Chris Billings, the University of Oklahoma’s first-ever advanced manufacturing research assistant professor, recently joined Yingtao Liu, co-principal investigator, a William H. Barkow Presidential Professor and associate professor in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Zahed Siddique, co-principal investigator and associate dean for research in the Gallogly College of Engineering, to focus on advanced manufacturing projects.
Working with partners like G.E. Additive, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Air Force, Billings will oversee titanium alloy and stainless-steel alloy 3D printing projects and will focus on process control and optimization as well as data collection and analysis.
The University of Oklahoma’s role in the aerospace sector through the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute and its relationship with Tinker Air Force Base are things that Billings is most excited about. He believes the Pacer Edge program is going to provide massive benefits to the organization and help keep aging military infrastructure viable for years to come.
Billings first became interested in additive manufacturing nearly a decade ago through his passion for automotive racing. As an undergraduate, he continued to engage in automotive activities as a member of the Sooner Off-Road team in the Society of Automotive Engineers Baja program. Billings' team used additive manufacturing to create custom parts for their vehicle, which gave them a competitive edge.
Learn more about OADII’s affiliation with the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute.
