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Research Thrusts |
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Engineering Education Innovation
As the world continues to change with globalization and technological advances so must engineering education p...
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Advanced Power System
In the face of an impending energy crisis, the Advanced Power Systems research center is exploring alternative...
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Space Systems
The Space Systems Research group is creating innovative electric propulsion systems to make space travel more ...
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Mechanics of Multi-scale Materials
The Mechanics of Multi-scale Materials research group uncovers the relationships of structures across the full...
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Multi-scale Sensors and Systems
The Multi-scale Sensors and Systems Research Group specializes in the design, fabrication, integration, and te...
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Sustainable Manufacturing and Design
Many of the campus research efforts on sustainability are coordinated by the Sustainable Futures Institute (SF...
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| Research News |
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Professor Mahesh Gupta's Research Garners NSF Award |
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Mahesh Gupta's fledgling enterprise has just received a $100,000 vote of confidence in the form of a Small Business Innovative Research Grant.
A number of federal agencies award SBIR grants, but this is the first from the National Science Foundation to be given to an Upper Peninsula business.
Gupta, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, started Plastic Flow">Plastic Flow, LLC, in 2002 to provide consulting services to plastics manufacturers. The firm, located in the Michigan Tech SmartZone, markets Gupta's PELDOM software, which helps take the guesswork out of making extruded plastic products.
Goods ranging from PVC pipe to garbage bags are extruded. The raw material is forced through a die to form sheets, tubes, etc.
While technical, the process is far from exact. "As new polymers are developed, manufacturers have developed new dies by trial and error, using experience and intuition," Gupta said. "A lot of time can be wasted, and you can lose your edge on the competition."
PELDOM is changing that. With the software, manufacturers can simulate how a given polymer will flow through a die, streamlining the R
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