Scientists, engineers, and academics from the manufacturing world met virtually last week to discuss industry advances and acknowledge excellence in research and commercial implementation at the 49th annual North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC). The virtual event, organized this year by the University of Cincinnati, was sponsored by the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME (NAMRI | SME) June 21-25.

NAMRC is the premier international forum for applied research and industrial applications in manufacturing and design. NAMRI | SME brings together researchers from leading companies, government laboratories, academic institutions and industrial think tanks located around the world for advancing the scientific foundation of discrete-parts manufacturing.

“Our annual NAMRC event allows us to come together – virtually this year – to discuss issues and celebrate those among us who have made significant advancements in the manufacturing realm,” said Brigid A. Mullany, PhD, 2021-22 NAMRI | SME president. “These advances are important to a robust manufacturing industry, and the awards help us recognize those thought and technology leaders who are continuously improving processes to support a competitive economy.”

Awards Recognize Advancements from Teams, Individuals

NAMRI | SME S.M. Wu Research Implementation Award

Named after the late University of Michigan professor Shien-Ming Wu, PhD, FSME, this award recognizes outstanding original research presented at NAMRC which subsequently, upon implementation, had a significant commercial and/or societal impact. The 2021 recipient was:

• Jianjun Shi, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

NAMRI | SME Outstanding Lifetime Service Award

This award honors distinguished members for their long-term dedication and contributions to NAMRI | SME. This year’s recipient was:

• Steven Y. Liang, PhD, LSME, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

2021 Outstanding Paper Awards

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Three papers were chosen as outstanding from among more than 130 that were submitted:

• “3D Freeze-printed Cellulose-based Aerogels: Obtaining Truly 3D Shapes, and Functionalization with Cross-linking and Conductive Additives,” from authors Halil Tetik, Keren Zhao, Nasrullah Shah and D. Lin, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.
• “Influence of a local short-term heat treatment on the formability of orbital formed functional components,” from authors Andreas Hetzel, Marion Merklein and Michael Lechner, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremburg Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Erlangen, Germany.
• “Stochastic Modeling for Tracking and Prediction of Gradual and Transient Battery Performance Degradation,” from authors Matthew Russell, Evan King, Chadwick Parrish and Peng Wang, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

NSF Blue Sky Award Competitors / David Dornfeld Manufacturing Vision Award Winner

The NSF Blue Sky Awards competition, which culminates in selection of the David Dornfeld Manufacturing Vision Award winner, encourages participants to think big – sometimes even outrageously – in posing grand challenges to be addressed and in thinking transformatively in a manner that may interest government entities in supporting and funding their projects. The winner of the competition, chosen from among eight finalists, was:

• “Product in a Patient: In Vivo Surgical Manufacturing,” authored by Michael McPhail, PhD; Juergen Neubauer; and David Lott, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.

NAMRI | SME Board of Directors Sustained by Membership

As part of the NAMRI | SME Member Meeting preceding the awards ceremony, the NAMRI | SME 2021-22 board and directors were ratified by vote from members present. Receiving the confirming vote were:

• President – Brigid Mullany, PhD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
• President-Elect – Livan Fratini, PhD, University of Palermo, Sicily, Italy
• Secretary – KC Morris, PhD, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Scientific Committee Chair – Ihab Ragai, PhD, PE, Penn State Behrend, Erie, Pennsylvania
• Scientific Committee Chair-Elect – Robert X. Gao, PhD, FSME, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
• Immediate Past-President – Lihui Wang, PhD, FSME, PE, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• Second Past President – Albert J. Shih, PhD, FSME, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

NAMRI directors:

• Jeffrey A. Abell, PhD, FSME, CMfgE, PE – General Motors, Warren, Michigan
• Dale R. Lombardo – GE Aviation, Niskayuna, New York
• Tony L. Schmitz, PhD, FSME – University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Zhijian “ZJ” Pei, PhD, FSME – Texas A & M, College Station, Texas
• Mike Vogler, PhD – Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois
• Rebecca R. Taylor, Ex-Officio – The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, Washington, D.C.

Founders Lecture

Given during the NAMRI | SME Member Meeting, the Founders Lecture was delivered by 1996-97 NAMRI | SME President Warren DeVries, PhD, FSME, retired professor of Mechanical Engineering and former dean of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

Next year will mark the 50th year that NAMRC has been conducted. It will be held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, June 27-July 1, 2022.

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