Department of Mechanical Engineering

ENGEL Lab

Vision

To enable an excellent manufacturing research and education program.

Mission

The primary mission of The Engel Manufacturing Laboratory (EML) is to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with an excellent education in manufacturing processes through high quality laboratory teaching and research mentoring and an introduction to the best practices of modern manufacturing.

EML seeks to prepare them for manufacturing challenges of tomorrow. Accordingly, EML aspires to develop in the students:

1. A grounding in the fundamentals embedded in mechanics of manufacturing processes

2. An ability to apply and integrate the gained insights to various product and process designs

3. The agility to embrace continuously evolving interdisciplinary problems

4. An appreciation for the challenges of modern manufacturing.

Objectives

Accordingly, research and teaching are viewed, not as separate entities, but as a continuum that can be harnessed to accomplish this mission. It calls for integration of research and teaching to advance practice, so they can invigorate and benefit each other.

To accomplish this mission, the current objectives of EML are the following:

1. Provide laboratory support for manufacturing related core undergraduate courses (with emphasis on ME courses). Develop experiments that facilitate gaining of insights into manufacturing processes, and integration of design and manufacturing

2. Enable important research in manufacturing, involving both graduate and undergraduate students. EML will also serve as a platform for generating new research ideas and sponsored projects.

3. Bring to campus the knowledge of current manufacturing practitioners.

EML strives to challenge students to think critically, and aspire to provide a congenial setting where the student is encouraged to challenge traditional wisdom, and can try to improve upon it.

Current Projects

  1. Investigation of Material Removal Mechanisms at Micro- and Nano-scales
  2. Yield Improvement in Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP)
  3. Understanding the Role of Consumables (Pad and Slurry) in a CMP Process
  4. Modeling of Defect Generation in a CMP Process
  5. Development of a novel Wafer Slicing Technique
  6. Development of Models for Nano-scale Contact, Adhesion and Release