I am a Professor of Digital Manufacturing with a sustained record of developing and delivering high performance design and manufacturing focused research programmes across technology readiness levels with real impact. This consists of high impact publications through to industrial implementation and commercialisation.

Designing products for efficient and effective manufacturing is complex especially if the holy grail of right-first-time manufacture is to be achieved. The problems arise from various aspects; manufacturing capability, environmental impact, designs that are un-manufacturable, emerging technologies and a need to achieve high yield in manufacturing processes.  It is by nature a highly challenging interdisciplinary research field. My research creates methods to enable right-first-time manufacturing for traditional processes through to emerging technologies.

Consider the challenge in creating a right-first time manufactured product using additive manufacturing. How do we assess whether a design can be manufactured?  What should be included as a constraint?  Are some factors more important than others? Would it be possible to generate a design based on the manufacturing context? My research provides answers to these questions. I have shown that using a multi-layered approach is required. These layers need to include details of multiple manufacturing processes and measurable design requirements as well as to integrate subject matter information such as, stress analysis and material properties. If the modelling is right, the manufacturability assessments can be realistic.

I have built up a unique research expertise in Digital Manufacturing across disciplines. Here, the focus is to develop methods to symbiotically converge design and manufacturing to enable right-first-time manufacture. My research has led to development of digital manufacturing methods and successful design software which has been applied to various domains from aerospace (actuation), composites (AM mould tools) to healthcare (implants). Here I am developing world leading research underpinned by pillars of excellence in digital manufacturing, manufacturing processes, healthcare.

My vision, is to build on the pillars of excellence and target world leading research with real impacts where we can, 1) realise CAD systems and design tools that symbiotically learn from the user (an evolution of the pioneering work that led (Gen3D), to and its subsequent major acquisition), 2) personalised prosthetic technologies that use sensor systems to enable predictive diagnosis that we couple with digital manufacturing to create prosthetics (BBC article) that are fit for purpose and, 3) new methods to enable realisation of novel metamaterials at scale. Here we will use underpinning mathematics coupled with digital manufacturing to realise structures that have not been possible before.

Through this ambitious research vision, I am forging links across disciplines and continue to create an internationally leading multifaceted research portfolio to rival the best labs globally and generate world class impact.

Interested in supervising students studying the areas of:

• Additive Manufacture including DfAM
• Hybrid Manufacture
• Design for Manufacture
• Digital Manufacture (including Industry 4.0/5.0)
• Healthcare
• Sustainable manufacture