Research themes

Additive Manufacturing is an enabling technology for numerous sectors including aerospace, automotive, medical, defence, mining, and energy. The Technology theme at RMIT focuses on addressing industry needs to increase the productivity and competitiveness, expand material selection, tailor material properties for specific applications, develop technology for automated post-processing, enable multi-material printing, and advance closed loop quality control. Among core technologies, the team works on powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, materials extrusion, material jetting, and stereolithography. The technology theme works across all the additive manufacturing material systems of metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites.

• Distinguished Professor Milan Brandt, Email: milan.brandt@rmit.edu.au
• Associate Professor Andrey Molotnikov, Email: andrey.molotnikov@rmit.edu.au
• Professor Stuart Bateman, Email: stuart.bateman@rmit.edu.au
• Dr Yunhui Chen, Email: yunhui.chen@rmit.edu.au

Design research at RMIT focuses on shape and topology algorithms that create functional additively manufactured parts. Our research has a strong basis in design for manufacturability, durability, and performance. The design work undertaken at RMIT interfaces with technology, and is oriented towards producing shapes that are optimised for process parameters that reduce manufacturing costs and translate to industry applications. The design team’s expertise crosses both metallic and polymer additive manufacturing technologies, including powder bed fusion, materials extrusion, material jetting, stereolithography, and directed energy deposition.

Modelling research at RMIT is used to aid the understanding of the complex physical phenomena that are produced by additive manufacturing technologies. The modelling theme encompasses the full range of processes, materials and structures. It incorporates process modelling, material microstructure evolution, and part performance. Our research is used to aid the integration of additive manufacturing technologies into Industry 4.0 practice by producing virtual models and simulating additive manufacturing processes. This approach leads to a more efficient and cost-effective adoption of additive manufacturing by reducing experimental cycles and providing assurance on part performance.

• Professor Martin Leary, Email: martin.leary@rmit.edu.au
• Professor Raj Das, Email: raj.das@rmit.edu.au
• Dr Maciej Mazur, Email: maciej.mazur@rmit.edu.au
• Dr Mahyar Khorasani, Email: mahyar.khorasani@rmit.edu.au

The "Sustainability in Additive Manufacturing" research theme at the RMIT Centre for Additive Manufacturing focuses on advancing environmentally responsible practices across the entire AM lifecycle, spanning from digital model design to material selection, from process optimisation to end-of-life pathways management.

This theme covers metal, polymer, and concrete AM, with key objectives including the development of sustainable feedstocks, energy-efficient printing methods, and circular economy strategies. Research efforts explore innovative material formulations, such as recycled or bio-derived polymers and low-carbon metal alloys, while also investigating design strategies like topology optimization and part consolidation to reduce material waste. Process-level improvements, including in-situ monitoring, closed-loop control, and AI-driven defect prediction, aim to enhance resource efficiency and minimize energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Additionally, efforts to improve powder recyclability, reduce post-processing requirements, and integrate digital twin technology further support AM’s broader sustainability goals. Through these initiatives, this research theme seeks to position AM as a key enabler of sustainable manufacturing, addressing both environmental impact and economic viability.

• Associate Professor Jonathan Tran, Email: jonathan.tran@rmit.edu.au
• Dr Dong Qiu, Email: dong.qiu2@rmit.edu.au

Dr Tu Le, Email: tu.le@rmit.edu.au

Dr Mladenko Kajtaz, Email: mladenko.kajtaz@rmit.edu.au