Herff Spring Research Series

Computational Design for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (CDMatEx)

Friday, February 2, 2024 
Reception: 11 AM | Lecture: 11:30 AM
Herff Auditorium
203 Engineering Administration Bldg.

Dr. Chukwuzubelu Ufodike, Ph.D., M.P.E., M.B.A
Assistant Professor and Charlotte and Walter Buchanan Faculty Fellow
Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University

Abstract
Among different categories of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, fused filament fabrication (FFF) falls in the category of material extrusion (MatEx). One key difference between the FFF process compared to traditional thermoforming processes is the temperature gradient exposed to the thermoplastic. Although traditional thermoforming processes can produce parts in continuous production at a mass scale, thermoformed plastics in these processes solidify once the final form or shape is achieved. On the contrary, extruded plastics in the FFF process take the final form or shape as the extrudate solidifies. This difference makes it difficult to predict the FFF process using conventional theories and models developed for traditional thermoforming processes. This talk will present recent research in (1) The investigation of temperature distribution and fluid flow in the hot-end of a material extrusion 3D printer using a new melting model. (2) Prediction of the polymer flow pattern and extrusion pressure with different nozzle diameters and heat flux in fused filament fabrication. Both recent works capture interesting material and process aspects required to develop a cohesive understanding of the MatEx process.

Bio
Dr. Ufodike is an Assistant Professor and Charlotte and Walter Buchanan Faculty Fellow in the Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University. He holds joint (courtesy) appointments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine (EnMED), and the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Ufodike’s multidisciplinary background includes Industrial and manufacturing engineering (Ph.D.), Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (M.P.E – Master of Process Engineering), Materials and Metallurgical Engineering (BEng. Tech Hons), and Business Administration (M.B.A). He is the Director of the Digital Manufacturing and Distribution Lab (DMD-Lab) at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES). His research group (Professor Ufodike Research Group – PURG) focuses on theoretical and computational materials science and advanced manufacturing. Dr. Ufodike’s group represents one of the world's leading teams in the field of computational and numerical modeling of the polymer flow in Material Extrusion MatEx - Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Additive Manufacturing (AM). Dr. Ufodike’s team has made significant contributions to challenging multidisciplinary research fields, by integrating novel experimentation, theoretical, and computational models e.g., for additive and conventional manufacturing processes.