WPI launches new materials processing data center

WPI has launched a new center that will make it easier for various industries to keep track of material quality.

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute has launched a new center to make it easier for the aerospace industry and others to keep track of precise material quality.

The research hub, called the Center for Material Processing Data, was designed to be a resource to various industries by improving data gathering and computer modeling of time-and temperature-dependent material property data, also known as transient data. Transient data is critical during the high-performance material development process, but no widely shared information repositories exist, according to a Monday release from WPI.

For the aerospace industry, projects at the center can lead to better jet engines. For example, the center can digitize data on relevant aerospace materials and make it available to member companies in an easily shareable format.

“There is no center like this anywhere in the world,” said Danielle Cote, director of CMPD and an assistant research professor in materials science at WPI. “To our knowledge, no other center is capturing transient data, which is crucial in improving accuracy in many materials process models.”

The center is the fourth under WPI’s Metal Processing Institute, an alliance between universities and industry. Other partner institutions include the University of Connecticut, the University of Buffalo, metal manufacturing trade association ASM International, and Connecticut aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.