Contact Information

Research Interests

My core interest lies in the design and manufacture of mass customized products.  For my Masters thesis, I expanded the work of Dr. Gabriel Hernandez (a SRL alumni).  I investigated the use of Constructal Theory to solve an optimal access problem applied to the hierarchical configuration of a product family.  Specifically, I augmented the Product Platform Constructal Theory Method (PPCTM) to handle non-uniform demand in the market and multiple design objectives.  Through my research, I also developed the concept of production process platforms and successfully applied the PPCTM to this new design concept.  A summary of the Product Platform Constructal Theory Method can be found here; a brief overview of my Masters Thesis research can be found here.

I am very excited about the idea of Additive Manufacturing – the use of Rapid Prototyping technology to make usable products.  My investigation of the use of RP to manufacture customized hearing aid shells (a product currently offered by Siemens) has provided a door of opportunity for my PhD research.  With the aid of a NSF IGERT research fellowship offered by the Georgia Tech TI:GER program, I am investigating the direct rapid manufacture of metals through the use of a specialized material and post-processing technique in an additive manufacturing context.  For my PhD research I am designing, developing, and analyzing a layer-based additive manufacturing process specifically for the creation of fully customizable, low-density cellular materials.  A summary of my PhD research can be found here.

Publications

Master of Science Thesis

• Williams, C. B., 2003, "Platform Design for Customizable Products and Processes with Non-Uniform Demand," M.S. Thesis, The G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. [thesis] [presentation]

Book Chapters

• Williams, C. B., Allen, J. K., Rosen, D. W., Mistree, F., 2005, "Process Parameter Platform Design to Manage Workstation Capacity," Product Platform and Product Family Design: Methods and Applications, Eds.: Simpson, T., Siddique, Z., Jiao, J., Springer, New York, pp. 421-456. [paper]
  

Journal Articles

• Williams, C. B., Allen, J. K., Rosen, D. W., Mistree, F., 2007, "Designing Platforms for Customizable Products and Processes in Markets with Non-Uniform Demand," Concurrent Engineering: Research and Applications - Special Issue on Managing Modularity and Commonality in Product and Process Development, Eds.: Jiao, J., Gershenson, J. K., Michalek, J. J., Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 201-216. [paper]
  
• Williams, C. B., Mistree, F., 2006, "Empowering Students to Learn How to Learn: Mass Customization of a Graduate Engineering Design Course," The International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 1269-1280. [paper]
  

Refereed Conference Papers

• Williams, C. B., Rosen, D. W., 2007, "Manufacturing Metallic Parts with Designed Mesostructure via Three-Dimensional Printing of Metal Oxide Powder," 17^th Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, TX. [paper] [presentation]
• Williams, C. B., Mistree, F., Rosen, D. W., 2007, "Manufacturing Cellular Materials via Three-Dimensional Printing of Spray-Dried Metal Oxide Ceramic Powder," 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping, Leiria, Portugal. [paper] [presentation]
• Williams, C. B., Mistree, F., Rosen, D. W., 2005, "Towards the Design of a Layer-Based Additive Manufacturing Process for the Realization of Metal Parts of Designed Mesostructure," 16^th Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, TX., pp. 217-230. [paper] [presentation]
• Williams, C. B., Mistree, F., Rosen, D. W., 2005, "Investigation of Additive Manufacturing Processes for the Manufacture of Parts with Designed Mesostructure," 10^th ASME Design for Manufacturing and the Life Cycle, Long Beach, CA. Paper Number: DETC2005/DFMLC-84832. [paper] [presentation]
• Williams, C. B., Allen, J. K., Rosen, D. W., Mistree, F., 2004, "Designing Platforms for Customizable Products in Markets with Non-Uniform Demand," 16^th ASME Design Theory and Methodology Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. Paper Number: DETC2004/DTM-57469. [paper] [presentation]
• Chamberlain, M. K., Williams, C. B., Mistree, F., 2003, “Strategic Design: Leveraging Market Forecasts and Emerging Technologies in Engineering Design Applications,” 10^th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, Albany, NY. Paper Number: AIAA-2004-4652.
• Williams, C. B., Panchal, J. H., Rosen, D. W., 2003, "A General Decision-Making Method for the Rapid Manufacturing of Customized Parts," 23^rd ASME Computer and Information in Engineering Conference, Chicago, Ill. Paper Number: DETC2003/CIE-48198. [paper] [presentation]

• Carone, M. J., Williams, C. B., Allen, J. K., Mistree, F., 2003, "An Application of Constructal Theory in the Multi-Objective Design of Product Platforms," 15^th ASME Design Theory and Methodology Conference, Chicago, Ill. Paper Number: DETC2003/DTM-48667. [paper] [presentation]
• Chamberlain, M. K., Williams, C. B., Cowan, F. S., Mistree, F., 2001, "Orchestrating Learning in a Graduate Engineering Design Course," 13^th ASME Design Theory and Methodology Conference, Pittsburgh, PA. Paper Number: DETC2001/DTM-2037. [paper] [presentation]

Conference Papers

• Wang, H. V., Williams, C. B., Rosen, D. W., 2006, "Design Synthesis of Adaptive Mesoscopic Cellular Structures with Unit Truss Approach and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm," 17^th Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, TX, pp. 433-445.

Professional Reports and Presentations

• Williams, C. B., 2006, "Design and Development of a Layer-Based Additive Manufacturing Process for the Realization of Metal Parts of Designed Mesostructure," The 2006 NSF Design, Service, and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference - Student Poster Session, July 24, St. Louis, MO. [poster presentation]
  
• Williams, C. B., Kulkarni, R., Allen, J. K., Mistree, F., 2004, "Engineering Open Product Architectures: A Constructal Approach," The 2004 NSF Design, Service, and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference, January 7, Dallas, TX. [presentation]
• Allen, J. K., Mistree, F.,  Williams, C. B., Carone, M. J., 2003, "Engineering Open Product Architectures: A Constructal Approach," The 2003 NSF Design, Service, and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference, January 8, Birmingham, AL. [presentation]
• Allen J. K., Mistree, F.,  Williams, C. B., 2002, "Platform Design for Customizable Products as a Problem of Optimal Access in Geometric Space," The 2002 NSF Design, Service, and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference, January 9, Puerto Rico. [presentation]
• Mistree, F., Allen, J. K., Chamberlain, M. K., Kulkarni, R., Williams, C. B., 2001, "Design for Affordability Using a Distributed Decision Support Environment," Office of Naval Research, Washington D. C.
• Chamberlain, M. K., Williams, C. B., 2001, "Planning for the Global Product Realization and Manufacturing Enterprise of 2020," ASME Travel Grant Paper & Poster Presentation, ASME Design Engineering and Technical Conference, September 10, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Mistree, F., Allen, J. K., Chamberlain, M. K., Kulkarni, R., Williams, C. B., 2001, "Design for Affordability Using a Distributed Decision Support Environment," Office of Naval Research, Final Progress Report.

Class Reports & Presentations

Other Information

• My Curriculum Vitae
• A page summarizing my PhD research on manufacturing cellular materials.
• A page summarizing my MS research on designing product platforms for customizable products and production processes.
  
• A sampling of some of the side projects I've done while at GaTech.
• Volunteer Coordinator of the SRL, Fall 2003 - present
• Lab Manager of the SRL, Fall 2002 - Fall 2003
• Social Coordinator of the SRL, Summer 2001 - Fall 2002