Glenn Daehn highlighted among most influential professors in smart manufacturing

The visionary behind Ohio State’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), Glenn Daehn, was recently recognized among the 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing. 

Daehn’s impact was highlighted by SME, a nonprofit association of professionals, educators, and students within the manufacturing industry.

“Glenn is the original driving force behind CDME’s revolutionary combined commercialization service and hands-on educational model,” said CDME Executive Director Nate Ames. “For me personally, all that he has done for the manufacturing community pales in comparison to the value I have received from his friendship. Congratulations, Glenn — you deserve this honor more than anyone I know.”

Along with his continued contribution and mentorship to the CDME team, Daehn serves as the Fontana Professor of Metallurgical Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Ohio State. He is the associate director for the Institute for Materials Research and leads the Impulse Manufacturing Lab, which focuses on the creation and implementation of impulse metalworking within industry. 

You can access the full article from SME here. Below is an excerpt from Daehn’s recognition in the piece.

From SME:

Daehn said he’s been able to work with some really smart people to develop two visions: one is impulse manufacturing, using explosive-like force in factory or lab environments. The other is in metamorphic manufacturing, aka robotic blacksmithing, or using numerically controlled deformation to make parts. “We are hoping to see impulse and metamorphic manufacturing developed as well-used commercial processes,” he said. “Both hold great promise for solving real problems in forming and joining advanced materials and structures.” Daehn thinks advanced control and artificial intelligence hold great promise for making many niche manufacturing technologies mainstream, reproducible and agile. “Imagine a robot system that can do what a skilled craftsman can do, but more reproducibly and with the steps clearly recorded,” he mused. In terms of academia working with industry, he said there is too much divergence between the two sectors. “We in academia have to focus more on integration, engineering and real problem solving and developing talent who have more of a bias for doing, rather than analysis,” he said. “This may lead to more labs that are shared between industry and academics.”