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From Aerospace to Medical Applications of Additive Manufacturing Technologies

Ola2Dr. Ola L. A. Harrysson
Professor and Fitts Faculty Fellow
Co-director of the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics
The Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
North Carolina State University
February 13, 2015, 2:30 – 3:30 PM
410 John D. Tickle Engineering Building

Dr. Ola L. A. Harrysson joined the ISE Department at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2002 after receiving his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Prior to attending the University of Central Florida he was born and raised in Sweden and received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dala University. He has been conducting research in Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing for over 15 years. His main areas of research are medical application of additive manufacturing technologies, custom design and fabrication of orthopedic implants, medical device development, and materials development for the powder bed direct metal technologies. Dr. Harrysson is currently a professor, a Fitts Faculty Fellow in Biomedical Manufacturing, and the co-director of the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics in the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State University.

Talk Abstract: Additive manufacturing technologies are now being used for a wide variety of applications and the medical community was an early adopter. While polymer based AM processes can fabricate patient specific models with tissue-like properties for surgical simulation and training, metal based AM processes can fabricate custom designed implants for better fit and function. These new technologies are changing how we will treat patients in the future and hopefully provide better medical solutions. The same equipment is being used for developing new applications and materials within the aerospace industry. New alloys can be developed specifically for AM processes that will further improve properties and potentially revolutionize how we design components in the future.  The research group at NCSU has been involved in these exciting research areas for over 13 years and is currently branching out to new industries and applications.