Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering | University of Waterloo

Dr. Mihaela Vlasea’s work in Additive Manufacturing is rapidly changing the industry landscape. Her research focuses on innovative design, process optimization and material development for metal AM, where she’s bridging technological gaps to deliver improved part quality and reliability at decreased cost.

Dr. Mihaela Vlasea’s sophisticated approach to Additive Manufacturing ison an entirely new level.Dr. Vlasea has made it possible for additive manufacturing to achieve highly intricate geometries and specific porosities. By manipulating materials and studying the results with ZEISS X-ray microscopy, she creates parts with complex internal lattice structures that possess unique mechanical and thermal behavior not achievable in typical materials.

This precision is impossible with traditional machining, stamping or injection molding. Dr. Vlasea’s work has potential implications for the biomedical, aerospace, automotive, and transportation sectors, and her approach is already employed by several of those industries’ top manufacturers.

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  Complex lattice structure utilized for vibration damping in a modular quantum time bin analyzer optical mount.

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  Laser powder bed fusion of an Fe-Ni alloy for vibration damping. Challenges in over melting alloys balanced by the opportunity to produce complex lattices by further process parameter optimization.
  

One of the biggest challenges in Additive Manufacturing is consistency. It’s especially difficult when parts are tested only after manufacture. But with the insight of XRM, Dr. Mihaela Vlasea is pioneering AI-based computer models that identify flaws and improve consistency duringmanufacturing.

Using XRM to create a better understanding of in situ sensor data, she generates process intelligence to deliver real time feedback and greater transparency into the quality of the build, increasing the reliability and leading to fewer scrapped parts.

From predicting the location of pores, to identifying the factors that lead to flaws, Dr. Vlasea’s work has a profound impact on testing time, improved quality and the overall advancement of metal AM.

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  Laser powder bed fusion can generate products from powder to part in a single system, enabling complex design architectures to be produced. The component is a part demonstrator for a thermal management system.

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  Laser powder bed fusion can generate products from powder to part in a single system, enabling complex design architectures to be produced. The gear demonstrates the capabilities in manufacturing a complex gear pre form for the automotive sector.
  

It can take up to a year to refine the process parameters for manufacturing new parts. But Dr. Mihaela Vlasea’s team have innovated Additive Manufacturing at the micro, meso and macro levels to gaininsights into the process, reduce error and speed up the cycle.

For example, in Laser Powder Bed Fusion, improper set up can result in faulty porosity, rendering an expensive sample part unusable. By combining microscopy with physics based models, Dr. Vlasea and her team are able to rapidly map the parameter space, zero in on ideal conditions and produce optimized parts.

ZEISS XRM technologygives Dr. Vlasea the ability to leverage more predictive power, thus improving the efficiency, quality and economics of precision parts made by additive manufacturing.

• ZEISS Versa XRM feature intuitive user interfaces, ensuring that every user can maximize their productivity and achieve exceptional results. Prioritizing real resolution in practical settings, Versa XRM provide you with the capability to observe even the smallest details with unparalleled clarity.

• ZEISS Xradia Context® micro-computed tomography (microCT) is an easy-to-use system for analysis of all types of samples. A high-array detector enables high resolution of fine details even with relatively large imaging volumes.

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