ISyE faculty and students in the advanced manufacturing area focus on processes through cutting-edge computational, experimental, and statistical techniques. The group also works closely with industry and government partners and collaborators to validate and implement research results.
Advanced Manufacturing makes extensive use of technologies related to automation, computers and computing, high precision, and information and data science. The goal is to develop production systems capable of creating a variety of products in small or large volumes with both the efficiency of mass production and the flexibility of custom manufacturing in order to respond quickly to customer demands.
Manufacturing plays a key role in America’s economy and innovation. In 2013, manufacturers contributed $2.08 trillion (12.5 percent of GDP) to the U.S. economy, and nearly 70 percent of private company R&D investments and 70 percent of issued patents originate in manufacturing. Realizing the significance of manufacturing, the U.S. government and industry sectors have recently placed substantial emphasis on advanced manufacturing. Numerous investment and funding programs have been created for advanced manufacturing in the past two years, such as the multi-agency Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), and NIST Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech).
Interdisciplinary Advanced Manufacturing Research
Working closely with colleagues in ISyE (e.g., Logistics, Statistics, and Systems Informatics and Control Groups) and Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI), ISyE faculty and students in the advanced manufacturing area conduct both fundamental/methodological studies and applied research sponsored by government agencies including AFOSR, DOE, NIST, NSF, and VA, as well as industrial companies such as ATK, Boeing, Cytec, and OG Technologies. Ongoing interdisciplinary advanced manufacturing research projects at ISyE include:
- Development and optimization of additive manufacturing (3-D printing and printed electronics) processes for composite structures and next generation electronics (such as flexible electronics and advanced sensors) fabrication.
- Scalable nanomanufacturing of multifunctional carbon nanomaterials.
- Process modeling, sensing/monitoring, control, and optimization of advanced manufacturing processes (additive manufacturing/printed electronics, composites, nanomaterials, and hot forming).
- Stream of Variation (SoV) modeling and analysis for multistage manufacturing systems (assembly, machining, progressive forming, nanomaterials processing, etc.).
- Model-based systems engineering for advanced manufacturing.
- Development of advanced materials and manufacturing processes for medical device (e.g., prosthetics) applications.
- Supply chain management for production systems supported by additive manufacturing.
