RESEARCH CLUSTER

Additive Manufacturing

Overview

Additive manufacturing applies advanced 3D printing technologies to create complex components and materials with levels of precision, efficiency, customization, and design flexibility that are difficult to achieve through traditional manufacturing methods. Using digital design files, additive manufacturing systems build objects layer by layer from materials including metals, polymers, composites, and biocompatible materials.

At the University of Memphis, additive manufacturing research brings together expertise across engineering, materials science, biomedical engineering, logistics, and related disciplines to explore both fundamental manufacturing challenges and practical applications. Researchers are studying how materials behave during and after the manufacturing process, developing new approaches to biofabrication, improving the accuracy and performance of printed components, and exploring new ways additive manufacturing can support business, logistics, and advanced industry.

This interdisciplinary work has applications across sectors including aerospace, automotive, biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, autonomous systems, consumer products, and advanced manufacturing. Through research, computational modeling, laboratory capabilities, and external collaboration, the cluster supports the development of technologies that can improve how products are designed, manufactured, repaired, and delivered.

Research Areas & Themes

 

Faculty & Researchers

Co-Directors

Current / Past Research Projects

Novel 3D Biofabrication Technologies

This research explores new approaches to tissue regeneration and implantable medical devices by integrating metallic, polymeric, and hybrid additive manufacturing technologies. The goal is to develop devices that can better match patient-specific anatomy while incorporating scaffold structures that support soft- or hard-tissue regeneration.

Researchers are also investigating approaches that allow implantable devices to carry therapeutic agents or stem cells, mimic the mechanical properties of surrounding tissue, and biodegrade at rates aligned with tissue growth. These capabilities could reduce long-term rejection risks and the need for secondary revision surgeries.

Project Coordinators: Gary Bowlin and Ebrahim Asadi

 

Process-Property-Geometry Correlations for Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

This research examines relationships between additive manufacturing processes, material properties, microstructure, geometry, and dimensional accuracy in Ti-6Al-4V components.

Because material shrinkage and microstructural variation can influence the accuracy and performance of printed parts, researchers developed computational and experimental approaches to better predict these effects. The work supports the design of components with tighter dimensional tolerances while reducing the amount of subtractive post-processing required.

The research also evaluates location- and size-specific mechanical properties and the effects of heat treatment, creating knowledge that can support finite element analysis and the design of additively manufactured medical and industrial devices.

Selected Publications:

• B. Fotovvati, A. Etesami, E. Asadi, S.A. Etesami. Process-property-geometry correlations for additively-manufactured Ti-6Al-4V sheets. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2019.
• B. Fotovvati, E. Asadi. Size effects on geometrical accuracy for additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V ELI parts. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2019.

 

Computational Modeling of Materials in Solid-Liquid Coexistence

This project uses experimental data to verify and improve a multi-time and length-scale computational modeling framework for materials undergoing solid-liquid transformations.

The research incorporates phase-field crystal modeling, molecular dynamics, and other computational approaches to better understand microstructure evolution during processes such as solidification and coarsening. These models can also be applied to additive manufacturing to help predict how material structures develop during fabrication.

The broader goal is to create predictive tools that can be adapted to multiple material systems and support improved control over manufacturing processes and resulting material properties.

Selected Publications:

• S.A. Etesami, M.I. Baskes, M. Laradji, E. Asadi. Thermodynamics of solid Sn and PbSn liquid mixtures using molecular dynamics simulations. Acta Materialia, 2018.
• K.A. Moats, E. Asadi, M. Laradji. Phase field crystal simulations of the kinetics of Ostwald ripening in two dimensions. Physical Review E, 2019.

 

3D-Printed Tablets and Pills

This interdisciplinary project explores the potential use of 3D printing to produce pharmaceuticals with customized dosages and porosity.

Researchers are examining whether technologies such as Laser Engineered Net-Shaping could support new pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution models in which certain medications could potentially be produced closer to the point of use rather than manufactured exclusively at centralized facilities.

The work connects additive manufacturing with materials science, transportation, and logistics to examine how advanced manufacturing technologies could influence future healthcare supply chains.

Project Coordinators: Ebrahim Asadi and Sabya Mishra

 

Restoring Damaged Metallic Parts of Robots, Autonomous Vehicles and Drones

This project investigates the use of Laser Engineered Net-Shaping to repair damaged metallic components in robots, autonomous vehicles, and drones without requiring complete disassembly.

Researchers are developing computational tools to model heat transfer, mechanical behavior, solid-liquid transitions, laser interactions, temperature distribution, and residual stresses created during the repair process. These models can help determine whether additive manufacturing-based repair methods are appropriate for specific systems while reducing the risk of thermal damage or future component failure.

The research could contribute to standards and methods for rapid repair of advanced autonomous and robotic systems.

Selected Publications:

• S.A. Etesami, M. Laradji, E. Asadi. Transferability of interatomic potentials in predicting the temperature dependency of elastic constants for titanium, zirconium and magnesium.
• R.V. Perrone, J.L. Williams. Dimensional accuracy and repeatability of the NextEngine laser scanner for use in osteology and forensic anthropology.
• B. Fotovvati, S.F. Wayne, G. Lewis, E. Asadi. A Review on Melt-Pool Characteristics in Laser Welding of Metals.

Partnerships & Collaborations

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Opportunities for External Collaboration

Organizations can engage with the Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab through several models: