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Tel: 703-292-8330
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Warren R. DeVries
Division Director

 

 

MATERIALS PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING (MPM)
Dr. Jian Cao, Program Director
jcao@nsf.gov

Phone:  (703) 292-7088

William W. Foster, III, Program Assistant

wwfoster@nsf.gov

Phone:  (703) 292-5311

NEW MPM Plans in FY05.

A joint panel review involving the Materials Processing and Manufacturing Program (DMII Division) and the Surface Engineering and Material Design Program (CMS Division) will be conducted in January 2005. This cooperation is in recognition of the need of joint efforts in fundamental mechanics study and process innovation. Examples include, but are not limited to: coating and deposition, friction and wear, and tribology. Due to the mis-match of proposal acceptance windows between the two divisions (DMII: 1 Sep thru 1 Oct & 1 Jan thru 1 Feb; CMS: 1 Nov thru 1 Dec), it is highly recommended that proposals in this specific topic should be submitted to either the MPM program by 1 October 2004 or the SEM program by 1 December 2004. No specific funding has been allocated to this joint panel review. However, it is expected that the two programs will co-fund up to four (4) proposals from this joint-review.

For PIs who are working in the area of polymer processing: The MPM program and the DOE Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies intend to co-sponsor proposals addressing fundamental research issues in polymer processes such as injection molded short and long fiber composites, liquid molding, compression molding, thermoplastic liquid molding, and injection-compression molding. Specifically, proposals aiming for predictive modling and design that integrate processing, material structure, and product performance for both thermoplastic and thermoset matrix materials are of interest. This joint effort is a direct outcome of the workshop on Future Modeling in Composites Molding Processes. Interested PIs should consider submitting proposals to the MPM program during the unsolicited acceptance window of 1 January thru 1 February 2005. Up to four (4) proposals from the panel review (to be conducted at the end of March 2005 or the beginning of April 2005) will be eligible for the co-funding (pending availability of funds).

NEW Workshop Announcement: CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop, November 13-14, 2004, Radisson Hotel Maingate-Anaheim, CA. This workshop aims to provide future CAREER proposal submitters (assistant professors, post-doctoral fellows and near-graduation Ph.D. students) with proposal review experience and interactions with NSF program director and recent CAREER awardees. Contact Prof. Z.J. Pei at zpei@ksu.edu for more information.

Workshop Announcement: WTEC kickoff workshop on micro-manufacturing, was held on August 12, 2004, at NSF. The US baseline study workshop is part of the international assessment of R&D in micro-manufacturing co-sponsored by NSF, ONR and DOE. Here, the focus is on the creation of high-precision 3-dimensional products using a variety of materials and/or a new generation of small portable equipment. Speakers include top representatives from Fortune 500, small businesses, government labs and academia. For more information, see http://www.wtec.org/micromfg/us_workshop/ .

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MATERIALS PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

In materials processing, discrete parts are manufactured from a variety of materials to meet defined product specifications. Global competitiveness demands that a spectrum of issues regarding performance, cost, and environmental impact be addressed for viable product realization in the marketplace. Novel processing methodologies or the processing of new materials can open up opportunities for new product development, for research leading to next-generation machines, for improvements in product performance and cost, and for minimizing the environmental impact through the complete life-cycle.

The Materials Processing and Manufacturing Program advances the fundamental knowledge base that is needed for the realization of desired product attributes (such as forms or functions) through the application of the systematic integration of processing - material- performance relationships. It supports analytical, computational and experimental research that leads to the generation of such fundamental knowledge. Also of interest are research activities that address optimizing resource use through the application of environmentally benign manufacturing principles. Research activities in basic materials processing that also incorporate connectivity to sensing systems for process control are encouraged.

Relation to Other DMII Programs

This Program (MPM), the Manufacturing Machines and Equipment Program (MME), and the Nanomanufacturing (NM) Program are closely linked. The three Program Directors collaborate on proposal review processes as well as future program directions. Proposals on materials removal processes (e.g., machining, grinding, polishing, EDM), additive processes (e.g., Solid Freeform Fabrication), and Rapid Prototyping / Rapid Manufacturing should be submitted to MME. Proposals on manufacturing processes involving feature size less than 100nm should be submitted to NM.

Relation to Other NSF/ENG Divisions

Many research issues are interdisciplinary in nature, requiring expertise from several perspectives. Proposals of this type may be co-sponsored by the appropriate programs, such as the Thermal Transport & Thermal Processing Program (CTS Division), the Mechanics and Materials Program (CMS Div), and programs in the Division of Materials Research (MPS Directorate). PIs are encouraged to contact appropriate program directors in these programs before submitting a formal proposal.

Research activities which are NOT supported by the Materials Processing and Manufacturing Program include those addressing continuous chemical synthesis and processes (CTS); materials characterization, surface, or tribology investigations not directly related to processing issues (CMS); semiconductor materials and processing (ECS) and material development (DMR).

Key Issues
There are three priority issues that are important considerations to advancing all fundamental materials processing research and a number of key areas of research that are addressed in the Materials Processing and Manufacturing Program.  The three priority issues are:

•  Environmentally Benign Manufacturing – the role of materials processing within the life-cycle for avoidance of waste. This provides a significant means of addressing NSF Review Criterion 2: Broader societal impacts, in addition to education and industrial relevance. Also see solicitation on BioComplexity in the Environment (BE): http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf03597

•  Virtual Manufacturing – modeling and simulation of processes for predictive capability of performance and producibility related to material microstructure and processing conditions. Development of portable algorithms / models for integration within design decision-making methodologies. Any analytical models or computer simulation must be verified through experiment or existing accessible data.

•  Novel Hybrid Processing – new processes of marrying of existing processes / sequences that optimize materials and energy use to achieve net shape product with superior quality and performance attributes.

Research areas that are fundamental to Materials Processing and Manufacturing are described below:

•  Netshape processing of metals and metal-matrix composites -- Netshape processing through phase-change or deformation, which seeks to produce high quality products requiring minimal postprocessing, can provide performance and cost benefits in manufacturing. Processes include casting of complex geometries and continuous strip; welding and joining; bulk forming processes; sheet forming processes. Projects that address process modeling, design synthesis and process optimization for predictability (microstructure development), producibility (geometric capabilities, surface and microstructure), or productivity (processing parameter effects upon stability and repeatability) issues, are encouraged.

•  Polymer and polymer-matrix composite processing -- Advances in the structural properties of polymers, copolymers, and polymer-based composites have created new opportunities for the use of these materials and new challenges for innovative processing of the constituents. Research areas include rheological control including the use of non-toxic solvents; mold filling and cycle times of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers; defect and waste reduction through process optimization; infusion and shape control for complex geometries of fiber, braid or mat composites.

•  Electronic, optic and photonic materials processes -- The processing of semiconductors and microelectronic devices is NOT supported by this program. Research is supported to advance fundamental knowledge of processing issues related to electronic packaging; fiber optics drawing, coating, bundling and joining; controlled fabrication of electronically conductive polymer composites; and the processing of high temperature superconducting wires. Scaling, produciblity, and productivity issues that can be enhanced by better understanding of the manufacturing process will be considered.

Suggested Research Topics

Research proposals addressing any of the above issues or other fundamental issues in materials processing and manufacturing are welcome. Priorities will be given to those approaches that integrate rigorous scientific principles and mathematics as the basis to develop methodologies and predictive models that address manufacturing issues related to the wide variety of materials/processes. All proposals will be evaluated in terms of the two NSF review criteria. Broader societal impact can be addressed in terms of educational activities at all appropriate levels, industrial relevance or support, and consideration of the relative economic, environment, and/or energy impact.  Please contact the program director with questions regarding appropriate areas. The NSF website includes an awards database ( www.fastlane.nsf.gov ) where abstracts of all funded research is posted. Suggested areas include, but are not limited to the following:

•  Netshape processing modifications to reduce solid waste

•  Joining of dissimilar materials at micro/ meso / macro scales

•  Fabrication of bio-compatible materials and structures (implants, restoration)

•  Processing of multi-layer and/or multi-component materials for enhanced mechanical, electrical, biological functionality

•  Processing issues of materials substitutions for EBM

•  Sensing and control issues in dealing with uncertainties and variations

Small Group Proposals:  Proposals from small, multi-disciplinary groups are encouraged. A broad disciplinary base is sought, bringing expertise from multiple engineering fields as well as non-engineering fields such as mathematics and computer science. Many relevant theories exist in the various fields of engineering as well as other fields. A goal of this program is to bring extant and appropriate theories from various engineering and non-engineering fields to address fundamental issues in manufacturing processes, leading to the development of the next-generation machines and processes as well as optimal utilization and new applications of present manufacturing processes.  Investigators seeking funding for small group awards are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the program director.

References and Links

Workshop reports:

· Workshop on Science and Technologies for Manufacturing Machines and Processes (Fall, 2004)

· Workshop on WTEC Micro-manufacturing (August 12, 2004)

•  Workshop: Future of Modeling in Composites Molding Processes (June, 2004)

•  WTEC Environmentally Benign Manufacturing (April 2001, Adobe Acrobat format, 3.5 MB)

· MEMS Workshop Report (November 7, 2000)

· EBM for the Transportation Industries (September 26-28, 2001)

Other sites:

· Sandia National Laboratories

· National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)

· Air Force Research Laboratory - Materials & Manufacturing Directorate

· Office of Naval Research (ONR)

·  Department of Energy (DOE)
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Last modified:
13-Oct-2004
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