consortium that has been assisting industry since 1993. A major area of research is direct digital manufacturing through selective laser sintering, including process and equipment optimization. Other areas of focus are high-temperature material system development, and direct metal deposition for high thermal conductivity tooling, tooling reconfiguration and repair, and new material development. The Center operates three LS machines, a POM DMD 3000, and an SL machine. Contact: Tim Gornet

Would you please provide a summary on your institution's work by February 14. I would appreciate it very much. Let me know if anything is unclear.

All my best,

Ismail Fidan, PhD
Director, NSF RRPL Laboratory
Tennessee Tech University
920 N. Peachtree Avenue
Cookeville, TN 38505
ifidan@tntech.edu <mailto:ifidan@tntech.edu>
(931) 372-6298
Received on Sun Feb 10 19:20:31 2008