EPSRC CASE PhD Studentship: Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of Advanced Ceramics

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship focused on hybrid additive manufacturing of advanced ceramic structures for industrial applications.

Products made from ceramics materials are in demand across a variety of high-value manufacturing sectors covering healthcare, industrial systems, electronics, energy and aerospace. This is due to their unique properties including excellent biocompatibility, electrical characteristics, thermal insulation and strong resistance to heat, corrosion, erosion and wear. Additive Manufacturing has been forecasted to revolutionise the way we design and make future products, however, for the creation of ceramic devices a number of challenges remain. This studentship seeks to overcome the existing limitations of manufacturing ceramics by combining additive, subtractive and assistive methods working in unison to produce precise, 3D, multi-material structures straight from a digital model. The PhD will have a particular focus on generating high-performance functional ceramic structures for future widespread industry adoption.

This PhD will be conducted within the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds in collaboration with a UK based manufacturing firm. The external sponsor will ensure the relevance and applicability of the research while also offering the potential to learn more about industrial manufacturing operations.

Applicants should have a keen interest in 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing technologies. Experience in building 3D printers or alternative computer-controlled manufacturing equipment would be an advantage. Applications are invited from candidates with (or who expect to gain) a first-class honours degree or an equivalent degree in a mechanical, manufacturing, mechatronics or electrical engineering-related discipline.