Education

  • Ph.D., Michigan Technological University, 1993
  • M.S., Washington State University, 1989
  • B.Tech. (Hons.) IIT Kharagpur, India, 1987

Background

Dr. Melkote began at Tech in 1995 as an Assistant Professor. Prior to this, he was a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he conducted research in Machining and Machine Tools Systems in the group led by the Late Professor Richard E. DeVor and Professor Shiv G. Kapoor.

Research

  • Manufacturing and Tribology; Precision machining, hybrid processes, surface modification, AI/ML for manufacturing, robotics for manufacturing

Dr. Melkote’s primary area of research is Manufacturing and his secondary area of research is Tribology. His research interests in these areas include the science of precision material removal processes, new manufacturing process development including novel surface modification methods, application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to solve complex problems in manufacturing, and advanced industrial robotics for precision manufacturing. 

His research in precision material removal process science focuses on understanding surface generation mechanisms, process-structure-property relationships, and tribological behavior of metals and non-metals through experiments and modeling. His work on new process development is focused on novel surface modification processes such as water cavitation peening and other hybrid processes for improving the surface finish and mechanical properties of conventionally and additively manufactured metal parts for aerospace and biomedical applications. His research in application of AI/ML in manufacturing is focused on using data-driven and human-machine interaction techniques to infer complex manufacturing process capability knowledge typically acquired by human experts through years of experience. Finally, his research in advanced robotics for manufacturing is focused on both offline and real-time sensing and control methods to improve the performance of industrial robots in complex manufacturing processes such as machining, finishing, and hybrid additive and subtractive manufacturing. Dr. Melkote’s research in these areas is supported by industry, government, and internal sources.

    • Assistant Director for Technology, Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
  • Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
    • SME Gold Medal, 2023
    • Fellow, 2015
    • President, North American Manufacturing Research Institution of the SME (NAMRI/SME), 2014-2015
    • Scientific Committee Chair, NAMRI/SME, 2010-2012
    • Member, Board of Directors, NAMRI/SME, 2008-2017
    • Outstanding Paper Award, NAMRC, 1998
    • Dell K. Allen Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, 1998
    • Research Initiation Award, 1995
  • College International Pour La Recherche En Productique (CIRP) (The International Academy for Production Engineering), Paris, France
    • Fellow, 2018
    • Chair, Scientific Technical Committee – Cutting, 2022 - Present
  • Woodruff Faculty Fellow, 2006-2010

Representative Publications

Kumar, M., Melkote, S.N., “Process Capability Study of Laser-Assisted Micro Milling of a Hardened Tool Steel,” Journal of Manufacturing Processes, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 41-51, 2012.

Fernandez-Zelaia, P., Melkote, S.N., “Process-Structure-Property Relationships in Bimodal Machined Microstructures using Robust Structure Descriptors,” Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 273, 116251, p. 1-16, 2019.

Marcon, A., Melkote, S.N., Castle, J., Sanders, D.G., Yoda, M., “Effect of Jet Velocity in Cavitation Jet Peening,” Wear, Vol. 360-361, pp. 38-50, 2016.

Kumar, A., Melkote, S.N., “Wear of Diamond in Scribing of Multicrystalline Silicon,” Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 128, p. 065101, 2018.

Wang, P., Wang, B., Melkote, S.N., “Modeling and Simulation of Phase Transformation and Crack Formation during Scribing of Mono-crystalline Silicon,” International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, Vol. 175, 2020, 105527.

Wang, B., Castellana, J., Melkote, S.N., “A Hybrid Post-Processing Method for Improving the Surface Quality of Additively Manufactured Metal Parts,” CIRP Annals – Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 70, 2021, pp. 175-178.

Zhao, C., Dinar, M., Melkote, S.N., “Automated Classification of Manufacturing Process Capability Utilizing Part Shape, Material, and Quality Attributes,” ASME Transactions, Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2020, 021011 (13 pages).

Yan, X., Melkote, S., “Automated Manufacturability Analysis and Machining Process Selection using Deep Generative Model and Siamese Neural Networks,” Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 67, 2023, pp. 57-67.

Nguyen, V., Cvitanic, T., Melkote, S., “Data-driven Modeling of the Dynamic Properties of a 6-DoF Industrial Robot within its Workspace and Its Application to Robotic Milling,” ASME Transactions, Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Vol. 141, Issue 12, 2019, 121006 (12 pages).

Cvitanic, T., Melkote, S.N., “A New Method for Closed-Loop Stability Prediction in Industrial Robots,” Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, Vol. 73, 2022, 102218.