If a nation intends to have a future in manufacturing, it must first “manufacture” students, the most important resource for any nation’s technical, economic and social future.
In order to revive the nation’s economy, students beginning in high school and throughout undergraduate and graduate training, require grounding and then upper coursework in advanced manufacturing practice, including both technical and entrepreneur skills.
Universities across the nation have initiated special courses in advanced manufacturing, preparing students not only in traditional processes, but also novel technologies emerging from investigator laboratories.
Here are examples of course curricula in advanced manufacuring:
Advanced Manufacturing Choices by (Dr. Marc Madou at University of California, Irvine, CA).
Introduction to Mechanical Design and Manufacturing (by Dr. Jian Cao, Northwestern University, Chicago). The course focuses on strategies and methods of designing, manufacturing, and testing of mechanical products. Engineering drawing and CAD, design methods, material properties, failure modes, selection methodology, fundamental GD&T, and selected manufacturing processes.
Manufacturing Processes and Systems (by Dr. Jonathan Colton, Georgia Tech, Atlanta). The course provides students with an integrated treatment of the analysis of traditional and non-traditional manufacturing processes, their selection and planning, within an economic framework
Solid Freedom Fabrication (by Dr. Carolyn Seepersad, University of Texas at Austin). Solid freeform fabrication (SFF) is the use of additive manufacturing processes for producing parts directly from computer (CAD) models, without part‐specific tooling. Rapid manufacturing is the use of SFF for realizing functional parts. In this course, students will learn about a variety of SFF technologies, their potential to support rapid prototyping and manufacturing, and some of the important research challenges associated with SFF.
More courses and information can be found at
Advanced Manufacturing Center, University of Texas at Austin.
