From cars to computers, almost everything we use daily is produced by manufacturers. It is no wonder that manufacturing is often described as a key building block of society. Manufacturing has evolved over the centuries, from manual labour to machine-reliant assembly lines to today’s highly automated factories. The industry continues to transform itself with further research in advanced manufacturing and materials, giving rise to the Industry 4.0 revolution.
 
The Advanced Manufacturing and Materials (AMM) Centre at NUSRI Chongqing is playing its part in the industry’s continued evolution. It is on a mission to develop an integrated design and manufacturing platform that encompasses innovative manufacturing technologies and novel materials. By understanding the mechanisms and functional properties of advanced materials, AMM researchers can tailor these materials for medical and healthcare, renewable energy, and environmental applications to name a few. To achieve these diverse goals, the centre brings together scientists from varied disciplines, from fluid mechanics to materials science to computer and data science.
 
For Centre Director Professor Zhang Yunfeng, an important pillar of advanced manufacturing lies in producing value-added parts that are technologically complex. The traditional manufacturing method of high value-added parts uses multi-axis milling, which is time-consuming and expensive. Instead, his team is leveraging cost-efficient laser cladding technology and developing intelligent software for hybrid machining of these parts.
 
Meanwhile, another team led by Professor Zhang Huangwei, a key member at AMM Centre, focuses on predicting and analysing the physical and chemical processes involved in advanced manufacturing and materials synthesis. Moreover, using advanced algorithms and simulations powered by supercomputers has further accelerated and improved the accuracy of their analysis. Their research has already laid the foundation for several green building projects, effectively translating fundamental principles into impactful applications.

As China’s urbanisation rate is expected to reach 80 percent in the next decade, the research team has lent their research expertise in computational fluid dynamics, multiphase flow and high-performance computing to a research project commissioned by the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Housing and Urban Rural Development this year. The project aims to study diffusion patterns of microbial aerosols and the associated disease risk assessment, providing valuable data to optimise the ventilation of existing buildings and improve the planning and design of new buildings. Findings from the project have the potential to control and prevent an epidemic outbreak in densely populated urban areas.
 
Alongside collaborators in government and industry, AMM teams are paving the way towards novel material synthesis, innovative manufacturing and sustainable urban masterplans, delivering undeniable value to the community.