Senior Research Scientist in Process Control for Powder Bed Fusion Processes

HP’s Multi Jet Fusion is a powder bed fusion technology which can deploy fluid agents at resolution of 25 microns. While inkjet technologies enable us to address each of the voxels in the build chamber, to turn such addressability in precision control of heat, material phase transition, part geometrical accuracy, part mechanical strength, and more, we need disruptive technology innovations in process control. The process control innovation includes quantitative understanding of available ground truth data through analyzing and correcting sensing outputs such as temperature readouts of the in-situ process environment. This process control innovation will be driven by AI and simulation to translate the sensing outputs into prediction of the processes and the parts.  It includes latency-bound compute that can translate such prediction just-in-time to adjust processes during run time. We are a group of software researchers at HP Labs’ 3D and Digital Manufacturing Lab with expertise spanning from AI, simulation, metrology, computational geometry, and computational physics. We are creating a suite of new Digital Twin software to experiment new computing algorithms and technologies that synthesizes sensing, AI and domain knowledge, and pave ways to new types of closed loop control framework and architecture.  We are inviting you to join our journey.

Equipped with practical, expert-level knowledge of powder bed fusion 3D printing process intuition in firmware control knobs, material phase transition, and resulting end-part functional attributes, you will enable applying production printing for ground-truth validation of our software research. This includes deep learning, machine learning to domain simulation/modelling, and closed-loop quantitative learning to advance process/domain science. 

You will contribute fundamentally to:

1) advance process physics knowledge through experimental means, validate deep learning prototypes, quantify production yield experimentally to feed into software research;

2) join the effort to create, implement, prototype, and demonstrate closed loop process control connecting voxel addressability with thermal journey, material phase transition, and disruptive end-part quality as predicted.   

3) join the effort to create a new type of commercializable software that democratize the process control know-how to every Multi Jet Fusion operator.

We expect you a highly experienced control engineering lead with strong inclination towards advanced research, in particular,

1) Bachelor or Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and/or other applied engineering/applied physics from reputable universities and research programs.

2) At least 3 years of in-depth experiences in powder bed 3D printing processes (for example, MJF, SLS) and process control, preferably experiences as technical lead.

3) Expert knowledge of process tuning and process control methods.

4) Extensive hands-on experiences in working with printers, developing process control methods, tools, software to achieve desired part attributes and/or overcome part defects.