Mihaela Vlasea

Additive manufacturing is rapidly changing the manufacturing landscape. Dr. Vlasea’s research focuses on innovative design, process optimization and adoption of new materials for powder bed fusion and binder jetting additive manufacturing processes. The research goals are to bridge the technological gaps necessary to improve part quality, process repeatability and reliability.

• Additive manufacturing
• Advanced manufacturing
• Powder bed fusion
• Binder jetting
• Process modeling
• Digital design optimization
• Process optimization
• Process modeling
• Data analytics
• Monitoring and controls strategies

Dr. Vlasea’s research focuses on innovative design process optimization and adoption of new materials for powder bed fusion and binder jetting additive manufacturing. Her research goals are to bridge the digital and technological gaps necessary to improve part quality process repeatability and reliability. She is currently the Associate Research Co-Director of the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Vlasea is also involved with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Advisory Group and the SME Digital Design and Manufacturing Advisory Committee. Dr. Vlasea has also a member of the ASTM F42 standards committee on AM technologies Standards Council Canada ISO/TC 261 - additive manufacturing committee.

Dr. Vlasea collaborates closely with industry partners across the additive manufacturing supply chain to provide holistic solutions to current economic and environmental sustainability challenges in additive manufacturing technology adoption. Industry collaborations with powder producers such as RioTinto, Metal Powder Works, AP&C Powder Metallurgy enable solutions ranging from low-cost material systems, environmentally-friendly powder synthesis approaches, to powder solutions for high productivity and high quality part production. Collaborations with applications-focused industry such as Dana Canada Inc., MIBA Sinter Austria, Borrum Energy Solutions, The Barnes Global Advisors, etc. drive advancements in design innovation and process optimization to create disruptive products and novel applications. Additionally, collaborations with industry partners that support characterization, sensors, and instrumentation for additive manufacturing such as Xiris Automation, Fijifilm VSI, continues to empower robust quality assurance and process intelligence pathways.

• 2014, Doctorate Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2011, Diploma Space Studies Program, International Space University, France
• 2008, Bachelor of Applied Science Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2022/05 AMNOW Metals Challenge – Phase 1 and Phase 2 | Technical challenge for deployment of artificial intelligence and data analytics to metal additive manufacturing industrial datasets.
• 2022/04 President’s Excellence in Teaching and Research Award
• 2022/04 Engineering Society's Igor Ivkovic Teaching Excellence Award
• 2022/02 University of Waterloo 2021 Department Teaching Recognition
• 2021/06 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) 20 Most Influential Academics
• 2021/05 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Digital Manufacturing Challenge – 1st Prize
• 2021/02 University of Waterloo 2020 Department Teaching Recognition
• 2020/10 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer (OYME) Award
• 2020/09 University of Waterloo 2020 Faculty of Engineering Distinguished Performance Award

• 2022/01 – present Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) Associate Director
• 2022/01 – present Engineering Graduate Studies Committee (EGSC) MME Faculty Representative
• 2016/01 – present Faculty of Engineering, Women in Engineering, Faculty Rep
• 2017/01 – present TronCon Mechatronics Engineering Alumni Symposium Event Advisor
• 2017/01 – present NSERC HIAM Conference Event Advisor

• 2021/01 – present Rapid Prototyping Journal – Regional Editor
• 2016/05 – present SME Additive Manufacturing Community Advisor
• 2016/01 – present SME Digital Design and Manufacturing Advisor
• 2020/04 – 2021/05 Society of SME Additive Manufacturing Community Advisor – Chair

• ME 561 - Fluid Power Control Systems
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• ME 739 - Manufacturing Processes Topics
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• MTE 322 - Electromechanical Machine Design
  • Taught in 2022, 2023, 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Yang M*, Keshavarz M**, Vlasea M, Molavi-Kakhki A, Laher Martin. (2023) Supersolidus liquid phase sintering of water-atomized low-alloy steel in binder jetting additive manufacturing. Helyon Journal. 9 (3):e13882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13882
• Patel S*, Chen H, Vlasea M, Zhou Y. (2022) The influence of laser beam focus in laser powder bed fusion – a study on high reflectivity alloys. Journal of Additive Manufacturing. 59 :103112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2022.103112.
• Chen H*, Patel S*, Vlasea M, Zhou Y. (2022) Enhanced tensile ductility of an additively manufactured AlSi10Mg alloy by reducing the density of melt pool boundaries. Scripta Materialia. 221:114954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2022.114954.
• Rishmawi I**, Rogalsky A**, Vlasea M, Salarian M, Bakhshivash S. (2022) The effects of heat treatment on tensile and thermal expansion behaviour of LPBF Invar36. Journal of Materials Engineering & Performance. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-07013-x.
• Rishmawi I**, Rogalsky A**, Vlasea M, Molavi-Kakhi A. (2021) Comparison of the master sinter curves of water- and gas-atomized AISI 4340 low-alloy steel in binder jetting additive manufacturing. Journal of Additive Manufacturing. 48 (A): 102381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102381
• van Houtum GJJ*,Vlasea M. (2021) Active learning via adaptive weighted uncertainty sampling applied to additive manufacturing. Journal of Additive Manufacturing. 48 (B):102411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102411
• Shanbhag G*, Wheat E, Moylan S, Vlasea M. (2021) Effect of specimen geometry and orientation on tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V manufactured by electron beam powder bed fusion. Journal of Additive Manufacturing. 48 (A): 102366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102366
• Shanbhag G*, Wheat E, Moylan S, Vlasea M. (2021) Data related to the effect of specimen geometry and orientation on tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V manufactured by electron beam powder bed fusion. Data in Brief. 39:107613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.107613
• McGregor M*, Patel S*, McLachlin S, Vlasea M. (2021) Architectural bone parameters and the relationship to titanium lattice design for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Journal of Additive Manufacturing. 47: 1022273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102273
• McGregor M*, Patel S*, McLachlin S, Vlasea M. (2021) Data related to architectural bone parameters and the relationship to titanium lattice design for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Data in Brief. 39:107633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.107633
• Shanbhag G*, Vlasea M. (2021) “Powder Reuse Cycles in Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion - Variation of Powder Characteristics”. Journal of Materials, Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder and Wire-Based Additive Manufacturing Processing. 14 (16): 4602. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164602
• Ertay DS*, Naiel AM**, Vlasea M, Fieguth P. (2021) Process performance evaluation and classification via in-situ melt pool monitoring in directed energy deposition. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology. 35: 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirpj.2021.06.015
• Honarvar F, Patel S*, Vlasea M, Amini H*, Varvani-Farahani A** (2021). Non-destructive characterization of laser powder bed fusion components using high-frequency phased array ultrasonic testing. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. 30: 6766-6776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-05988-7
• Msiempba K*, Wang M*, Vlasea M. (2021) Geometrical Degrees of Freedom for Cellular Structures Generation: A New Classification Paradigm. Journal of Applied Sciences. Special Issue Design for Additive Manufacturing: Methods and Tools. 11: 3945. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093845
• Rishmawi I*, Vlasea M. (2021) Binder Jetting of Silicon Steel, Part I: Process Map of Green Density. ASME Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering. 143 (11):11010. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050651
• Ertay DS*, Kamyab S*, Vlasea M, Azimifar Z, Ma T**, Rogalsky AD**, Fieguth P. (2021) Towards Sub-Surface Pore Prediction Capabilities for Laser Powder Bed Fusion Using Data Science. ASME Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering. 143:071016. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050461
• Fayazfar H**, Rishmawi I**, Vlasea M, Salarian M, Bakhshivash S. (2021) Custom Electropolishing of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Complex Structures. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. 30: 2245-2255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-05512-x

• van Houtum GJJ, Vlasea M. (2021). Method and system for active learning. US Provisional Patent filing TBD-21-0009 (K8002539USP).
• Toyserkani E, Vlasea M, Shanjani Y. (2014). Systems and methods for AM of heterogeneous porous structures and structures made therefrom. Canada. WO 2014110679 A1. 2014-01-17.

• MSAM Lab emerges as additive manufacturing leader
• Launching the new Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab
• Aviation parts made one at a time, any time, just in time
• Waterloo team earns additive manufacturing award
• Prof one of ‘most influential’ in smart manufacturing
• Prof one of ‘most influential’ in smart manufacturing
• Customizing masks to fight the spread of COVID
• 3D printing prof receives SME manufacturing award
• Customized 3D-printed masks being developed