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Date:  Thu, November 06, 2025
Time:  9:00am
Location:  Zoom
Speaker:  Dr. Olaf Diegel, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Hosted by the Ray Research Group

Zoom Link: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/88497814317?pwd=ghrNFSWV43DdUYNdlownIQwKMu36hP.1

ECE Graduate Students: This will count towards your seminar credit.

Abstract:

Additive manufacturing is a relatively exepnsive manufacturing technology so, for it to be commercially viable, parts must be sepcifically design for the technologies, and enough value must be added to overcome those high costs. The best way to do this is by applying good design for AM (DfAM) techniques. Although additive manufacturing has long been recognized as a technology that is great at transforming ideas into real products, ready to sell, these product ideas first need to be transformed into 3D CAD models before they can be printed and, ideally, designed to suit the AM process they will be printed with. The recent advent of computational design and AI software has created opportunities that give users the ability to automate the design and produce print-ready CAD models for complex engineering products. If these software technologies are combined with good engineering practices, they can become a tremendous catalyst for increased innovation. 

In this talk, we will look at some real-world examples of both good deisgn for AM practice and of how computational design and AM can be used to add significant value and innovation to products. We’ll also examine the potential links between computational design and GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) AI as a steppingstone towards true engineering quality 3D AI. This includes product applications in automotive, healthcare, production engineering, and artistic applications. It also examines some of the issues around how we need to start adapting our thinking to be ready for these continuously evolving technologies.

Biography:

Olaf Diegel, Professor of Additive Manufacturing, The University of Auckland, New Zealand, Technical Fellow, Design for Additive Manufacturing, Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International. Olaf is an educator and a practitioner of additive manufacturing (AM) and product development with an excellent track record of developing innovative solutions to engineering problems. As professor of additive manufacturing, at the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, he is involved in all aspects of AM and is one of the principal authors of the annual Wohlers Report, considered by many to be the bible of AM. His current main area of research expertise is in design for AM. In his consulting practice he develops a wide range of products for companies around the world. Over the past three decades he has developed over 150 commercialized new products and, for this work, has received numerous product development awards. Over the last 30 years, Olaf has become a passionate follower of AM. He believes it is a technology that has been fantastic for innovation as it allows designers and inventors to instantly test out ideas to see if they work. It removes the traditional manufacturing constraints that become a barrier to creativity and allows us to get real products to market without the normally high costs that can become a barrier to innovation. In 2012, Olaf started manufacturing a range of 3D printed guitars (www.oddguitars.com) that has developed into a successful little side-business and provides excellent stress-relief.