The Design and Manufacturing Research group at Campus De Nayer is focussing on applied and interdisciplinary research ranging from advanced additive manufacturing technologies to material engineering and reliability based design. The research activities are mainly oriented towards the translation of recent scientific advances into state-of-the-art technology with a high degree of applicability in an industrial context.

The research group has three main research lines:

• Manufacturing: focussing on advanced additive production techniques and welding technology
• Materials: focussing on design and production of fibre reinforced polymers
• Design: focussing on reliable design of mechanical structures

As such, different requirements related to the service life of modern, up-to-date mechanical products are covered. Furthermore, the research is conducted in a generic sense, envisaging a broad spectrum of industrial partners, ranging from classical mechanical manufacturing industry, to automotive and aerospace industry.

As part of the K.U.Leuven Association, the Design and Manufacturing Research Group has established a strong link with the mechanical engineering and material science departments of the K.U.Leuven. This interaction results in a fast adoption of recent fundamental scientific developments in the application oriented research. At the same time, it enables a direct feed-back regarding the feasibility of the fundamental scientific research in an industrial context. For this, the research group relies on a strong network with industrial partners in Flanders, interacting in numerous technology transfer research projects as well as master thesis projects.

Many aspects of the research activities are integrated in the Master program Electromechanical Engineering offered at Lessius - Mechelen, resulting in a well-balanced and up-to-date educational program. In the framework of their master thesis, students can have a first experience with applied academic research by conducting innovative projects within the research group.