Swanson Center for Product Innovation

J. Andrew Holmes

Phone: 412-624-8878

Email: jholmes@pitt.edu

The John A. Swanson Center for Product Innovation (SCPI) is housed within the SSOE and has been assisting industry and education since 1999.  SCPI was designed to give industry and entrepreneurs access to Pitt's state-of-the-art product development technology through the technical services of its talented students, world-class faculty and dedicated technical staff members. Clients connect with a high quality, one-stop job shop that provides efficient turnaround for product analysis and design, process design and development, rapid prototyping and reverse engineering, small-lot product manufacturing, and additive manufacturing.  SCPI includes four facilities the W.M. Keck Rapid Prototyping and Reverse Engineering Laboratory, the Kresge Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory, and the SSOE Machine and Electronics Shops all under the same SSOE-level administration to ensure close coordination, integrated operations  and sharing of resources  These facilities, described further below, house both traditional equipment as well as the latest in product development technologies, and will be made available as integral components of the Consortium.

The W.M. Keck Rapid Prototyping and Reverse Engineering Laboratory allows for the development and production of functional prototypes through the utilization of leading-edge rapid prototyping and reverse engineering technologies. This state-of-the-art laboratory helps faculty and students gain hands-on access to leading-edge rapid prototyping, automated machining and reverse engineering technologies.  Rapid prototyping describes the technology that produces models or prototype parts directly from 3D computer-aided design model data. The rapid prototyping systems in the W.M. Keck laboratory create prototypes from a variety of polymer-plastic materials layer by layer using thin, horizontal cross sections directly from a computer-generated model. When the computer-generated model is created from an existing part, the surface geometry is accurately reproduced in 3D through a computer-aided design system. This allows SCPI to quickly generate new prototypes or take ' existing prototype designs and change the specifications to create new prototypes with varying characteristics, significantly reducing the time needed for new and redesigned products to reach the market. Technology in this facility includes a 3D Systems (VIPER) Stereolithography (SLA) System, a Stratasys Dimension 1200EX Fused Deposition Modeler (FDM), a BF-B 3000 FDM, a Zcorp 310 3D Printer, a FARO Platinum Arm 3D Laser Scanner, a Minolta VIVID 910 Laser Camera Scanner, a Brown & Sharpe (Gage 2000) Coordinate Measurement Touch Probe, a Renishaw Cyclone Contact Scanner and a Master View Optical Gauging Machine.

The Kresge Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory completes the product development cycle within SCPI through the strength of today's manufacturing technology. This facility helps clients meet turnaround deadlines by rapidly fabricating small batches of new products using its state-of-the-art technology. To ensure quality control, two test cells within the lab enable the products to be put through the rigorous testing required for product design and improvement. Technology in this facility includes a Kern HSE 25 Laser Cutting Table, a Haas TM1-P 4 Axis CNC Machining Center, a Haas TL-1 CNC Lathe, a Hardinge Precision Toolroom Lathe, an MCP Vacuum Casting System, and a Morgan 15 Ton Injection Molding Machine.

The SSOE Machine Shop provides full-service conventional and CAD/CAM machining, precision grinding, cutting, shearing, welding, and CNC lathing and milling for a wide variety of materials. This facility prepares prototypes and custom-designed parts for every engineering discipline in the SSOE as well as other entities within the University including the School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, and the Department of Physics.

The SSOE Electronics Shop provides a wide variety of electronics expertise to the SSOE including repair, laboratory support, and prototyping encompassing design, wiring, motors, sensors, computer A-D and D-A interfacing, and data acquisition and control using LabView and other software.

Synthetic Biology and Biomimetics Laboratory

Director: Warren C. Ruder, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, SSoE, Pitt

Center for Bioengineering
300 Technology Dr
CNBIO 335 and 336-337
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

The Synthetic Biology and Biomimetics laboratory is under the direction of Warren C Ruder, PhD. The Synthetic Biology and Biomimetics laboratory consists of 1,274 sq. ft. and was extensively renovated in 2017 to produce a facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for advanced research in synthetic biology, lab-on-a-chip systems, microfluidics, and bio-robotics. Capabilities and equipment of the laboratory include: multi-day, live-cell epifluorescent microscopy, micro-fabrication, PCR, electrophoresis, micro-instrumentation design and fabrication, 3D-printing, mobile robotics, and computer vision. The lab offers postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate research opportunities in fields ranging from cell-free medical diagnostics to cellular interface engineering. By drawing from expertise in synthetic gene networks, cell physiology and biomechanics, microfluidics, and hybrid biomaterials, the lab strives to investigate fundamental biological questions while developing medically pertinent technologies. The laboratory is composed a biological safety level-2 cell-culture and imaging room that contains two live-cell epiflourescent microscopes, a biological safety cabinet, a CO2 incubator for cell and tissue culturing, and an inverted culture microscope. Additionally, the laboratory contains a molecular cloning and prototyping room equipped with a multi-mode microplate reader, a biological safety cabinet, multiple benchtop incubators, a spin-coater, a plasma cleaner, gel-electrophoresis equipment, two gradient PCR machines, and a variety of electronic and robotic prototyping equipment. By coupling these instruments with ample computing resources, the Engineered Living Systems and Synthetic Biology Lab aims to foster cross-disciplinary research and discovery.

Greg Reed, PhD 

Email: gfr3@pitt.edu

The Electric Power Initiative, directed by Greg Reed, PhD and related programs of the Center for Energy in the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) have been developed over the past several years in collaboration with industry, government, and other constituents to provide innovative education and collaborative research programs in the areas of electric power and energy engineering.  Working together with industry partners, along with strong government sponsorship and other constituency support, Pitt is contributing to solutions that address the aging workforce issue in the electric power and energy sector through modernized educational programs, as well as to advances in technology development, basic and applied research, and outreach.

Specifically in the area of electric power engineering education, concentrations have been developed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The curriculum consists of a strong set of courses addressing the core principals in electric power, while being augmented with new offerings in emerging technology areas. Through strong industry collaborations that contribute to course development, the program is not only educating the next generation of power engineers, but developing the future leaders of the electric power industry. The undergraduate concentration consists of a series of four elective courses within the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department - two required courses on power system analysis and controls, and two electives that can be selected among six other offerings.  The graduate program curriculum is extremely robust, and covers a wide range of electric power engineering subject matter including new courses in smart grids, power electronics, renewable and alternative energy systems, and other relevant areas associated with modernized power grid and energy system development.

The initiative establishes a model program for the resurgence and sustainability of university based electric power engineering programs in the U.S.A  In addition to the strong educational programs in electric power, the graduate research program has advanced significantly over the past two years, and includes research and development efforts in emerging areas such as AC and DC micro-grids, advanced power electronics and control technologies (FACTS and HVDC systems), renewable energy systems and integration, smart grid technologies and applications, energy storage, and energy efficiency.

Current industry partners providing various means of support to the initiative include the following regional, national, and international organizations: Eaton Corp., ABB Inc., Siemens Energy Inc., Mitsubishi Electric, FirstEnergy, Pitt-Ohio Express, BPL Global Ltd., ANSYS Inc., and Westinghouse Electric.  Many other industry organizations are engaged with the program, as well - including local and regional utilities such as Duquesne Light, FirstEnergy, Dominion Virginia Power, PPL, and AEP - through activities such as recruiting power engineering students and participation in other power and energy initiative related events on campus, including the annual Pitt Electric Power Industry Conference.  In addition to strong industry involvement and collaborations in the research programs, support is provided from several different offices of the U.S. Department of Energy (OEDER, EERE, and NETL), ARPA-e (Solar ADEPT), the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Commerce, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, and others.  Key foundation constituents include the Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

Through the partnership with Eaton, A new state-of-the-art Electric Power Systems Laboratory has been constructed and was dedicated in January 2014, to further enhance both education and research programs in electric power engineering.

The Pitt Electric Power Initiative has been featured prominently in local and national media, and has become a leader in our nation's efforts towards re-engineering the electric power grid of the future.  One highlight related to the program's national impact, includes a significant leadership role in the newly established Energy Ambassador Program of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

Andrew Bunger, PhD

Phone: 412-624-9875 C: 412-290-6345

Email: bunger@pitt.edu

Improving Effectiveness and Sustainability of Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing has been the most important method for stimulating production of oil and gas for more than 60 years. With its critical role in the growth of shale gas/oil, hydraulic fracturing has now come to the forefront of conversations about energy and the environment as well as intensified research efforts aimed at ensuring it is done in a manner that is both effective for its purpose and sustainable for communities and the environment.

The effectiveness and sustainability of hydraulic fracturing operations go hand in hand. When the methods of hydraulic fracturing are optimal, the surface impacts and environmental risks are minimized. Similarly, poor practice that fails to minimize environmental and community impacts jeopardizes the benefits that can be achieved from responsible production of gas and oil emerging sources such as shale reservoirs.

Dr. Bunger's research aims at achieving optimality of hydraulic fracturing processes by predicting and controlling the types of growth patterns that will be generated when high pressure fluid injection is used to break reservoir rocks. Dr. Bunger uses analytical, numerical, and experimental methods to understand fundamental physical processes with an emphasis on contrasting network versus localized growth, growth that is contained to the reservoir versus growth out of zone, and practices that minimize versus exacerbate risk to well integrity and hence to groundwater resources due to the potential for contaminant migration along poorly completed or damaged wells. Dr. Bunger's additional and complimentary research interests include the mechanics of hydraulic fractures, coupled fluid-shale interaction, and the emplacement dynamics of magma-driven dykes and sills.

Experience and Facilities

Dr. Bunger has 15 years of experience in experimental, analytical, and computational investigation of hydraulic fracturing, rock mechanics, and site testing including in situ stress measurement. The University of Pittsburgh Hydraulic Fracturing Laboratory supports research into hydraulic fracture propagation. It includes: 1) a true-triaxial cell, including hydraulic pump and pressure control, capable of applying up to 20 MPa of stress independently in each of 3 direction to specimens measuring up to 300 mm on a side, 2) multi-axis video monitoring that is enabled by viewing ports in the loading platens of the triaxial cell, backlight sources built into the loading platens, and digital video cameras 3) a syringe pump used for injecting fluid for hydraulic fracturing, 4) combined acoustic emission detection and ultrasound tomography system.

Calixto Isaac Garcia, PhD
cigarcia@pitt.edu

The department has thermograyimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis capabilities. DTA 7, differential thermal analyzer and a Theta high speed dilatometer are housed in the MEMS department. This lab is under the direction of C. Isaac Garcia, PhD.

Minking Chyu, PhD  

Phone: 412-624-9784
Email:  mkchyu@pitt.edu  

The Thermal Science and Imaging Laboratory directed by Minking Chyu, PhD, is equipped with advanced flow and heat transfer measurement facilities directed toward obtaining fundamental understanding and design strategies for advanced thermal control systems. Major equipment includes a subsonic wind tunnel, a particle imaging velocimetry, a computer-automated liquid crystal thermographic system, a UV-induced phosphor fluorescent thermometric imaging system, and a sublimation-based heat-mass analogous system. Specific projects currently underway include optimal endwall cooling, shaped-hole film cooling, and innovative turbulator heat transfer enhancement, advanced concepts in trailing edge cooling, and instrumentation developments for unsteady thermal and pressure sensing.

This research group, headed by Dr. Youngjae Chun, is a collaboration between the Departments of Industrial Engineering and Bioengineering. Current research interests include artificial biomaterials, composites, endovascular devices, diagnostic vascular implants, and micro-bio-systems, as well as fundamental device-associated biocompatibility and development of experimental techniques. Specifically, the work in the area of:

• Designing and Manufacturing Medical Devices for Treating Vascular Diseases
• Development of Artificial Biomaterials and Bio-hybrid Composites
• Micro Fabrication and Nanoscale Characterization
• Studies on Hemocompatible Surface Modification of Biomaterials
• In-vitro tests: Device functionality, Hemocompatibility, Inflammatory Response
• Investigation on Hemodynamics using MEMS transducer arrays
• In-vivo Animal Testing and Post-mortem Examination

Engineering cell-cell interactions in cancer

We employ a quantitative approach that integrates microfluidics, systems biology modeling, and in vivo experiments to investigate the role of the tumor microenvironment on breast and ovarian cancer growth, metastasis and drug resistance. 

Ioannis (Yannis) Zervantonakis, Principal Investigator

Liza Allison, Program Administrator (412) 624-7291

The UPCAM focuses on organizing and coordinating research and educational activities related to manufacturing science and Advanced Manufacturing, with the goal of enhancing the output of both.  The center will facilitate faculty collaboration within the SSoE, among the schools within Pitt, and especially with external partners in industry, government and academia.  The UPCAM aligns technology areas in SSOE with potential applications areas for Advanced Manufacturing in industry. This initiative is designed to leverage Pitts research strengths to appeal to external entities in industry and local, regional and national governments/agencies.  Incentives include, but are not limited to, funding support, resources for proposal preparation, program management, and access to Advanced Manufacturing -related laboratories and facilities.

Our laboratory strives to understand and seek solutions to pathologies of tubular tissue and organs, such as blood vessels, urethra, colon, esophagus, etc., by applying our strengths in computational and experimental biomechanics, image analysis, cellular and molecular biology, and tissue engineering at an accelerated pace. Our laboratory represents successful collaborations within the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, as well as outside collaborations.

The Veterans Engineering Resource Center (VERC) is collaboration with the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health System (VAPHS). Its goal is the development and application of systems engineering methods and principles to health care systems. These include analytical and computer based modeling methods such as queuing, optimization, simulation, and decision analysis. The methods that the VERC develops will contribute to data driven analysis that provides insight into operational problems faced by health care systems management and suggest potential courses of action."Current research is focused on surgery scheduling, critical care management, reusable medical equipment, and prosthetics inventory management."

William Clark, PhD 

Phone: 412-624-9794
Email: wclark@pitt.edu 

The Vibration and Control Laboratory, under the direction of William W. Clark, PhD, is devoted to the study of smart structures and microsystems. The primary focus is on the use of smart materials in a variety of applications, including structural vibration control, microelectromechanical systems (including sensors, actuators, resonators, and filters), and energy harvesting. The laboratory is well equipped for experimental and analytical research. Equipment includes computers and data acquisition hardware for simulation and real-time control of dynamic electromechanical systems; a variety of modern transducers and instrumentation for sensing, actuation, and measurement such as dynamic signal analyzers, shakers, high voltage power supplies, and amplifiers, and a variety of basic instrumentation and sensors; and a work center for constructing electronics and test rigs, with emphasis on piezoelectric systems.