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ICOMM 2006 Professional Short Courses

ICOMM 2006 has provided these short courses to enable conference participants to acquire background knowledge on the fundamentals of micromanufacturing technologies. These courses form a base of practical and applied knowledge that compliments the technical papers and presentations offered during the conference. ICOMM is pleased to offer the following professional short courses for conference participants:

  1. Metrology for micro-systems and micro-component testing
  2. Modeling, design, fabrication, and implementation of precision adaptive fixturing
  3. Fundamentals of MicroEDM
  4. Principles and practice of meso- /micro-scale machine tools design
  5. Fundamentals of microforming processes
  6. Fundamentals of packaging and integration of microsystems manufacturing.

The tutorials are designed to provide academic and industry professionals with (1) an understanding of the fundamental principles of each technology, and, (2) the knowledge to better assess and select technologies for micromanufacturing.

Logistics: Registration instruction, fees and schedules

How to Register

Contact Prof. Culpepper (, 617-452-2395) for more information.

Tentative Fees

  One Tutorial Two Tutorials
Professional Cost: $150 US $250 US
Student Cost: $75 US $100 US

Tutorials Schedules

All tutorials take place on September 12th.

Tutorials 1, 2, and 3:Part I: 9:00 am - 10:20 am
Break: 10:20 am - 10:40 am
Part II: 10:40 am - 12:00 noon
Tutorials 4, 5, and 6:Part I: 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
Break: 3:20 pm - 3:40 pm
Part II: 3:40 pm - 5:00 pm

Continuing Education Credits

Information on continuing education credits is available on request.

ICOMM 2006 Professional Short Course Descriptions

Tutorial 1: Metrology for micro-systems and micro-component testing
Dr. Thomas Kurfess Prof. of Mechanical Engineering Clemson
Current research is addressing the geometric qualification of micro-components and latest developments in both the software and hardware arenas for this task. To fully understand production quality several aspects of the metrology process must be considered. This talk presents an overview of some of the more commonly used tools for micro metrology including white light interferometry and scanning electron microscopy. The talk discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods employed. Furthermore, an analysis of some of the micro-fabrication processes are presented demonstrating expected geometric errors and improved means by which these can be identified during inspection.
Dr. Kurfess is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the BMW Endowed Chair in Manufacturing Integration at Clemson University. His research focuses on the design, fabrication and control of precision manufacturing and metrology systems. The results of this work are used in a number of industrial environments. Dr. Kurfess has served as a associate technical editor for the ASME J. of Dynamics Systems, Measurement and Control, and is currently an associate technical editor of the ASME Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, associate editor of the Journal of Manufacturing Processes and an associate editor for the International Journal of Engineering Education. He is the secretary of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of the Society of Mechanical Engineers (NAMRI/SME), and is on the Advisory Board for the Journal Mechatronics.
Tutorial 2: Modeling, design, fabrication, and implementation of precision adaptive fixturing
Dr. Martin Culpepper Prof. of Mechanical Engineering MIT
Engineers face a constant battle to provide practical fixturing technologies for experiments and manufacturing processes. It is important for them to be able to identify appropriate fixturing technologies and then design, fabricate and implement these technologies. This tutorial will cover the concepts and theory which govern how kinematic couplings and fixtures are designed, manufactured and best-used in practice. Emphasis is placed on deterministic modeling of performance (accuracy, precision and stiffness) and hands-on experiments. The tutorial consists of four sections, (1) Passive alignment, (2) Active alignment, and (3) Hands-on experiments.
Dr. Culpepper received his BSME (1995) from Iowa State University, and his MS/PhD (1997/ 2000) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as an independent consultant from 2000 - 2001 before joining the faculty at MIT. Prof. Culpepper is the recipient of an NSF Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) for his work in Nanomanufacturing, two R&D 100 awards (1999, 2003), a TR100 award, and a Joel and Ruth Spira Teaching Award. Prof. Culpepper is listed on seven patents issued/pending. His research is focused on (1) design of meso/micro/nano-scale equipment, (2) compliant instrument design, and (3) design of multi-scale systems.
Tutorial 3: Fundamentals of MicroEDM
Dr. Ryan Vallance Prof. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering George Washington U.
Mr. Chris Morgan Ph.D. Candidate U. of Kentucky
Micro electro discharge machining (micro EDM) produces axisymmetric shapes and 2 1/2D shapes (similar to turning, drilling, and milling) with dimensions ranging from a few to several hundred micrometers in electrically conductive workpieces. Micro EDM erodes material using electrical discharges with energies in the range of 10-8 to 10-6 J with discharge durations typically between 100 and 300 ns. Micro EDM can also be used to produce polycrystalline diamond micro tools to subsequently micro machine difficult materials like tungsten carbide or even glass. The process is suitable for producing tooling in micro molding and micro forming processes. This tutorial introduces the physical phenomena of the process and reviews state of the art techniques and equipment.
Dr. Vallance received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prof. Vallance teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in mechanical design, computer aided engineering, 3D solid modeling, and finite element analysis. He also teaches topical courses on precision machine design and more recently, a course on nano metrology and manufacturing. Prof. Vallance's research interests encompass a broad range of topics in precision engineering, especially at the micro and nano length scales. Current research concentrates on the design of precision instruments, precision processing, and non-conventional processing for micro and nano features.
Chris Morgan is a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky. He received his BSME (2002) and MSME (2004) from the University of Kentucky. He has worked in the Precision Systems Laboratory at the since May 2001 as a Research Assistant. Chris was a visiting researcher at Matsushita Electric in Osaka, Japan during the summer of 2002 to assist in research projects using Panasonic micro EDM equipment. His research areas include: fabrication of microstructures with micro electro-discharge machining, micro grinding of brittle materials, and design and analysis of micro mechanical systems.
Tutorial 4: Principles and practice of meso- / micro-scale machine tool design
Dr. Martin Culpepper Prof. of Mechanical Engineering MIT
Dr. Marc Bonis Prof. of Mechanical Engineering University of Technology of Compiegne, France
The purpose of this course is to cover the principles and best practices used to design machine tools for micromfg.. The knowledge gained in this course will enable (1) machine designers to learn design principles that help lower equipment costs and improve performance; (2) manufacturers to learn design features that should be considered when purchasing equipment, and (3) process engineers to better match processes with the appropriate equipment. Course covers a summary of equipment technology, a summary of the cost-performance characteristics of critical machine components (e.g. bearings, structures, actuators, etc.), and integration issues. Emphasis is placed on concepts and best practices that are reinforced via case studies. References provide guidance for in depth study of covered topics.
Dr. Culpepper received his BSME (1995) from Iowa State University, and his MS/PhD (1997/ 2000) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as an independent consultant from 2000 - 2001 before joining the faculty at MIT. Prof. Culpepper is the recipient of an NSF Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) for his work in Nanomanufacturing, two R&D 100 awards (1999, 2003), a TR100 award, and a Joel and Ruth Spira Teaching Award. Prof. Culpepper is listed on seven patents issued/pending. His research is focused on (1) design of meso/micro/nano-scale equipment, (2) compliant instrument design, and (3) design of multi-scale systems.
Dr. Marc Bonis is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Technology of Compiegne, France. His research interests are in modeling of mechanical systems for design with emphasis on high precision machines. His recent work concerned more especially modeling of air bearings and spindles, and more recently the design of desktop machines for micromachining. He is one of the founders and vice-President of the French Society, Club Nanotechnologie. He participated to the creation of euspen, of which he is member of the Board of Directors with the position of Chairman of the Nominating Committee.
Tutorial 5: Fundamentals and applications of microforming processes
Dr. Jian Cao Prof. of Mechanical Engineering Northwestern U.
Microforming is a relatively new realm of manufacturing technology that addresses the issues involved in the fabrication of metallic microparts, i.e., metallic parts that have at least two characteristic dimensions in the sub-millimeter range. The recent trend towards miniaturization of products and technology has produced a strong demand for such metallic microparts with extremely small geometric features and high tolerances. Conventional forming technologies, such as extrusion and sheet metal forming, have encountered new challenges at the micro-scale due to the influence of 'size effects' that tend to be predominant at this length scale. In this short course, fundamentals of size effect at the micro-scale will be presented together with illustration of applications using microforming processes.
Dr. Jian Cao received her BS degrees in Materials Engineering and Automotive Control from Shanghai JiaoTong U., and her MS and Ph.D from M.I.T. Dr. Cao is recently returned to Northwestern after two years at NSF as the Program Director of Materials Processing and Manufacturing Program. She is the recipient of the 1996 GE Foundation Professorship, a 1997 NSF CAREER award, and a 2002 SME Outstanding Young Mfg. Engineer Award. Prof. Cao's research interests are in the mechanics analysis and design of macro/micro forming processes. She is an associate editor for the ASME J. of Mfg. Science and Eng., an associate editor for the ASME J. of Applied Mechanics, a member of the executive committee of the ASME Mfg. Eng. Division, and a board member of the North America Mfg. Research Institute of the SME.
Tutorial 6: Fundamentals of packaging and integration of microsystems manufacturing
Dr. Ajay P. Malshe Prof. of Mechanical Engineering U. of Arkansas
Manufacturing of micro and meso systems is a subject of immense interest. Their packaging of micro-components with other components is challenging. Unlike IC manufacturing, the packaging of micro and meso-scale components has a different set of demands. This course will address micro- and meso-scale fabrication processes, related design details, and packaging of micro- and meso-scale systems. The course will use a range of applications to advocate the use of various fabrication and packaging processes. The course will also introduce a new area on the horizon "nano packaging - manufacturing." In the broader scope of the subject, packaging across scales (nano- to micro- to macro-scale) is important to the realization of the next generation of engineered systems and products that are comprised of meso-, micro- and nano-scale components.
Dr. Malshe received his Ph.D. in Physics in 1992 from the University of Poona, India. Dr. Malshe is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering and Micro Electronics/Photonics Program at the U. of Arkansas. His research areas include (1) nanomanufacturing, (2) surface engineering, (3) microsystems integration, and (4) high-density microelectronic packaging. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the Director of the Multi-scale Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratories. He has authored over 125 referred publications, four book chapter and holds six patents. He has co-founded two technology businesses in the nano and micro technology sectors. He is currently an active member of various professional organizations, such as ASME, ASEE, IMAPS, MRS, and SME.