PECASE: Interdisciplinary Research and Education in Solid Freeform Fabrication Using Laser Engineered Net Shaping

激光工程净成形(LENS)是一种创新的固体自由曲面制造(SFF)工艺，它能够直接从计算机辅助绘图中制造具有复杂形状的金属零件。这种新的制造工艺可以显著降低制造成本，缩短从设计到上市的时间，并提高用于压铸、注塑、飞机和汽车行业的零部件的性能。这个职业项目的总体目标是利用镜头过程在SFF的跨学科研究和教育方面发起一项努力。利哈伊大学和拉斐特学院材料和机械工程系的研究生和教职员工组成的研究团队将与桑迪亚国家实验室的科学家合作，开发可供工业合作伙伴使用的透镜加工方法。SFF中的教学模块将由本科生在制造业教学中开发，作为利哈伊大学工程、商业和艺术与科学学院学生参与的顶峰课程的一部分。该课程的最终产品将是：1)可供行业使用的加工方法，以改进镜片制造过程的控制和一致性；2)研究生和本科生，对当今现代制造环境所需的跨学科方法有更好的理解。

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is an innovative Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) process which is capable of manufacturing metallic parts with complex shapes directly from a computer aided drawing. This new manufacturing process can significantly reduce manufacturing costs, reduce the time from design to market, and improve the performance of components used in the die casting, injection molding, aircraft, and automotive industries. The overall objective of this CAREER project is to initiate an effort in interdisciplinary research and education in SFF using the LENS process. A research team of graduate students and faculty in the Materials and Mechanical Engineering Departments at Lehigh University and Lafayette College will collaborate with scientists at Sandia National Laboratory to develop LENS processing methods that can be used by industrial partners. Teaching modules in SFF will be developed by the faculty for undergraduate instruction in manufacturing as part of a capstone course that involves students from the engineering, business, and arts & sciences colleges at Lehigh University.The final "products" of this program will be: 1) Processing methods that can be used by industry for improved control and consistency of the LENS manufacturing process, and 2) Graduate and undergraduate students with an improved understanding of the interdisciplinary approach required in today's modern manufacturing environment.