Join us in welcoming Sneha Narra, an assistant professor from Carnegie Mellon University, as she discusses advanced manufacturing process design. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome.
Process design for coupon-to-part transition in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing
Metal additive manufacturing, specifically powder bed fusion processes, demonstrates significant potential for industrial applications. Over the past two decades, process design and parameter development have been extensively investigated ,with a primary focus on mitigating process defects, particularly porosity and understanding mechanical properties. Traditionally, researchers have studied coupons with simple geometric features, assuming uniform process behavior throughout fabrication. However, enabling lightweighting requires building complex parts that introduce local geometric variations and process condition fluctuations inherent to powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. This talk presents two recent findings from our laboratory that underscore the importance of process variability and local part geometry when making the coupon-to-part transition in the laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process. By examining these nuanced aspects, the research provides critical insights into refining process design approaches and developing robust process monitoring guidelines for additive manufacturing.
Sneha Narra’s research focuses on investigating process-structure-property relationships infusion-based metal additive manufacturing by integrating computational and experimental approaches. She received her B.E. in Civil Engineering from Osmania University, M.S. in Computational Mechanics, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. After one year of postdoctoral training at CMU’s Next Manufacturing Center, she joined Worcester Polytechnic Institute as an Assistant Professor in 2018. She is currently an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at CMU, where she started in2021.