Oak Ridge Associated Universities has presented Arkansas assistant professor of mechanical engineering Wenchao Zhou with the Ralph Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award.
Zhou’s research is focused on the development of new technology and applications for additive manufacturing known as 3D printing. He has expressed his belief that additive manufacturing is heading toward the use of 3D printers in homes and businesses for the creation of products on demand.
The largest difficulty that this new avenue is facing is that current devices take a lot of time to create the desired products. Zhou’s research includes a new additive manufacturing process that could increase the technology’s speed by a factor of 100 or more.
Along with the award, Zhou will also receive seed money to enhance the research and professional growth of young faculty members. The University of Arkansas will match that award to form clean room facilities at the High Density Electronics Center to build printer heads.
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