About the Center
The center's research agenda bridges technical and management studies with a portfolio of technically focused fundamental research, as well as research projects in management.
PMRC was founded in 1993 and was rededicated and renamed the Morris "Butch" Boorky Powder Metallurgy Research Center on September 12, 2003 to recognize Boorky's contributions to the industry. His family has made a significant gift to endow the center's research activities and to establish a fellowship leading to a master's or doctoral degree in powder metallurgy.
Research projects initiated and/or approved by members are carried out by students and faculty members from a variety of academic disciplines. They are guided by the insights of P/M industrialists. PMRC conducts two types of research projects: technical projects that focus on scientific and engineering issues relevant to all stages of P/M processing; and management projects that address issues related to the organization and interconnectedness of the P/M industry. Technical projects are structured to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of P/M processes as well as to enhance specific engineering functions.
PMRC operates in a consortium format that enables P/M companies to pool resources for research that are significantly larger in scope than would be possible for any single company. These resources serve as the basis to leverage research support with federal, state and private foundation funds.
The center's first project was a comprehensive, four-round Delphi study of the industry, involving producers of parts and powders, equipment suppliers, end users, academics and consultants. It identified key technology and management research issues and established PMRC's educational and research agenda.
The WPI faculty associated with PMRC are Diran Apelian, Makhlouf Makhlouf, Richard Sisson, mechanical engineering; Reinhold Ludwig, electrical and computer engineering; and Chickery Kasouf, management.
PMRC's research agenda bridges technical and management studies with a portfolio of technically focused fundamental research, as well as research projects in management.
The technical projects address issues faced during the processing of P/M components, including prevention and detection of cracks, densification and online density measurement of the green compact, and delubrication during sintering.
The center's management studies are part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Industry Studies Program. The foundation funds industry centers at universities i.e., international motor vehicles at MIT, textiles at Harvard, trucking at the University of Michigan, steel at Carnegie Mellon and semiconductors at UC-Berkeley. The Sloan Foundation's grants to the PMRC and to support research on the fragmented supplier industry such as powder metallurgy.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: August 11, 2008 11:25:14