Materials Processing: A Unified Approach to Processing of Metals, Ceramics and Polymers

Materials Processing teaches students the fundamental principles involved in the processing of engineering materials, specifically metals, ceramics and polymers, from starting or raw materials through to the final functional forms. Processing is frequently treated from a materials specific point of view with courses and books that cover only one type of engineering material. This new text covers processing using a unified approach that is based on the state of matter most central to the shaping of the material: melt, solid, powder, dispersion and solution, and vapor. With this approach, students learn processing fundamentals and appreciate the similarities and differences between the materials classes.

• Coverage of metal, ceramic and polymer processing in a single text provides a self-contained approach and consistent nomenclature that allow for easier comparisons between various materials and processes
• Emphasis on fundamental principles gives students a strong foundation for understanding processing and manufacturing methods
• Development of connections between processing and structure builds on students’ existing knowledge of structure - property relationships
• Examples of both standard and newer additive manufacturing methods throughout provide students with an overview of the methods that they will likely encounter in their careers

About the Author

Dr. Lorraine F. Francis is Distinguished University Teaching Professor and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She holds a Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has 25 years of research and teaching experience at UMN. Prof. Francis has taught and developed a variety of materials science courses. Her research focuses on material processing topics, and she is co-leader of the Coating Process Fundamentals Program at UMN, an industrial partnership research program devoted to the science and engineering of liquid applied coatings.