ESAFORM 2017
 

ESAFORM 2017 - Plenary Speakers


Prof. Dr, ir J.R. Duflou
Professor Mechanical Engineering Department, KU Leuven   

Joost R. Duflou holds master degrees in Architectural and Electro-mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Engineering from the KU Leuven, Belgium. After a number of years of industrial experience in different international companies, he is a faculty member at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the KU Leuven since 1997. He became a tenured Full Professor in 2012. His principal research activities are situated in the field of design support methods and methodologies, with special attention for Systematic Innovation, Ecodesign and Life Cycle Engineering, and Sustainable Manufacturing. As chairholder of the LVD Chair on Sheet Metal Processing, he also leads a research group focussing on sheet metal oriented manufacturing processes and systems and he supervises the KU Leuven FabLab. He is a member of CIRP and has published over 200 international publications. As chair and board member of several spin-off companies and professional associations he contributes to research valorisation and dissemination. More detailed information can be obtained via http://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/nl/person/00016263.  



Prof. James A. Sherwood 
Associate Dean for Graduate Students, College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell  

James Sherwood earned his B.S in Engineering Science, M.S. in Applied Mechanics, and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from the University of Cincinnati. He has nearly 40 years of experience using the finite element method for completing structural analyses and the simulation of composites forming. He has an international reputation for his research in composites manufacturing and sports engineering. He is the Co-Director of the Advanced Composites and Textile Research Lab with expertise in the structural behavior of composites and for relating the composite manufacturing process to the resulting structural stiffness. His Composites Forming research team has developed a novel modeling approach for the simulation of composite forming using the finite element method and has expertise in the characterization of textiles used for making fabric-reinforced composites. More detailed information can be obtained via http://faculty.uml.edu/james_sherwood/ 





Prof. Sean Leen 
Head of Department of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering, NUIG, Galway 

Sean Leen graduated in Mechacnail Engineering from NUIG and completed his PhD in Mechanical Enginering at the University of Nottingham. He worked on Finite element modelling and code development for the design and analysis of offshore oil and gas pipelines, including for flexible and rigid riser design. He was professor in Mechanical Engineering and Solid Mechanics at University of Nottinghman before commencing as Professor and Head of Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engeering at NUIG, Galway, in 2008. Sean’s research interests include computational solid mechanics; structural integrity; fatigue, fretting and wear; plasticity, creep and superplasticity; and the modelling of manufacturing processes.






Jonathan Downey
Schivo Group Ltd. ,Waterford

Jonathan is Strategic Projects and Research and Development Manager with the Schivo Group, a sub-contract manufacturing company servicing the Medical, Aerospace and automotive industries. Schivo manufacture products for these industries from individual components to assembled and tested products. The companies capabilites include CNC machining, fabrication, cleanroom assembly, electromechanical assembly and Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) capabilities. Jonathan has led the implementation of many of these functions, and has driven research and implementation of a number of material forming processes including process monitoring of subtractive manufacturing methods and the implementation of the companies Additive capabilities in both polymer and metal 3D printing. Jonathan has a B.Sc in Manufacturing Engineering, an M.Sc in Biomedical Engineering and is currently finalising a Ph.D in monitoring of the CNC machining process.