MetalTech Additive Manufacturing Lab
Welcome to our world-class metal additive manufacturing lab! With a team of dedicated experts, we are committed to pushing the limits of what is possible in metal additive manufacturing, with a focus on precision, efficiency, and quality.
Our lab is equipped with the latest technologies, including advanced metal 3D printers, state-of-the-art simulation tools, and a comprehensive materials testing facility. We believe in the transformative power of additive manufacturing, and we are dedicated to exploring new horizons in material science, process optimization, and application development.
Collaboration is at the heart of our lab’s ethos. We actively engage with industry partners, academic institutions, and research organizations to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and drive progress in the field. Together, we aim to shape the future of metal additive manufacturing and its diverse applications across various industries.
Whether you are a researcher, a student, or a collaborator, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey. Together, let’s explore the limitless possibilities of metal additive manufacturing and contribute to the evolution of this transformative technology. Welcome to our world-class metal additive manufacturing lab, where innovation knows no bounds!
Ali Bonakdar
Ph.D. | Assoc. Professor
MetalTech Additive Lab Director
- Metal Additive manufacturing.
- Advanced manufacturing and materials.
- Gas turbine manufacturing.
Dr. Ali Bonakdar currently holds the position of Associate Professor within the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science as well as the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte. Prior to joining UNC Charlotte in August 2023, he has been working at Siemens Energy Canada, in the gas turbine engines division, where he oversaw advanced manufacturing research, with a particular emphasis on additive manufacturing. In addition to his industrial role, Dr. Bonakdar has served as an Adjunct Professor at several esteemed institutions, including Concordia University, University of Waterloo, Western University, and École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS). He has taken the lead on numerous collaborative research projects bridging the gap between industry and academia.
Dr. Bonakdar holds a wealth of experience spanning over 25 years, encompassing various facets of mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing. Throughout his career, he has worked in world-class laboratories and high-tech aerospace and energy industries such as Rolls-Royce and Siemens. Dr. Bonakdar earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Concordia University and extended his academic endeavors as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. Throughout his career, Dr. Bonakdar has made significant contributions to areas of advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing, resulting in numerous publications of research findings in reputable journals and conferences as well as patents.
Marjan Molavi-Zarandi
Ph.D. | Assoc. Professor
MetalTech Additive Lab Associate Director
- Metal AM process simulation.
- Design for AM.
- Multiphysics topology optimization.
Dr. Marjan Molavi-Zarandi is a Research Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to joining UNCC at 2023 she has worked as Research Scientist at the Automotive and Surface Transportation Centre of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in Montreal, Canada since 2016. Upon completion of her doctoral studies in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in 2013, she began a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Bombardier Aerospace in the Advanced Structure Core Engineering Department to work on topology optimization for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing process. She joined Siemens Canada in 2015 as a Postdoctoral Fellow to further her expertise in advanced manufacturing and developed a high-fidelity finite element model for simulation of the LPBF process. Since joining the Numerical Modelling and Simulation team at NRC in 2016, Marjan has pursued her R&D activities by participating in several collaborative research projects involving numerical modeling for fluid and structural mechanics, heat transfer, multi-physics topology optimization, composite forming, and additive manufacturing.
UNCC Metal Additive Lab
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