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This episode is a little closer to our hearts since it is about the secret city of World War II: Oak Ridge Tennessee. During the Manhattan Project this entire city was constructed, in secret, in the rural mountains of East Tennessee to develop the most devastating weapon humanity has ever constructed. That construction led to the creation of a mineral which we will discuss in this episode. Happy 80th anniversary Oak Ridge National Laboratory!

Dr Tom Kurfess from Oak Ridge National Lab and Georgia Tech discusses AI and the future of manufacturing technology

Longevity Industries presents Destiny of Manufacturing Podcast featuring Dr Tom Kurfess

Thomas R. Kurfess received his S.B., S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. in 1986, 1987 and 1989, respectively. He also received an S.M. degree from M.I.T. in electrical engineering and computer science in 1988. Following graduation, he joined Carnegie MellonUniversity where he rose to the rank of Associate Professor. In 1994 he moved to the Georgia Institute of Technology where he rose to the rank of Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. In 2005 he was named Professor and BMW Chair of Manufacturing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ClemsonUniversity’s International Center for Automotive Research. In 2012 he returned to Georgia Tech where he was appointed the HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. During 2012-2013 he was on leave serving as the Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President of the United States of America. In this position he had responsibility for engaging the Federal sector and the greater scientific community to identify possible areas for policy actions related to manufacturing. He was responsible for coordinating Federal advanced manufacturing R&D, addressing issues related to technology commercialization, identifying gaps in current Federal R&D in advanced manufacturing, and developing strategies to address these gaps.

He has served as a special consultant of the United Nations to the Government of Malaysia in the area of applied mechatronics and manufacturing, and as a participating guest at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in their Precision Engineering Program. He is the President for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of SME, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and on the Board of Trustees for the MT Connect Institute. His research focuses on the design and development of advanced manufacturing systems targeting digital manufacturing, additive and subtractive processes, and large scale production enterprises. He has significant experience in high precision manufacturing and metrology systems.

Destiny of Manufacturing - EP 0324 Dr Tony Schmitz U Tennessee
received his BS in Mech Eng Temple
MS University of Florida
PhD USF
Post Doc (NIST) UNC
joint faculty position between the UT Knox & ORNL
SME David Dornfeld Mfg Vision
SME College of Fellows
UNC Charlotte Engineering Teaching Excellence
NAMRI/SME Outstanding Paper
SME OYME award
NSF CAREER Award,
NRC Postdoctoral Research Associateship (NIST),
DOE /National Academy of Eng Integrated Mfg Predoctoral Fellowship
NSF Graduate Traineeship.
Assoc Editor for the ASME

In this episode we discuss...

• Kurt’s background in microelectronics and early interest in nuclear energy
• Kurt’s work as a nuclear fuel materials expert at Oak Ridge
• The importance of modeling in establishing predictive practices
• The value and role of national labs in driving big innovation within the industry
• The Transformational Challenge Reactor Program
• Stagnancy within the nuclear industry and ways in which we can overcome it
• Whether or not advanced manufacturing will have a true impact on nuclear economics
• SMRs and how they can benefit nuclear economics
• Challenges of proving safety within the NRC regulations and guidelines
• Pushing the boundaries of new materials within the nuclear industry

In this episode we discuss...

• Phil's background in nuclear engineering and personal journey in the nuclear field
• A deep dive into spallation and how it occurs
• The Spallation Neutron Source
• The process of conceptualization to commissioning for SPN
• The evolution of the fusion industry over the last 40 years
• Requirements and inherent challenges in achieving fusion
• Different types of pellets and their uses
• Strategies for mitigating damage to the wall of the fusion reactor vessel
• The ITER Home Fusion Experiment
• Challenges in developing fusion across both national science approaches and private fusion companies

In this episode we discuss...

• Alan’s background in the Navy and personal journey in the nuclear space
• The role and history of ORNL in the Manhattan Project and across the broader nuclear field
• Information that can be shared from Navy nuclear experiences to the private sector
• Characteristics of plutonium 238 and reasons for use
• The evolution of radioactive waste disposal
• Alan’s work as Associate Laboratory Director at ORNL
• Creating and implementing a long-term strategic plan for ORNL
• Development of radio isotopes in other industries, like actinium 225 for targeted alpha therapy in cancer treatment
• Development and production of californium 222
• A deep dive into the Transformational Challenge Reactor Project
• Learnings and innovation from accelerated deployment and advanced manufacturing techniques