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University of Buffalo Uses $2.3 Million NSF Grant to Advance AI in Manufacturing

At the core of 3D printing and other technologies in Industry 4.0 is the idea that we need to improve on traditional manufacturing. Now, a University of Buffalo research team is hoping to do just that thanks to a $2.3…

University of Buffalo Uses $2.3 Million NSF Grant to Advance AI in Manufacturing
3Dnatives

At the core of 3D printing and other technologies in Industry 4.0 is the idea that we need to improve on traditional manufacturing. Now, a University of Buffalo research team is hoping to do just that thanks to a $2.3 million National Science Foundation grant. The team is working to help manufacturing systems, including those using 3D printing, modernize by putting the complex steps and processes that define them under computer systems. They are aiming namely at simplifying production of commercial products as well as educational outreach.

The framework for the project, named STREAM by the researchers, includes the use of artificial intelligence, simulation and other technologies. The researchers hope to create a public online repository in order to have researchers and professional share experience and information on data, models and more. In addition, it aims to complete three research tasks: creating software for efficient communication and computing in cyber-manufacturing systems; creating a modeling system for accurate and efficient process control; and creating a simulation and production control system for “continuous improvement of quality, manufacturability, and productivity of future multistage and distributed manufacturing systems.”

University of Buffalo

The project is being led by researchers from the University of Buffalo (photo credits: UB-SPPS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Why Have “Cyber-Manufacturing” Systems?

This is hardly the first time we have seen the benefits of artificial intelligence brought to additive manufacturing. Both are considered part of Industry 4.0 and AI has been shown to bring concrete benefits to software in 3D printing for more optimized parts. In fact, as AM industrializes, we are seeing more and more software that are integrating concepts like AI and machine learning. The project is also logical for the University of Buffalo as the school wishes to be a worldwide leader in advanced manufacturing with a particular focus on advancing Industry 4.0.