Reimar Weissbach

Reimar Weissbach is a PhD candidate, as well as an MBA candidate through MIT Leaders for Global Operations, whose research applies innovative computation approaches in combination with experimental techniques to advance the field of additive manufacturing (AM). Specifically, Reimar investigates the role of particle adhesion in the spreading of thin powder layers used in metal 3-D printing. As a MathWorks Fellow, he will pursue an ambitious project to apply numerical modeling to all stages of the widely used process of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), with the goal of understanding governing LPBF mechanisms, such as the dynamics of powder spreading and the rapid melting and solidification that determine component density and microstructure. MATLAB is a critical tool in Reimar’s research, enabling him to develop custom numerical models and efficiently analyze large amounts of experimental data. His work advances the fundamental understanding of process physics, defect creation mechanisms (quality), and rate limits (throughput). It could help to accelerate product development by predicting LPBF process parameters for existing materials and inform the development of new materials with tailored properties for the growing AM industry.