Dr. Saber currently serves as Principal Investigator (P.I.) on the following grants:
- ˿Ƶ BEST Solid State Recycling of Thin Cross Section Metals at $75,000
- In competition with numerous universities and intuitions, the awarding of this grant to ˿Ƶ Tech will allow Dr. Saber to work with one student to develop a new technology that offers a solid-state consolidation rather than liquid-state processes such as re-melting/casting. The proposed clean technology will assist the recycling companies to have energy-cost-efficient approach in restoring thin section metals. The project is expected to take one year.
- OMIC Rapid Metal Forming at $44,192
- ˿Ƶ Tech was awarded this grant for Dr. Saber to work with ˿Ƶ Tech machine operators staff at OMIC to create and test new tools and methods for rapid forming of metal using MillTurn technology. The main objective of this research project is to reduce the number of steps and use of specialized equipment. The project is expected to take eight months.
- OMIC Additive Manufacturing at $101,765
- After viewing proposals from other ˿Ƶ universities, ˿Ƶ Tech was awarded this grant for Dr. Saber to work with two students to investigate the capability of additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing) technologies available on the metal manufacturing market. The main objective of this project is to minimize the total costs of production; this may include costs of tooling and/or part production, while to potentiality accelerate procurement processes. The project is expected to take 10 months.
- Business ˿Ƶ High Impact Opportunity Project at $500,000
- In competition with numerous universities and intuitions, the awarding of this grant to ˿Ƶ Tech will include the procurement of the most sophisticated cutting tools inspection equipment. Developments in new generation materials for high-speed machining applications have been motivated by excessive demands from the cutting tool industries. This is due to the fact that tool life in high-speed machining of hard alloys is a major drawback. Housing these shared machines at OMIC R&D will allow academic partners to conduct applied research on the potential gains in efficiency and accuracy of existing and newly prototyped cutting tools.
Working with the ˿Ƶ Tech Sponsored Projects & Grants office, Dr. Saber’s work to obtain grant funding has allowed additional research opportunities and applied student project development in the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology program.
Dr. Saber shared, “There are variety of challenges in advanced metal manufacturing that industry is seeking solutions for. This can provide the greatest opportunities for hands-on engineering colleges similar to what we have at ˿Ƶ Tech to collaborate with industries and find out cleaner and cost/time-efficient solutions. These funding resources, in addition, may engage a significant number of research assistant students to achieve firsthand experiences from the real world of engineering. I believe the ˿Ƶ Manufacturing Innovation Center—OMIC R&D—is a great example that has all of these in one and I hope my team will be more proactively engaged in this endeavor.”
Dr. Saber has worked at ˿Ƶ Tech since 2017 as an associate professor of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology at ˿Ƶ Tech’s Portland-Metro campus. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University, where he also served as a postdoctoral research scholar after working 10 years in metallurgy industries as a R&D engineer and also technical manager on casting, furnace design and heat treatment of steels, magnesium, aluminum and titanium alloys. He currently teaches Engineering Materials, Advanced Engineering Materials, and Heat Transfer courses and laboratories.
“The work that Dr. Saber is able to complete because of these grants is important for advancing the applied, hands-on knowledge which is a highlight of our programs,” said Wangping Sun, Ph.D., site director of the Portland-Metro Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology programs. “His work in current research and studies also helps to keep him apprised of the latest trends and methods in his field, which transfers back to relevant knowledge for our students.”
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