Straub is the AM lead at Lincoln Labs. Obtained international recognition for its contribution to the field of additive manufacturing. Manufacturing Engineering is a publication of SME (full name Society of Manufacturing Engineers) that has listed Straub among 30 outstanding individuals under the age of 30 who will lead the future of manufacturing.
"I feel honored, especially with recognition from many talented people, CEOs, academic researchers, entrepreneurs," said Straub, who works at the Manufacturing Engineering Group. "I think one of the things that sets me apart is my exploratory thinking. I use computational, engineering-based risk to drive the possibilities of AM, and then in the lab, apply what we have learned directly to In practice-world defense applications. "
In his seven years in the laboratory, Straub has become an expert in designing and prototyping 3D printed parts for a variety of systems including satellites, imaging systems, drones and respiratory monitors. He received a master's degree in manufacturing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through the Lincoln Scholar Program in 2015.
In the store where he works, Straub points out a series of traditional subtraction machines that cut or laser cut materials to produce the final form. In contrast to the subtractive process, AM, as its name implies, is an additive, a layered material to build the final form. Straub explained that AM is particularly useful for making complex parts that require complex geometries, curves, or voids that are difficult or impossible to process using a subtractive process.
"We can design complex parts that were not possible before and can be achieved with AM," he said. "But it cannot completely replace subtractive processing; it is just another tool, a very important tool."
Part of his role as head of AM is to provide AM designs with functional ideas that can be implemented. Last year, 39% of laboratory hardware programs used AM in some ways.
Straub expects this number to grow to nearly 100% within five years. One notable is the high-energy laser system, which consists of 115 accessories, more than a quarter of the entire system components. These components help keep the system lightweight and compact. They are also the requirements of the two main programs, but they also help achieve the function—for example, keeping the system cool and providing structural rigidity. The metal plate that houses the system's fiber amplifier is equipped with a flow channel, and the cooling liquid can pass through the flow channel along the curve of the thermal laser fiber. Straub said that this AM design has traditionally been impossible to process.
Straub's former team leader Jim Ingraham nominated him as 30 outstanding individuals under 30.
"In the six years I've worked with Derek, I've seen a highly creative and technologically advanced engineer who not only develops additive manufacturing technologies, but also becomes a leader in the field, developing various previously unachievable integrations Multifunctional parts, "Ingraham said.
Although AM is often referred to as "3-D printing" (a term coined by Professor MIT when the machine first used an inkjet head to dispense adhesive and bond the layers together), Straub prefers additive manufacturing to this A term because it covers more of the industrial technology used today.
One technique is called selective laser melting (SLM). Through a window on the SLM machine, Straub pointed to a 10 × 10-inch metal base plate with an aluminum powder box next to it. "Try to lift a spoonful of stainless steel powder," Straub said.
In the manufacturing process, the powder is pushed onto a plate, and the laser above the plate melts the powder at a specific location, and the molten metal cools and solidifies. The powdering, melting and cooling complete the processing. The SLM machine is one of nine industrial AM machines that Straub oversees every day.
In addition to overseeing production, Straub is advancing AM research in the laboratory. One area that excites him is the study of composite materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers. "Everyone thinks composites are amazing, they are lighter, stronger, harder, etc., but they are creating nightmares," he said.
Straub hopes to develop advanced AM processes to make composite materials that can be customized based on the function of the part, for example, one area of the part is hard and the other area is flexible. Multifunctional components are another focus; he envisions and has begun producing AM structures with multiple functions, such as AM structures embedded in electronics, RF antennas or heat exchangers.
"Many of our engineers think straight; when we think about braces, we think of trusses. But that happens when we provide constraints to the topology optimization software," he said. Take out a small metal object. It is an optical bracket, but the support of the bracket looks like a metal branch, with crosses and bends. "Sometimes nature has found the best way."
Nature plays an important role in Straub's panoramic view of AM. Can we use nature to provide us with the products we need to make them? He thought of NASA's mission to send humans to Mars. "We can't send everything we need; we won't send steel," Straub said, "but can we use actual sand, soil, minerals to add to make buildings and structures?" "With AM, we can use the same Tools make thousands of parts. It opens up the space to build on demand, "Straub said.
Although Straub is leading AM forward, he is also sharing what he has learned with the next generation. At the MIT Beaver Engineering Summer School in August, Straub and his colleagues developed a new unit that teaches kids to use the 3D printer to do something new. The boom in commercial 3D printers has made children passionate and familiar with the technology. This enthusiasm will only fuel the inevitable growth industry that Straub believes.
"AM is a game-changing technology," he said. "This has had a huge impact on the world, and it is launching new projects at Lincoln Labs. What is currently holding us back is our minds."