Academic Report：Design for Additive Manufacturing Lightweight Structure: About geometry and manufacturability
Speaker：Yang Li
Time: 2019.3.7 10:45-11:30AM
Location：Teach 1-411
Abstract：
Having been involved in additive manufacturing since 1993, the University of Louisville (UofL) is extensively involved in various area of AM research. With over 50 personnel across engineering, medical and dental disciplines, the AM research at UofL currently has strong emphasis towards bridging the gap between AM technologies and various applications. Some of the notable research areas of focus include the process modeling and optimization, the development of novel process strategies, the design optimization of structures, qualification of AM parts, medical implants, dental prostheses, surgical devices, cardiovascular tissue engineering, and AM energy devices. These activities are supported by various centers and facilities including Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC), Additive Manufacturing Competency Center (AMCC), and Material Innovation Guild (MIG).
In the area of AM lightweight structure design, various efforts have been focused on identifying the unique challenges of the use of AM in the design and realization of lightweight structures for potential applications in biomedical areas. Utilizing a combination of analytical modeling, numerical analysis and experimentation, various design aspects such as geometry, material and process are studied. From the geometry design perspective, much of the works are dedicated to identify the non-ideal boundary conditions for the finite-size cellular structure designs and their impact to various performance of the structures, which deviate significantly from the classic theories. From the manufacturability perspective, due to the unique process characteristics of AM, the material properties are potentially coupled with the geometry design of the lightweight features, which have been subjected to extensive investigations. Preliminary results have shown that the materials for AM lightweight feature should be treated as a unique class of heterogeneous materials that must be integrated in the design stage as non-independent factors.
Dr. Li Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at University of Louisville. He received Ph.D. degree in 2011 from the Department of Industrial and System Engineering at North Carolina State University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees both in Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University. Dr. Yang’s research interest focuses on multiple areas, including the design of lightweight structures, novel material process development using binder jetting, as well as the application of novel materials and structures utilizing additive manufacturing. Dr. Yang received the Emerald Engineering Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in 2013, Best Paper Award in 25th International Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) Symposium in 2014, International Outstanding Young Researcher in Additive Manufacturing Award in 2016, and BASF 3D-Printing Design Contest Winner Award in 2018.