Metal AM specialist Mihaela Vlasea named as top 20 influencer in smart manufacturing
July 21, 2021
Mihaela Vlasea, associate research director of the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, was recently named one of the top twenty most influential academics in smart manufacturing by Smart Manufacturing magazine, a publication of the SME. The list was compiled with help from industry peers and manufacturing experts.
Vlasea is a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, specialising in metal AM. In her positions, alongside training students, she works with industry partners and leads research, including ways to reduce costs associated with AM.
“In the field of metal Additive Manufacturing, industry often finds it challenging to explore technology adoption on their own,” Vlasea told Smart Manufacturing. “This is, in part, due to the high costs required to set up and run equipment, as well as the need to have the right trained personnel to successfully execute R&D.”
In the realm of AM, Dr Dazhong Wu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace, Engineering, University of Central Florida, and Dr Salil Desai, Professor and Director of Center of Excellence in Product Design and Advanced Manufacturing, North Carolina A&T State University were also named.
Wu was recognised, in particular, for his work developing predictive modelling tools which, among other applications, can gauge the meltpool temperature in Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). Desai’s work as an educator covers Additive Manufacturing, among a broad range of topics.
Robert Willig, executive director and CEO of the SME, stated, “One of the best ways to develop the up-and-coming generation of manufacturing professionals is by exposing them to – as one of our honourees puts it – the pioneers and dreamers who are improving existing technologies and creating new ones.”
