Smith, Elizabeth T.

Professor Smith's research interests and activities are in two principal areas: laser materials processing and on-line monitoring and control techniques for manufacturing processes--intelligent manufacturing technologies. Lasers provide a precise, flexible source of intense energy for materials processing applications such as welding, cutting, forming, and heat treating. Manufacturing operations can be made more robust and more reliable through the integration of monitoring systems. However, before intelligent processing systems can become a reality, a fundamental understanding of the physical process's behavior is required. Accurate models are necessary to determine relationships between process parameters and system behavior.

Smith is working to examine novel materials processing applications for lasers. Research is in areas such as electronics manufacturing--looking at the joining of dissimilar metals and examining flux-less soldering; the surface texturing of magnetic disks; and novel micro-fabrication techniques (e.g. micromachining and microjoining), with applications in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), biomedical devices, and other technologies.

In the realm of intelligent manufacturing, Smith is examining sensors for real-time process control of both traditional and non-traditional manufacturing operations. Research is being conducted to monitor laser weld quality using acoustic signals. The application of acoustic monitoring to traditional machining operations such as turning and milling is also being examined. Finally, other sensor technologies and sensor fusion are being considered for improved process control.

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Date last modified: Wednesday, 25-Jul-2001 15:06:32 CDT
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