Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr
Avinash Borgaonkar
Postdoctoral Researcher
DCU
Dr. Avinash is a postdoctoral researcher at I-Form, based in DCU. His research is focussed on Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability within Additive Manufacturing. He completed his PhD at the National Institute of Technology Warangal, focusing on optimizing process parameters for tribological properties of solid lubricant based composite coating materials. With an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Shivaji University Kolhapur, his research interests include materials processing, surface engineering, and composite materials. He is passionate about sustainable development and sustainable manufacturing.
Research Interests (Lay Summary)
Dr. Avinash has seven years of extensive experience in product design, surface engineering, and sustainability. Presently, his research is centered on enhancing the process efficiency and speed of additive manufacturing (specifically laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) of metals). This encompasses the development and optimization of process parameters, materials, and energy utilization.
Technical Summary
The additive manufacturing (AM) process can be rendered more sustainable through the attainment of heightened processing efficiency and speed. The objective of this project is to optimize energy and material (powder, gas) utilization for the PBF-LB process. A Bayesian-machine-learning design of experiments will be employed to optimize processing conditions, ensuring that printed parts meet targeted end-use application requirements while minimizing overall energy consumption. The impact of variable laser power, scanning speed, hatch spacing, layer thickness, and production batch sizes on process energy efficiency will be investigated for the exemplary product designs. The necessity of the post-processing considerations such as thermal treatments and finishing will also be reviewed.
Expertise
Dr
Abhijit Cholkar
Postdoctoral Researcher
SETU
Dr. Abhijit Cholkar is a postdoctoral researcher at I-Form, based in SEAM at SETU Waterford. His research focuses on advanced manufacturing technologies, with a particular emphasis on laser-based additive manufacturing and jetting processes for electronics and biomedical applications. He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU), where his work on multimodal laser processing of aluminium alloys significantly contributed to enhanced surface structuring techniques. His expertise spans additive manufacturing, surface engineering, and process optimization for metals and multi-materials.
Research Interests (Lay Summary)
Dr. Abhijit Cholkar’s research is centred on enhancing the capabilities of additive manufacturing, specifically improving the mechanical properties, surface quality, and efficiency of metallic parts created through laser-powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). He is also involved in advancing piezoelectric-pneumatic jetting processes for printed electronics. His work is focused on optimizing process parameters for better conductivity, adhesion, and dimensional accuracy in multi-material printing. His interests lie in developing technologies that enhance the performance of AM parts in fields like biomedical implants, aerospace, and flexible electronics.
Technical Summary
Dr. Abhijit's research aims to improve the performance of Ti6Al4V alloy parts by incorporating laser re-melting during PBF-LB as a dynamic heat treatment method. This project seeks to eliminate the need for post-processing by applying various re-melting strategies to optimize microstructure, residual stresses, and surface finish. Key outcomes include the development of process maps that ensure bespoke microstructure and mechanical properties, making the technique ideal for orthopaedic implants with Voronoi lattice structures. He is also involved in a project focussed on optimisation of a piezoelectric-pneumatic jetting process for printed tracks. Dr. Abhijit’s contributions are pivotal in advancing additive manufacturing and jetting processes for high-precision applications in medical devices, flexible electronics, and more.