Research

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."  - Beverly Sills

 

Manufacturing has significantly contributed to improved quality and sustainability of human life.  My research goal is to advance the understanding and knowledge of Additive Manufacturing (AM, aka 3D Printing) and to promote its wide applications in future engineering systems. AM is a digital manufacturing process that has become a disruptive manufacturing technology, especially for medical and aerospace industries, in which small-quantity production is dominant. AM is predicted to dominate most manufacturing concerns in future mass customization. To achieve the full potential of AM in cost and time savings, the development of novel AM processes, new process control methods, and a wide selection of functional materials are critical.  In addition, AM enables revolutionary new design by using complex three-dimensional shapes, heterogeneous material properties, and multi-functionality.  Systematic knowledge regarding modeling, analyzing, synthesizing, and optimizing such product designs is required to achieve the desired performance.

At USC, our research group aims to develop AM technologies that enable people to revolutionize future product design and manufacturing. We are especially interested in Additive Manufacturing at the micro-scale and mesoscale and the related material control, design, modeling, and computation methods. Since AM-based digital manufacturing involves physics-based manufacturing and computation-based design and control, we strive to address the challenges in AM research by fusing theoretical, computational, and experimental knowledge with systematic thinking. This interdisciplinary research philosophy, by tightly integrating process, equipment, and material sides of AM technology, is at the core of my research group.

We are currently working on the following three topical areas:

 

Previous Additive Manufacturing (AM) research performed in our lab (refer to Publications for more of our research)

- AM processes and systems

Multi-scale AM systems Multi-material AM systems Reusable and recycle supports In-situ assembly (around inserts)

Refs: (Yang 2023), (Jia 2022), (Li 2022), (Zhou 2021), (Li 2019), (Mao 2017), (Song 2016)

Refs: (Mao 2021), (Li 2018), (Mao 2016), (Zhou 2013)

Refs: (Xu 2021), (Jin 2017)

Refs: (Xu 2021), (Jin 2021), (Song 2015), (Pan 2014), (Zhao 2013), (Chen 2012)

- Devices and applications empowered by AM

Biomedical Energy Fluidic Electrical and magnetic Optics

Refs: (Johnson 2021), (Li 2021), (Li 2020), (Alluri 2019)

Refs: (Jiang 2021), (Jiang 2021), (Yang 2020), (Zhang 2018), (Chen 2016)

Refs: (Xu 2022), (Li 2020), (Li 2019), (Yang 2018)

Refs: (Yang 2022), (Tian 2022), (Yang 2016)

Refs: (Xu 2023), (Pan 2016), (Pan 2015)

 - Engineering materials enabled by AM

Composites Ceramics Polymers Metals

Refs: (Yang 2022), (Li 2021), (Yang 2019), (Yang 2017)

Refs: (Li 2020), (Li 2020), (Chen 2019), (Song 2017), (Song 2015)

Refs: (Zhao 2024), (Jia 2022),  (Li 2018), (Yang 2018)

Refs: (Xu 2020), (Khoshnevis 2012)

- Modeling and control methods for AM

Accuracy Speed Resolution Strength Tooling

Refs: (Zhou 2021), (Xu 2017), (Xu 2017), (Xu 2015), (Huang 2014), (Zhou 2012)

Refs: (Li 2019), (Pan 2017), (Kwok 2017), (Zhao 2016), (Pan 2012)

Refs: (Xu 2023), (Mao 2019), (Mao 2017)

Refs: (Sales 2021), (Kwok 2016), (Zhao 2013)

Refs: (Chen 2013), (Chen 2003), (Chen 2002)

- Shape and material design methods for AM

4D printing Digital material design Truss structure design Complex shape design Augmented reality-based Design

Refs: (Kwok 2017), (Deng 2017), (Deng 2017), (Kwok 2015), (Deng 2015)

Refs: (Leung 2019), (Huang 2016), (Xu 2015)

Refs: (Kwok 2016), (Huang 2014), (Zhao 2011), (Chen 2011), (Chen 2007)

Refs: (Chen 2013), (Huang 2013), (Chen 2013), (Wang 2010)

Refs: (Huang 2015), (Wang 2013), (Chen 2011)

 

Awards and Honors