Thomas Batchelder

Thomas Batchelder is a Ph.D. student studying Advanced Manufacturing in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department.

Concentration

• Advanced Manufacturing

Research Interests

Thomas’s RA position will consist of reverse engineering military components for the XVIII airborne with CAMAL. These are discontinued components that can’t be manufactured quickly with traditional manufacturing techniques. CAMAL will be exploring rapid prototype techniques using a combination of 3D Scanning technologies, 5-Axis machining, and metal 3D-printing to create a process that could be implemented by the military. Additionally, CAMAL will be performing finite element analysis on the components to make them not only more robust, but lighter in weight, particularly for infantry.

For Thomas’s own research, he will tend to focus more on autonomous factories and the push for Industry 4.0. He is looking to create tighter integration between multiple pieces of equipment to make manufacturing a adaptable and reliable process. Thomas’s primary focus will be the interaction between a 5-axis vertical machining center and an industry machine tending robotic manipulator and process that could be used to create higher utilization of both elements.

Education