Wuest co-authors new book on advanced manufacturing

Pictured is Thorsten Wuest, the J. Wayne and Kathy Richards Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing. (Statler College Photo/Paige Nesbit)

Thorsten Wuest, J. Wayne and Kathy Richards Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing at West Virginia University, published a new textbook “Introduction to Advanced Manufacturing.”

By Olivia Miller
Communications Specialist

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Wuest’s research focuses on smart and advanced manufacturing as well as machine learning and data analytics in manufacturing. His research takes an interdisciplinary and holistic approach towards analysis and optimization grounded in an industrial setting.

Wuest wrote the book alongside co-author Ramy Harik, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Carolina. Their objective was to simplify the subject of advanced manufacturing and create a state of the art, yet accessible and approachable resource for students and practitioners. The textbook explores new opportunities for manufacturing and the manufacturing industry as a whole.

“Ramy and I are members of the same professional society, the International Federation for Information Processing , and share a passion for manufacturing,” said Wuest. “During our yearly working group meeting we discussed the challenges of teaching students manufacturing within the limited timeallotted in most engineering curricula and how current books are either too comprehensive or outdated. We realized that there is a need for a resource that instills excitement within our students for manufacturing and decided to fill that gap ourselves.”

The new book will be beneficial to college students, introducing them to manufacturing and providing an approachable yet comprehensive guide to complement the curricula. Although, professionals and companies, specifically small manufacturing companies who are struggling with the rapid digital transformation in industry can utilize this book to stay informed and competitive in the market.

Wuest explained that key technologies are interpreted into a broader context to enable professionals in the industry to familiarize employees with concepts such as smart manufacturing, cyber security, additive manufacturing and composites manufacturing, to name a few.

The book was published by SAE International.

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