This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Assembly Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
Assembly Magazine logo
  • eMAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • eMagazine
    • How-To-Guide
    • Buyers Guide
    • Factory of the Future
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant of the Year
      • About Plant of the Year
      • Nomination Form
    • Capital Spending
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace
    • Appliance
    • Automotive
    • Medical Devices
    • DFMA Assembly
    • Green Manufacturing
    • Lean Manufacturing
    • Electronics Assembly
    • Machinery Assembly
  • TECHNOLOGIES
    • Adhesives
    • Assembly Presses
    • Automated Assembly
    • Dispensing
    • Motion Control
    • Screwdriving and Riveting
    • Plastics Assembly
    • Robotics
    • Test and Inspection
    • Welding
    • Wire Processing
    • Workstations
    • New Products
  • COLUMNS
    • Assembly in Action
    • Automation Profiles
    • On Campus
    • The Editorial
    • Moser on Manufacturing
  • MORE
    • Classifieds
    • Focus On
    • eNewsletter
    • Blog
    • Store
    • Product Spotlight
    • White Papers
    • Integrated Showcase
  • MEDIA
    • Assembly TV
    • Webinars
    • Interactive Spotlights
    • eBooks
  • EVENTS
    • Calendar
    • The Assembly Show
  • CONTACT
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Content & Marketing Solutions
    • Market Research
  • AEM
    • AV/EM News
    • Autonomy
    • Connectivity
    • Electrification
    • Mobility Services
    • Assembly and Testing
    • AEM eMagazine Archives
  • INFOCENTER
    • Best Measurement Solutions for Manufacturing
    • Collaborative Robot Revolution
    • Factory of the Future
    • Smart Pressing Technology
    • Sensing Solutions
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Home » Louisville is at the Forefront of Additive Manufacturing

You have 0 Articles Left This Month. Register Today for Unlimited Access.

Appliance AssemblyAutomotive AssemblyMedical Devices AssemblyDFMA AssemblyOn Campus

Louisville is at the Forefront of Additive Manufacturing

November 1, 2012
Austin Weber
KEYWORDS 3D Printing / additive manufacturing / electronic beam melting / laser sintering / rapid prototyping / ultrasonic consolidation
Order Reprints

Additive manufacturing is one of the hottest technologies to come along in the last 50 years. It uses three-dimensional printing to transform engineering design files into fully functional components created from glass, metal, plastic or sand.

Leading manufacturers, such as Boeing, Caterpillar, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, Sikorsky and Toyota, are using additive manufacturing to produce a wide variety of prototype parts layer by layer. The University of Louisville’s Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC) has been at the forefront of this technology for almost 20 years.

“We are a joint academic-industrial consortium providing access to world-leading capabilities in additive manufacturing via laser and electron beam powder bed processes for metals, plastics and ceramics,” says Tim Gornet, manager of RPC operations. “Members of the consortium range from Fortune 100 companies to individual inventors.

“[We aid manufacturers] in the entire product development process, including conceptual design, material selection, prototyping, tooling and production, [in addition to] applied and basic research,” adds Gomet. “Getting a quality product to market quickly is critical and correcting design flaws early in that process is essential. [Our] members have used [our facility to save time, money and costly delays in product development].”
In 1993, Louisville became the first U.S. university to buy and operate selective laser sintering equipment. Since then, RPC has funded research in all areas of additive manufacturing.

“This includes the fundamental understanding of the effect of process variables and properties, material development, and design for additive manufacturing and testing,” says Gomet. The RPC works with a broad range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, appliance, medical device and sporting good manufacturers.

As part of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, the Rapid Prototyping Center is equipped with the latest software for solid modeling and part design of new components, in addition to reverse engineering of existing parts. The 8,600-square-foot facility is capable of producing prototype parts and low-volume components using laser sintering, direct metal laser sintering, electron beam melting, ultrasonic consolidation, fused deposition modeling, 3D printing and stereolithography.

There are currently 20 people involved in various additive manufacturing initiatives. “This includes faculty, full-time professional staff, post-doctoral researchers, PhD and Masters students, and cooperative interns,” explains Gomet.
Faculty and staff have been focusing their attention on understanding the issues and challenges of additive manufacturing. “This includes research into the basic physics of the various processes, equipment and process monitoring improvements for closed-loop control feedback and more consistent performance, and advanced designs,” Gomet points out.

“Additive manufacturing can offer engineers far more than prototypes of components—the advantage of almost unlimited geometric flexibility,” claims Gomet. “This allows for parts consolidation to eliminate assembly operations, optimize design performance, and create advanced designs and products that cannot be produced by traditional manufacturing processes.”

Developing ideas and methodologies for engineers to think outside the realm of current manufacturing technologies is a key goal of the Rapid Prototyping Center. “[We] support research and development programs in additive manufacturing and provide student instruction in the application of state-of-the-art technologies,” says Gomet.

Additive manufacturing is an integral part of the curriculum in the mechanical engineering and industrial engineering departments at Louisville. According to Gomet, the RPC is used by students in almost all design courses and is required for Master’s theses and PhD dissertations. The RPC also supports student teams such as the Baja Buggy and SAE Formula competitions.

The University of Louisville offers a course on additive manufacturing and an advanced manufacturing processes course, which focuses heavily on the technology. In addition, additive manufacturing is taught in courses on machine design and product development.

You have 0 complimentary articles left.

Register for free today to continue reading!

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Privacy Policy

Related Articles

Vanderbilt Is at the Forefront of Robotic Surgery

Assembly Plants at the Forefront of Industry 4.0

Michigan State Is at the Leading Edge of Automotive Composites

Additive Manufacturing Is Changing How Implants Are Made

Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Assembly eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Mobile App

More Videos

Popular Stories

ZF manufacturing 900

US Factories Desperate for Workers

GE 3-24

GE Appliance Unveils New $80 Million Dishwasher Manufacturing Line

GE 4-7

GE's New Plant in England Will Build Giant Wind Turbine Blades

Upcoming Assembly Events and Webinars

Events

September 17, 2020

Automated Screwdriving with Collaborative Robots

As more companies automate their screwdriving processes with collaborative robots, there are many factors to consider to ensure employee safety, consistent required torque high degree of repeatability and zero defect products. Join Universal Robots and screwdriving experts Atlas Copco for this joint webinar featuring the latest developments in automated screwdriving.

June 2, 2021

100% Quality Control with Vision Inspection Systems

In this informational webinar we will present topics that are essential to quality control along with vision inspection systems. Information pertaining to risk handling and 0 PPM strategy to reduce downtime in assembly applications. 

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Biden Administration

What should be Biden administration’s top priority for U.S. manufacturers?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) Profitability Scenarios: Systematic and Systemic Improvement of Manufacturing Costs

Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) Profitability Scenarios: Systematic and Systemic Improvement of Manufacturing Costs

See More Products
assembly buyers guide

Get our new eMagazine delivered to your inbox every month.

Stay in the know on the latest assembly trends.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
  • More
    • Assembly Plant of the Year
    • Manufacturing Group
    • List Rental
    • Organizations
    • Connect
    • Want More?
    • Polls
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe
    • Survey And Sample
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing