For almost thirty (30) years Professor Kapoor has sustained a relevant and well-supported research program in the areas of manufacturing process modeling and process automation. The main goal has been to develop science-based understanding of the processes for the purpose of increasing productivity and improving quality. The approach defines a new philosophy in the development of mechanistic models of machining operations that can be transferred into computer code for the simulation of a broad range of processes for the purpose of effectively transferring the knowledge-base to industry. In particular, the approach is found to have profound importance in dealing with complex operations and processes, the fundamental understanding of which is still cursory. In recent years, the mechanistic modeling approach has been the foundation for the development of internet-based testbeds for the simulation of machining processes that are regularly used by industry for solving practical day-to-day problems and by educational institutions for the training of manufacturing engineers.

For the past ten years, I with other colleagues at UIUC and Northwestern, have been engaged in laying the foundation of a new manufacturing paradigm related to micro/meso-scale mechanical manufacturing. The main idea is the creation of miniaturized manufacturing equipment and processes that are integrated into autonomous “microfactories’ and promote the concept of mass customization through distributed manufacturing (DM). We envision DM has potential to radically transform manufacturing from a capital and energy-intensive focus to low-cost and less-energy consuming technology. This idea had led to the initiation of new avenues of research and development in the areas of micro-scale process modeling, the development of new devices and machines much smaller than their conventional counterparts that use less energy and material, the creation of technologies for high precision positioning system design, advanced sensing and control, and micro-scale manipulation and assembly.

For coming years, my goal is to work on the miniaturization technologies in greater depth and develop processes and systems that would meet the system-level requirements for a new emerging paradigm in distributed manufacturing. Some of the planned activities include:

1. Conducting research in developing multi-functional and multi-scale energy-efficient processes, machines and systems for the purpose of creating nano- and micro-scale features with large relative accuracy

2. Physics-based modeling of micro-manufacturing processes for process planning and designing of emerging materials suited for nano-and micro-scale applications

3. Sustainable manufacturing through devising processes that use multi-purpose materials and less energy to reduce waste.

I believe by developing a better scientific understanding of emerging nano- and micro-scale manufacturing processes, we will be able to bridge the gap between the laboratory technologies and their industrial applications.