We’ve all heard the news, “Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is pushing the boundaries; realizing lightweight, customized parts with intricate designs that were impossible with traditional technologies.” It has been said that these technologies will be a main contributor to the anticipated Fourth Industrial Revolution. Technological advancements in additive manufacturing enabled a wider range of materials and expanded usage in medical, aerospace and automotive applications. Are we truly on the cusp of a shift in the engineering bottleneck: moving from “what can be manufactured” to “what can be imagined and validated?”

In this talk, we will review the benefits and challenges of various additive manufacturing technologies. The diversity of materials used in manufacturing electrical machines provides a viable platform to understand the current state of additive manufacturing for widespread adoption. Critical applications requiring magnetic and conductive material require an understanding beyond pure microstructural properties. We will explore why it is critical, as engineers, to study the capabilities enabled by 3D printing now, such that these technologies are developed to facilitate societal benefits of the future. This talk includes results of past and ongoing research in the Michigan State University Electrical Machines and Power Electronics Research (EMPowER) Laboratory.

Bio: Shanelle N. Foster (Senior Member, IEEE) received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, in 1996, 1998 and 2013, respectively. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at her alma mater, where she co-directs the Electrical Machines and Power Electronics Research (EMPowER) Laboratory. Her research interests include analysis, control, reliability, and manufacturability of rotating and linear electrical machines and drives.