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DREAMS (Design, Research and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems) Lab - Virginia Tech
Undergraduate Researcher | Auguest 2026 – Present
Undergraduate Researcher | January 2026 – May 2026
Research Team Lead | August 2024 – May 2025
The Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems (DREAMS) Laboratory at Virginia Tech conducts research focuses on advancing manufacturing technologies through experimental process development, materials characterization, and manufacturing innovation. The lab collaborates with industry and government partners to solve real world engineering challenges and develop next generation manufacturing processes.
Research Overview
Research Overview
My research is centered on Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), a large-scale metal 3D printing process that deposits weld material layer by layer to manufacture complex components. The process offers an efficient alternative to conventional manufacturing for large structural parts while introducing unique challenges in process control, deposition quality, and manufacturing consistency.
In essence, WAAM functions like MIG welding, but instead of joining two pieces of metal together, the welding torch deposits material layer by layer to function like a traditional 3D printer.
Research Team Lead
Research Team Lead
As the research team lead for an interdisciplinary team of seven undergraduate students, I led a project investigating how aluminum Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process parameters influence the ability to manufacture parts that can be cleanly removed from the build substrate after printing. Rather than permanently bonding material to the build plate, our goal was to identify a processing window that produced structurally sound depositions while allowing finished components to be detached with pliers. We experimentally mapped the relationships between wire feed speed, travel speed, deposition geometry, and part removability, then characterized the resulting electrical behavior of the printed material. This work established a foundation for future WAAM manufacturing methods that could eliminate post processing operations while enabling printed components to serve as both structural and conductive elements.
Undergraduate Researcher
Undergraduate Researcher
Building on previous WAAM research in the DREAMS Lab, I conducted undergraduate research investigating how weave toolpaths influence deposition quality and manufacturing efficiency. Unlike traditional linear depositions, weave toolpaths produce wider beads that can reduce print time by improving heat dissipation and decreasing the number of required passes. I designed and executed a series of experiments, developed a custom MATLAB workflow to process laser-scanned cross sections and quantify bead geometry, and analyzed the relationships between process parameters and print quality. Building upon the DED Arc Number developed by the Ph.D. student I work under, I am developing a new nondimensional process parameter that incorporates weave geometry to improve process prediction and reduce reliance on trial-and-error manufacturing.
I am currently on track to co-author a paper on this process by December, with journal submission planned for Spring 2027.
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