Epstein ISE Research Seminar

Speaker: Harriet Black Nembhard, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Director, Center for Integrated Healthcare Delivery Systems (CIHDS), The Pennsylvania State University

Talk Title: "Experimental Designs for Multiple Stage Manufacturing of Nano-Enabled Medical Instruments"

Abstract: Surgical procedures have been trending toward minimally invasive approaches often using an endoscope inserted into the body via a natural orifice (e.g., the mouth). The use of nano-particulates has held promise in the development of smaller devices that can be accommodated in an endoscope. A challenge, however, is to increase the device yield and quality. This seminar will address the work of an interdisciplinary team to develop a novel lost mold rapid infiltration forming (LMRIF) fabrication process for these devices and specifically focus on new experimental designs suited for the required fabrication.

In particular, the multiple-stage LMRIF process has restrictions on the randomization, meaning that the allocation of the experimental material and the order in which the individual trials of the experiment are to be performed are not randomly determined because certain process variables are “hard to change" or “expensive to change”. Accordingly, we use design of experiments (DOE) principles to develop the multistage fractional factorial split-plot (MSFFSP) design with the combination of both split-plot and split-block structure. Several statistical properties are derived and its application is demonstrated in the yield improvement of the prototype devices fabricated with the LMRIF process. Furthermore, we develop a framework of DOE and robust parameter design (RPD) to expedite the transition of the technology into robust products that can be produced with minimum variability and defects.

This work has had a significant broader impact on the collaborative work in healthcare delivery development. The opportunities future work on the project related to DOE, accelerated testing, and reliability, will be briefly discussed.

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - Room 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Georgia Lum