Additive manufacturing (AM), widely known as 3D printing, has evolved as the next generation manufacturing technology. Market studies estimate that the sale of metal AM printers will increase by 48% and the revenue will increase by over 30% annually by the year 2023. The global nature of the manufacturing industry and distributed nature of the workforce require exposure to the work environment, technical capabilities and culture of different countries that partner in this sector. This project contributes to preparing a U.S. workforce capable of addressing the challenges of the global AM supply chain by giving U.S. students exposure to industrial-scale 3D printing operations and the AM research in leading educational institutions in India. New York University (NYU) is partnering with New York City College of Technology (City Tech), a designated Minority Serving Institution, for this effort. The project will engage and educate a wide range of stakeholders as the project builds capacity in the US workforce in the emerging field of AM.
This IRES Track 1 project plans to establish a summer research experience program between the USA and India. The focus of the project is on developing filaments and 3D printing parameters for new polymers and composite materials. An important component of the project is to introduce students to process scale up in the environment of a company that is a leading manufacturer of large print-bed 3D printers. Each year four undergraduate and two graduate students from the USA will travel to India for eight-week research experience. In addition, six graduate students from India, will be supported by India, will be involved in the program. The students will spend seven weeks in India and the eighth week at NYU in New York for presentation of their research, feedback and evaluation sessions and follow up activity planning. Participation of City Teach will ensure the broadening participation of underrepresented minority communities in the project.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
