This three-year REU Site program at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is focused in the area of Additive Manufacturing (AM). Each year eight undergraduate students from U.S. universities outside of Missouri S&T will join the Missouri S&T team to engage in exciting, interdisciplinary AM research. There will also be one undergraduate student who will participate during the academic year. Investment in this program will help the United States maintain a competitive advantage in this critical manufacturing technology. To meet the interdisciplinary nature of AM, the proposed program will be a joint effort of the Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, and Information Science and Technology, as well as the Intelligent Systems Center and the Center for Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies on the Missouri S&T campus.
The goals of this REU Site program are to: 1) introduce undergraduate students to all aspects of AM; 2) provide students with individual challenging research projects in AM that include analytical, computer aided design and analysis, and hands-on components in state-of-the-art research laboratories; 3) integrate individual research projects into an interdisciplinary, team based environment where research results will be used to fabricate 3D components; 4) attract talented undergraduate students, particularly underrepresented students, to conduct research in AM and motivate them to pursue graduate studies; and 5) provide extracurricular activities to expose the students to other exciting areas of research and cutting-edge technologies.
This REU Site program includes the following components: 1) a ten week summer program on AM research that combines analytical studies and computer aided design and analysis with a hands-on laboratory experience; 2) a set of challenging individual research projects utilizing the skills of mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, and materials science and engineering, to address critical issues in AM; 3) integrated individual projects in an interdisciplinary, team-based environment to fabricate functional 3D components; 4) a mentoring system for the undergraduate students that includes a network of students and faculty; 5) weekly roundtable discussions where industry and faculty experts discuss topics such as emerging technologies, ethics, graduate school opportunities, etc.; and 6)an environment where the undergraduate students learn effective communication in a variety of media, teamwork, project management, and leadership skills.
This REU Site program will target undergraduates in their junior or senior year in the fields of mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, and materials science and engineering. Particular attention will be paid to underrepresented students in order to ensure program diversity. This REU program will encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate education.
The REU Site in Additive Manufacturing involved 33 undergraduate students, 15 graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and seven faculty members in state–of–the–art Additive Manufacturing (AM) research. These students worked on the cutting edge of this critical technology in an exciting environment where scientific understanding and technological innovation in AM were substantially advanced. Projects included: rheological testing to measure the properties of alumina paste used in the Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) process; development of paste preparation procedures for an alumina paste and a 50 vol% alumina 50 vol% zirconium oxide paste; characterization of paste transport delay associated with an inline static mixer for the FEF process; numerical studies to determine the temperature profile of a part in a Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) process; investigation of the capabilities of hobbyist rapid prototyping machines; accelerated sulfuric acid corrosion tests to analyze the variation in corrosion rates between traditionally processed metals and AM-fabricated metals; development of techniques to additively manufacture fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies; comparison of the mechanical properties of laser deposited Ti-6Al-4V and rolled Ti-6Al-4V samples; design and testing of AM-manufactured bioactive glass scaffolds; development of an energy management sensor to regulate the LMD process; redesign of a mechanical characterization machine for miniature specimens taken from AM-manufactured components; investigation of biologically inspired design of fuel cell bipolar plates fabricated with AM techniques; application of the LMD process for part repair of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V; fabrication of ceramic/metal composite components using the FEF process; investigation of the robot kinematics to position a laser head in an LMD process; and analysis of the ambient thermal properties of the FEF process. The undergraduate students gained valuable experience in learning how to conduct research: identify a problem, conduct a literature review, formulate and execute a research plan, and disseminate their results. The students learned valuable communication skills. Every other week they made a presentation to the entire group and every other week they submitted a report. They received a communication workshop and one-on-one mentoring from faculty in the English and Technical Communications Department. The students had the opportunity to take many industrial tours to companies such as Boeing, Anheuser Busch, Steelville Manufacturing, Mo Sci., and Brewer Science. The REU project was featured in a visit by Missouri Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson in June, 2012. The Congresswoman visited with three REU students who had the opportunity to discuss their projects and answer questions. The students also had the opportunity to go to two international conferences: the 2012 International Symposium on Flexible Automation and the 2013 Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, the leading conference in AM. In this project 42% of the participants were female, 9% of the participants were minorities, and 12% of the participants were from institutions with limited STEM research opportunities. The outcome of this project is a cohort of students that will make a positive impact in the field of additive manufacturing and society.
