Title: A perspective on the development of manufacturing science – present and future

Authors: V. M. Karbhari, D. S. Kukich

Addresses: Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. ' Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

Abstract: In recent years, composites and advanced materials have been identified as critical technologies for the future on almost every list of key technologies. Primarily for this reason this industry has been fuelled by the defence sector, primarily through aerospace applications. In the changing global economy of today, however, mere enhancement of performance without concern for costs is unacceptable. It is the authors| contention that success in increasing the market for composites and other advanced technologies will be determined largely by advances in the understanding and development of manufacturing methods and strategies that will facilitate functionality through integrated materials-process design. The current discussion evolved from, and is based partly on, the results of a panel convened by the Japan Technology Evaluation Center (JTEC, a program funded through the National Science Foundation) aimed at assessing the relative strengths of polymer-matrix composite (PMC) manufacturing technologies in Japan vis-2-vis those in the United States. This paper discusses in broad terms the area of PMC manufacturing science with an emphasis on the differences in perspective and approaches followed. It does not purport to be a definitive study on the subject, but pinpoints certain intrinsic differences in the Japanese and American perspectives related to the development, establishment, and use of manufacturing/processing science base for polymeric composites.

Keywords: composite materials; experimentation; heuristics; intelligent processing; manufacturing science; simulation; PMC manufacturing; polymer-matrix composites; advanced materials.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1994.036420

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1994 Vol.9 No.4/5/6, pp.235 - 257

Published online: 03 Nov 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article