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Faculty and students in the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) engage in cutting-edge research across a wide range of areas, including systems engineering, advanced manufacturing processes, human factors, and engineering materials. Their work draws on interdisciplinary knowledge and technologies from fields such as Innovation Engineering, Engineering Physics (including Laser Technology), Artificial Intelligence, Bioengineering, Data Science, Super Composite Alloys, Augmented Reality, and Precision Machining. These efforts drive innovation in critical domains like Smart Manufacturing and Smart Products, Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing, Energy Efficiency and Reduction, Defense Technologies, Healthcare Solutions, Environmental Protection, and Homeland Security.
The department is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities that support both undergraduate and graduate research and education. These include the Metrology Laboratory, Manufacturing Processes Laboratory, Computer Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory, Materials Engineering Laboratories, Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Precision Machining Laboratory, and the Virtual Reality Lab — each designed to foster hands-on learning and advanced experimentation.
Research Areas
Lead Faculty: Dr. Jianzhi (James) Li
Group Members: Anil Srivastava, Miguel Gonzalez, Andy Tsin, Dae Kim, Ben Xu
Lead Faculty: Dr. Anil Srivastava
Lead Faculty: Douglas Timmer
Lead Faculty: Jianzhi Li and Miguel Gonzalez
Lead Faculty: Alley Butler
Facilities and Equipment
Precision Machining
High precision mill, lathe, grinding machine, and vertical machining center.
Renishaw AM 250 Selective Laser Melting 3D Metal Printing Machine
This is a SLM based metal 3D printer that uses a high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powder together. Metals that can be printed include Inconel, Al, SSL, and Titanium Alloys. Key components of the machine include:
- Laser:
- 200 W CW Infrared Ytterbium Fiber Laser
- Central emission wavelength 1070 +/- 10nm
- X, Y, Scanning Speed Up to 2000mm/s
- Beam quality: TEM00 (M2) < 1.1
- Beam spot size: 70 μm adjustable
- Controlled and customizable laser scan pattern
- Build Chamber:
- Build size: 245x245x300mm (Z axis)
- Argon sub 100ppm O2 high purity atmosphere
- Inert atmosphere conditioning system with dual oxygen monitoring system
- Autofab R&D Software
- Sieving station for powder refinement and recycling
- Immersion separation vacuum for reactive material disposal
Laser material processing center
An ultra short laser system with nanoscale movement control for laser polishing, precision machining, micromachining, laser ablation, and bioprinting.
Rapid prototyping: Z-Corp 3-D printer
The Z printer uses an inkjet printing mechanism to selectively deposit liquid binding materials in the shape of the section to print parts in a full color layer by layer into a 3D model.
Rapid prototyping: Makerbot 3-D printer
3D Systems stereolithography 3D printing machine
3DS ProJet 7000 HD 3D printer which builds on the advantages of Stereolithography (SLA) allowing for single large-sized or series of smaller-sized additive manufactured prototypes and end-use parts up to 15 x 15 x 10 in (380 x 380 x 250 mm) in size. Print with fine feature detail in a wide choice of engineered materials that match or exceed traditional plastic properties.
Lambda Microcure 2100 Variable Frequency Microwave Oven
The Lambda Technologies MicroCure 2100 is designed around the unique Variable Frequency Microwave (VFM) process technique for the selective, rapid, and uniform processing of materials.
VFM processing has several specific advantages over other technologies:
- Rapid and selective heating when compared to conventional ovens
- Uniform energy distribution
- Precise Process cycle control
- Rapid sweep over controlled bandwidth allows the processing of electronics packaging assemblies without arcing and circuit damage
Granulec Material Shredder
Retsch PM200 Planetary Ball Mill
- Mixing and size reduction
- Colloidal grinding
- Mechanical alloying
Retsch ZM 200 Centrifugal Mill
- Rapid size reduction of soft to medium-hard and fibrous materials
HAS Simulation System
Stereoscopic CAVE System
- Corrosion testing: Anton Paar, Compact Calotest (CATc) with a stand-alone video microscope
- Corrosion testing: Gamry Instruments, Gamry Reference 3000 Potentiostat/Galvanostat/ZRA w/Auxiliary
- Corrosion testing: Hastest Solutions, Salt Spray Chamber
- Dynamometer: Kistler Instrument Corp 3D milling dynamometer, 3-D turning dynamometer
- Ergonomics: force measurement machine
- Ergonomics: hand-eye coordination machine
- Ergonomics: stress test machine
- Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope
- Magnetic stirrer: Fischer Scientific
- Materials measurement: Brinell hardness tester
- Materials measurement: Instron tensile tester for low strength materials
- Materials measurement: Tinius Olsen tensile tester
- Measurement: Browne and Sharpe coordinate measuring machine
- Measurement: FARO coordinate measuring machine
- Mechanical testing and materials performance: Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Microhardness, HMV-G21DT
- Stereoscopic Single Screen System with a 73-inch diagonal
- Surface finish: Keyence Corp Precision Optical Microscope
- Surface finish: Keyence Corp Precision Optical Microscope
- Thin films and coatings characterization: Agilent Technologies, Agilent carry 60 UV-vis spectrophotometer, G6860AA-Cary 60 Instrument Bundle
- Thin films and coatings characterization: Bio-Logic USA, Scanning Vibrating Probe (SVP) System, Model M370 Scanning Electrochemical Workstation
- Thin films and coatings characterization: Brookhaven Instruments Corp, NanoBrook 90Plus PALS Instrument
- Thin films and coatings characterization: North Central Instruments, Leica DM750M Optical Microscope
- Thin films and coatings characterization: Perkin Elmer, FRONTIER MIR PerkinElmer ATR-IR
- Thin films and coatings characterization: Rame-Hart Instrument Co, Raméhart Model 500/advanced goniometer/tensiometer with DROPimage Advanced v 2.8
- Dell 58 NODE High Performance Cluster
- High-speed Camera: Phantom ® VEO 401L monochrome high-speed camera
- Materialise Magic 3D printing software suite